Staunton State Park is named for Frances H. Staunton. She donated the Staunton Ranch, originally homesteaded by her parents, to the State of Colorado with the understanding that it would ultimately be developed into a state park “…to be preserved essentially as a wilderness area.” The Park, typifying Colorado’s most beautiful mountain forest and meadow region, is approximately 40 miles southwest of downtown Denver.

The 3,800 acres of Staunton State Park range in elevation from about 8,100 feet at Elk Creek to 10,240 feet near the summit of Black Mountain, with accompanying differences in geology, soils, and climate. The combination of this more than 2,000-foot elevation gradient and broad variety of terrain has resulted in an extensive diversity of vegetation communities and wildlife.

Master Plan Guides Park Development

The Staunton State Park Master Plan, approved in January 2010, was developed to guide all future investments at the Park in a manner that seeks to balance Park development with the unique natural, historic, and scenic attributes of this magnificent Park. The plan emphasizes phased development that opens the Park for public day use early in the process. 

Planned development and construction is underway. Phase I construction includes a new entrance, roads, parking lots, restrooms, utilities, opportunities to rock climb, picnic, and fish, and new trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Follow our progress on the construction update page.