Barksdale_Picnic_Area_Rev_1_2.pdf

Help Us Keep You Safe and Our Park Pristine

Park Regulations

• Collecting rocks, fossils, or any natural object is prohibited.

• Dogs, and other pets are prohibited.

• Hunting and firearm use is prohibited.

• Horses, bicycles and motorized vehicles of any kind are prohibited on all trails.

• Camping and overnight parking are prohibited.

Safety Tips

• You are 8,400 feet above sea level. The air is dray, oxygen is sparse and the sun is strong. Pleae take water, layers of clothing, a hat, and sunscreen on your hikes.

• Weather can change rapidly. Afternoon thnderstorms with deadly lightning are common, especially in the summer.

EMERGENCIES CALL 911

Barksdale Picnic Area Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Who Makes the Fossil Beds Their Home? How many species can you identify during your visit?

Welcome to the Barksdale Picnic Area

Visitor Information

Park Hours: Barksdale is open Dawn to Dusk Check at the Visitor Center for hours of operation and special programs.

Park Entrance Fee:

Please pay at the information desk inside the visitor center or refer to the QR code.

Hit the Trails!

The Barksdale Picnic Area is part of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, a unit of the National Park Service.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument encompasses over 6,000 acres of federal land and was established to protect natural and cultural resources. Underneath the acreage lies one of the richest fossil deposits in the world.

Massive redwood trees and an abundance of diverse, detailed insect and plant fossils reveal a very different Colorado 34 million years ago. To see these fossils please see the exhibits in and around the Visitor Center.

In addition to being a picnic area, the Barksdale is also a trailhead for the Shootin’ Star Trail, which is just one part of the park’s 15-mile trail system. Please visit the Monument visitor center, located about 2 miles from here on Teller County Road 1, to obtain hiking map, your park pass and learn more about the hiking trails and the rest of the Monument.

There are over 15 miles of hiking trails at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. The self-guiding Petrified Forest loop offers the best views of petrified redwood stumps. The other trails provide excellent opportunties to view scenery and explore the modern ecosystem.

Hornbek Wildlife Loop - 3.8 miles Following meadows, the trail to the Hornbek Homestead crosses land once covered in ancient Lake Florissant. The return route overlooks the ancient lake bed and the mountain ranges beyond. Signs of wildlife are common.

MODERATE

Sawmill Trail - 2.7 miles The varied terrain provides a good example of Colorado’s Montane Life Zone. Forests of pine, spruce and fir, meadows frequented by elk, ridgetops viewing Pikes Peak, and shaded streams make this a favorite. MODERATE

Twin Rock Trail - 2.3 miles (one-way) This trail features quiet views of rock formations, open meadows, aspen groves, riparian or stream habitats, willows, and pond life. Signs of wildlife are common. MODERATE

Hans Loop - 1.4 miles The Hans Trail is and extension of the Sawmill.

Part of the trail follows a gentle ridge that provides vistas of Pikes Peak and then drops into a drainage that passes the remnants of a rustic cabin. MODERATE

Boulder Creek Trail - 2.8 miles The trail begins and ends in the ponderosa pine forest. A portion of the trail skirts wet meadows and passes a formation of giant granite boulders.

MODERATE

Shootin’ Star Trail - 1.6 miles (one way) This trail follows and old road bed and travels through the ponderosa pine forest. The trail gets its name from a historic ranch. Look for signs of former agricultural activity. MODERATE

Pasque Blue Flax Gumweed Orange Paintbrush Sticky Geranium Wallflower

*White Flowers Scarlet Gilia

M ountain Ball C act us

Wapiti (Elk) Coyote Grey Fox Black Bear Bobcat Abert Squirre l Badger Porcupine Mule Deer

R ichardson’s Ground Squi rr el

Redtailed Hawk Bluebird

Steller’s Jay Clark’s Nutcracker

Broadtailed Hummingbi rd

W hite-breasted Nuth at ch

Magpie

Variegated Friti l lary

W andering Gartersn ak e

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

1 Kilometer0

0 1 Mile

FLORISSANT

FOSSIL BEDS

NATIONAL

MONUMENT

Upper Twin Rock Road

Florissant

To Cripple Creek

To Colorado

Springs

Visitor Center

Barksdale Picnic Area

Excavation Site.8

1.2

1.1

.8

.2

.2 .3

.3

.3

.7

2.2

1.2

.9

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Ponderosa Loop .5

Shootin’ Star Trail

Twin Rock Trail

Sawmill Trail

Ha ns

L oo p

Forest Loop

Boulder C reek Tr ail 1.0 Hornbek Trail

Hornbek Trail 1.2

CR42 Twin Rock Road

Horse Pullout

Hornbek Homestead

N

You Are Here

Picnic Area

Hiking Trails

Petrified Forest Loop-1.1 miles This trail leads through the bed of ancient Lake Florissant. It passes numerous giant petrified redwood tree stumps, including the colorful “Big Stump”. EASY

Ponderosa Loop- 0.4 miles This short wheelchair-accessible trail leaves the exhibit area and enters the modern forst past ponderosa pine, aspen, Douglas-fir, and spruce trees. A highlight of this trail is a modern pine tree growing out of a petrified redwood.

EASY

Geologic Trail-0.6 miles This trail highlights over a billion years of geologic history in the Florissant valley. It passes over the ancient lake bed, crosses County Road 1 (CR1), then ascends past the remnants of a massive pyroclastic flow, and ends at a scenic overview of the Florissant Valley. MODERATE