Palmer Park (Colorado Springs)

HistoryEdit

The area that is now Palmer Park was once owned by Matt France, the earliest recorded owner. In 1873, France sold his property to Henry Austin who used this property to raise sheep. The general area became known as Austin Bluffs, and a major road in the area is named after this man as Austin Bluffs Parkway The land was later purchased by, and is named for, William Jackson Palmer the founder of Colorado Springs, whose estate donated the land to Colorado Springs in 1907. The area is now a Colorado Springs Regional Park, and the largest park inside of the metro area.

Size and type of parkEdit

At 730.2 acres (as a comparison Central Park in New York City is 843 acres) in size, the park contains over 25 miles of trails, a dog park, an off leash dog area, two baseball/softball fields, a football/soccer field, three volleyball courts, a community playground, horse stables, and several picnic grounds. The park is a suburban park, where the main uses are trail riding, hiking and equestrian. With so much elevation variation and great size, it is easy to feel you are in a wilderness area and not in the middle of one of the top 50 most populated areas in the United States, but only when the park is empty. Palmer Park is very popular, and despite its size it can feel crowded on days when the weather is good. The park is designed, or rather allowed to stay, as a very natural park. There is one major paved road going through the park, one paved road going to an overlook of Colorado Springs, and a few gravel roads going into several of the canyons. The majority of the park can only be accessed by trail.

Flora, fauna, and geographical layoutEdit

The developed areas of the park represent a relatively small portion of the land, with the majority being of natural layout and vegetation. The highest altitude within the park is approximately 6610 feet (2010 meters). Much of the layout consists of large sandstone bluffs, some with up to 80' sheer drop-offs, although most are smaller. Canyons exist between the sandstone bluffs throughout the park. The lay of the land is nearly completely natural. Scrub oak is very prevalent, along with Ponderosa Pine and Douglas fir. There are a few other species of trees, but they are rare. There is a large area of continuous yucca known as Yucca Trail, covering about 20 acres. Cactus is present throughout the park, but only concentrated in this area. Water is scarce in the park, with no naturally running water in the park other than one small stream in the northernmost boundary of the park. Animals seen in the park include bear and mountain lion, but these are not common or permanent residents and are a rare sight. Deer, rabbits, coyotes, foxes, snakes, and lizards are all common sights. Eagles and hawks are also often seen soaring above the park, and owls can be heard and seen perched on the tops of trees silhouetted against the dusk or dawn sky.