North Park Day Trips

Cultural Heritage in North Park

Community Legacy

Isolated North Park, a high mountain valley encompassing Jackson County, requires resilience from those who choose to live here. It is a place where rugged ways of life have endured the test of time. No matter the season, you’re likely to still meet cattlemen, cowgirls, forest rangers, and loggers. Timber harvesting in the region began in 1905 with the creation of the National Forests and the first timber sale on the Routt National Forest in 1906. Growing northwest Colorado towns created a demand for saw timber and railroad ties. The Laramie, Hahns Peak & Pacific Railway reached North Park in 1911 and hauled coal from nearby Coalmont. Like early explorers who ventured into the valley and across the Continental Divide to camp and hunt along its creeks and deep forests, today locals, guides, outfitters and photographers still hunt, fish, hike, and camp.

Take the Tour

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1. North Park Pioneer Museum

Location: 387 Logan Street

Housed in a ranch house built in 1882, the museum traces the town’s history back to its founding in 1890. Through several expansions the museum has grown to 27 rooms, including some re-created historical rooms and features pioneer artifacts.

2. Coalmont Schoolhouse

Location: 1018 Jackson County Road 26

This was the only schoolhouse in the area from 1915 to 1945. Around 1920, the Hebron Schoolhouse was relocated and joined with the Coalmont Schoolhouse. As in many rural communities, it provided a place for gatherings and social life.

3. Jackson County Courthouse   

Location: 396 Lafever Street

Designed by noted Denver architect William Norman Bowman and constructed of locally quarried stone in 1913, the Courthouse retains most of the original interior detailing.

4. Lake Agnes Cabin

Location: Jackson County Road 62B

This 1925 cabin exemplifies the rustic style that was implemented in national and state parks of the time with log walls, simple form, rubble foundation, and gently pitched roof.

(For seasonal access visit: www.parks.state.co.us/Parks/StateForest)

5. Hog Park Guard Station

Location:3351 Clark Blvd.

Constructed in 1910, the Hog Park Guard Station is the oldest standing guard station in Routt National Forest. It is a rare example of a time when the Forest Service District Rangers were using common standards to construct buildings of local materials with local labor. (For seasonal access visit: www.fs.usda.gov/main/mbr)

6. Teller City

Location: Jackson County Road 21

The once-prosperous silver mining town had a population of 1,800 in 1882, and the town thrived with a 40-room hotel, 27 saloons and hundreds of log cabins. But, when the price of silver dropped drastically in 1884, the town was abandoned in a matter of days. (For seasonal access visit: www.fs.usda.gov/main/mbr)