Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat

Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat
Walden Ponds in winter
Interactive map of Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat
LocationBoulder County, Colorado
Nearest cityBoulder
Coordinates40°02′39″N 105°11′16″W / 40.0441°N 105.1879°W / 40.0441; -105.1879
Area102 acres (41 ha)
Established1974
Websitebouldercounty.gov/open-space/parks-and-trails/walden-ponds-wildlife-habitat/

Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat is a 102-acre (41 ha) Boulder County, Colorado park. It was reclaimed between 1974 and the 1990s from an open-pit gravel mine on the site, and is named after Walden "Wally" Toevs, the Boulder County commissioner who spearheaded the plan to convert the gravel pits into a wildlife habitat.[1]

After the mining ceased and the property had been stripped 15 feet (4.6 m) down to bedrock, all that was left were open pits and puddles of ground water.[1]

The park has several ponds and marshlands, hiking trails, picnic facilities, restrooms, and fishing. It claims to be one of the best bird-watching areas in Boulder County.[1]

The Walden Ponds area is west of 75th St., south of Jay Rd. and north of Valmont Rd. The adjacent Sawhill Ponds open space property to the south is owned by Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) but managed by the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department (Boulder OSMP).[2] Trails connect in a few places.

Although under different ownership and management, various entities treat the two as a single unit.[3][4][5] The popular eBird birding app shows 300 species observed within the combined area.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat Management Plan" (PDF). Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department.
  2. ^ "Sawhill Ponds | City of Boulder". bouldercolorado.gov. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  3. ^ "Local Birding". Boulder County Audubon. Retrieved 2025-12-29. Sawhill and Walden Ponds Wildlife Areas… These reclaimed gravel pits along Boulder Creek support waterfowl, marsh-nesting species, and birds of cottonwood-willow river bottoms… the only known Colorado nesting location for Least Bittern. As many as 75 species have been observed on an early May morning.
  4. ^ "Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat and Sawhill Ponds". Colorado Birding Trail. 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2025-12-29. Walden and Sawhill Ponds are some of the most important birding areas in Boulder
  5. ^ "Walden Ponds and Sawhill Ponds". www.bouldercoloradousa.com. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
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