Staunton State Park
State Park in Pine, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Visitor Center: Sun.-Sat. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
12102 S. Elk Creek Road
Pine, CO 80470
United States
Staunton State Park
State Park in Pine, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Visitor Center: Sun.-Sat. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
12102 S. Elk Creek Road
Pine, CO 80470
United States
Navigate to:
Jagged mountains partially covered with pine trees
Welcome to Staunton State Park
Staunton State Park offers diverse landscapes, ranging from grassy meadows at 8,100 feet to granite cliffs over 10,000 feet, supporting unique plant communities and a wide array of wildlife. This diverse landscape opens up countless possibilities for outdoor activities.
3,988
acres
25
campsites
25
picnic sites
37
miles of trails
Accessing the Park
Directions
From Denver
Take US Highway 285 south to Shaffers Crossing, about six miles west of Conifer. Turn north on Elk Creek Road and follow the signs 1.5 miles to the park entrance.
On busy weekends, the Lazy V parking lot fills up early in the morning. Please plan ahead. Parking in this lot is not guaranteed when we reach capacity. Park Rangers will evaluate availability on a 15-20 minute cycle. Please utilize all other parking areas.
The Staunton Visitor Center is located on the southeast side of the park on the park entrance road off Elk Creek Road.
Hours: Sunday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There are two electric vehicle charging stations located in the Visitor Center parking lot.
Visitors with disabilities can explore designated trails in the park using a Track-Chair. Find more information and make reservations on the Park Highlights page.
Closures
Dam Rehabilitation Project Trails
Popular trails on the western side of Staunton State Park will be closed through the end of the year due to a dam rehabilitation project at Elk Falls Pond. The affected trails include:
West Meadow,
- Lions Back,
- Chimney Rock,
- Elk Falls,
- Lions Head Loop and
- Elk Falls Overlook.
Closures associated with the project begin August 4 and remain in place for the remainder of the project. See the July 30 Popular Staunton trails to close during the week due to construction news release for more detail. Also see the May 27 Staunton State Park Elk Falls Reservoir dam construction project to begin in June news release for more information.
Equestrian Parking Lot
The Equestrian Parking lot is closed through the end of the year due to construction. Thank you for your patience and stay tuned for more updates!
Fees and Passes
Pass |
Description |
Duration |
Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily Vehicle Pass |
Single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Day |
$10-$12 |
|
Individual Daily Pass |
For individual entry on foot, bicycle, horseback, etc at select parks |
1 Day |
$4 |
|
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$29 |
|
|
Annual Vehicle Pass (Affixed) |
Pass for a single vehicle and its occupants |
12 Months |
$80 |
|
Family Annual Pass (Hang Tag) |
Members of the same household |
12 Months |
$120 |
|
Aspen Leaf Annual Pass |
Colorado residents 64+ |
12 Months |
$70 |
|
Centennial Pass |
Income-eligible Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Columbine Pass |
Colorado residents with disabilities |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Veterans License Plate |
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for military veterans (disabled veterans or purple heart plates) |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Independence Lifetime Pass |
Colorado resident veterans with disabilities |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Blue Spruce Pass |
Colorado resident first responders with disabilities |
Lifetime |
$10 |
Nature and Wildlife
The park has a mix of grasslands, foothills, cliffs and streams, creating a varied landscape. With an elevation gradient of over 2,000 feet, diverse terrain and water features, the park is home to many different plant and animal communities.
Bird, plant and wildlife guides are available on Staunton State Park's iNaturalist app observations for Android and iPhone. iNaturalist is a free online social network and citizen science platform that allows users to record and share observations of biodiversity. By uploading photos or sounds of wild organisms, you can get help identifying species from a global community of naturalists and even an automated identification tool. Using iNaturalist helps you learn about local nature, connect with other enthusiasts, and most importantly, contribute valuable scientific data to biodiversity research and conservation efforts worldwide.
Be on the Lookout for Birds
Can you spot all the resident and visiting bird species? Download the Bird List Brochure (PDF).
Birds You Might Find
- American robin
- House wren
- Osprey
- Downy woodpecker
Birding Tips
- Always view birds and other wildlife from a safe distance.
- Use binoculars or a spotting scope for a closer view.
- Protect young by avoiding nests or dens.
- Help protect birds by using your senses to find them, not recorded calls.
- To see more birds, keep voices and other sounds low.
- Protect plants and wildlife by staying on trails and respecting closures.
- Keep dogs leashed and under control at all times.
- For the best viewing experience, leave pets at home.
- Human food can hurt wildlife - please keep their diets wild.
- Take nothing but pictures - leave what you find for others to enjoy.
Mammals You Might Find
- Elk
- Least chipmunk
- Pacific marten
- Coyote
Learn How to Coexist
View a short video and tips on watching wildlife safely and find important information on crossing paths with wildlife.
Reptiles and Amphibians You Might Find
- Western terrestrial garter snake
YOU Can Help!
The park is lacking vital data on amphibian and reptile populations. By logging your reptile and amphibian observations into Staunton State Park's iNaturalist app, you'll help us collect data that's essential for protecting and preserving the Park's natural resources.
Geology at This Park
Most of the park lies on a large granite formation called the Pikes Peak batholiths. Formed as the Earth's crust was pushed up from below its hot liquid core, this batholith intruded into Precambrian metamorphic rocks. Millennia of uplift and erosion exposed the granite and eroded away most of the Precambrian rocks. Different rates of erosion created spectacular groupings of granite cliffs and outcrops like Lions Head, Chimney Rock, Elk Creek Spires and Staunton Rocks.
The rock found throughout the park has unique colors, shades and sparkles. Please leave rocks where you found them and do not take them home for your own collection.
Habitats and Plants at This Park
The variety of terrain and soils of Staunton State Park supports extensive vegetation diversity and complexity typical of Colorado Front Range mountains. In the upper montane forests, which cover the vast majority of the park, there are ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, Englemann spruce, limber pine and aspen scattered throughout the park.
Interspersed with the forest are several lush meadow wetlands and drier montane grassland communities. Riparian trees, and shrubs and wetland vegetation dominate the stream corridors.
Wildflowers are abundant throughout the park. Join one of our naturalist-led wildflower hikes to learn more about the plant life in the park. To help preserve their beauty for future generations, please do not pick the wildflowers or plants.
Upcoming Events
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History
The first parcel that would become part of Staunton was donated in 1986 by Frances Hornbrook Staunton.
What we know today as the park’s approximately 3,828 acres are made up of parcels of land acquired over the years. The properties that make up the park are rich in human history, having supported a variety of uses, including:
- Homesteading and a family retreat in the middle of the park site
- Ranching on the southern portions of the site
- Logging and a turn-of-the-20th-century sawmill in the northern part of the site
- A sportsman's club on the western side of the site
The first 1,720-acre parcel was donated to Colorado Parks and Wildlife in 1986 by Frances Hornbrook Staunton, daughter of Drs. Rachel and Archibald Staunton, who homesteaded the land beginning around the turn of the 20th century.
Subsequent parcels, including a portion of the Davis Ranch and Elk Falls property, were acquired in the late 1990s.
In 2006, a small key parcel, called the Chase property, was added to the park to reach its current land base of approximately 3,828 acres. This parcel was once owned by Mary Coyle Chase, a Denver native, journalist and playwright best known for her play Harvey, which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1945.
In November 2014, former Colorado State Senator and Representative Allen Dines donated 80 acres and his family vacation home to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. It was the last private property surrounded by the park. This acquisition allowed for rerouting of the Staunton Ranch trail and an area for hike-in tent campsites. It remains a corridor for wildlife migration through the park.