Buffalo Herd Overlook
What: Buffalo Herd Overlook
Where: I-70, exit 254 (Genesee Park), just west of
metro-Denver
When: Whenever the herd hangs around the viewing areas
Perhaps
we should start with the fact that the highway signs should read “Bison
Herd Overlook.” And we need to change the lyrics to Home on the
Range (“Oh give me a home where the Bison roam…”)
while we’re at it. As you’ll learn from an informational sign
by a meadow where these big creatures often graze, “buffalos” are
found in Africa and Asia; the North American Bison is the animal
that roamed the American West in the millions until they were nearly
wiped out in the late 1800s.
The herd you’ll (hopefully) see at this exit
belong to the City and County of Denver, and are descendents of 7 of
the remaining wild animals found in Yellowstone National Park in
1914. The city also brought 23 elk to this newly-created Denver
Mountain Park.
Don’t be tempted to stick an arm through the fence
to try to entice one of these giants to come closer or to pet it;
bison are temperamental animals, and can be quite dangerous. Keep
your distance.
Speaking of Bison, did you know…
By the way, be sure to check the large meadows on
both sides of the Interstate for bison; they are able to pass under
I-70 through a tunnel created to join the two parts of their pasture
that were divided when the highway was built.
For more information, contact:
Denver Parks and Recreation Department
201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 108
Denver, CO 80202
(720) 913-0700
www.denvergov.org/Mountain_Parks
