Featured Open Space Properties

Parkville Open Space – Preserving the historic Parkville townsite

Parkville is located at the confluence of the South Fork and Middle Fork of the Swan River, east of Breckenridge. The 44-acre property was acquired to preserve the natural habitat along the Swan River, preserve the historic Parkville cultural site, and to protect several significant recreation routes. The area is very popular with backcountry recreationists and has a predominantly undeveloped, open space character.

The history of Parkville or Park City (as it is sometimes called in historic articles and documents) in Georgia Gulch is vague because its life span as a settlement lasted less than six years.  Gold was discovered in 1859, and with all the flourish and hoopla of a boomtown, Parkville came into being. As stated in the Summit County Journal in 1909:  “The original county seat was located at Park City, near the mouth of Georgia Gulch, where in the days of rich gold diggings a city of 5,000 people arose – in a day, as it were.”  A post office was established in Parkville on December 13, 1861, and discontinued on October 22, 1866.

Much of the buildings are gone, but visitors today can still find evidence of the town and also of the Masonic Cemetery. Headstones are scattered among the undeveloped landscape, providing a historic element to this beautiful part of Summit County. Hiking and exploring are main activities, along with motorized recreation on established routes through Parkville. In the winter, you might see people dog-sledding and cross-country skiing.

 

Tenderfoot Meadows Open Space

Preserving the view corridor from Dillon to Keystone

Summit County residents traveling along Route 6 may appreciate the undeveloped nature of the land on the eastern side of the highway extending from outside of Dillon to Keystone. Summit County Open Space and Trails has helped to protect this viewshed through the acquisition and management of the 97-acre Tenderfoot Meadows Open Space.   

The County primarily acquired Tenderfoot Meadows to protect an undeveloped buffer and view corridor between Keystone and the Town of Dillon. The Tenderfoot Meadows Open Space mainly consists of open sage meadows to the north and south of Highway 6 near the Snake River Inlet. These meadows provide valuable wildlife habitat, and due to their south-facing aspect, are especially important as winter range for elk.  

The meadows are frequently visited by residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. Hiking is permitted on the meadow trails, which can be accessed via the Recpath or a parking area off Highway 6.  The Open Space Department is managing this property to maintain and promote the natural appearance of its sage meadows.  

 

Willow Creek Open Space

Protecting the scenic and wildlife habitat values of forests, wetlands, and meadows near Silverthorne. 

The 39-acre Willow Creek Open Space includes the confluence of three forks of Willow Creek and abuts the National Forest between the Ruby Ranch and Willow Creek Highlands subdivisions, just north of Silverthorne.  Willow Creek Open Space was acquired in 1999 by the Summit County Open Space Program to protect the undeveloped buffer between subdivisions, provide an extension of National Forest Lands, protect unique wetland resources, and provide trail-based recreation.   

The property is traversed by two main trails that meet near the trailhead parking area, on a pullout from Willowbrook Road.  The trail that heads northwest provides one of the most direct routes to the Eagles Nest Wilderness.  A second trail, known as the Teepee Trail, heads roughly southwest across the largest portion of the property and crosses the south fork of Willow Creek.  In 2005, volunteers constructed a number of log bridges ensuring safe crossing of the creeks.  Both trails provide access to the Gore Range Trail and Mesa Cortina Trail within the Eagles Nest Wilderness and are enjoyed by hikers in the summer and snowshoers and cross-county skiers in the winter. 

The lush wetlands and forested areas of the Willow Creek Open Space are rich in diverse flora and fauna.  Deer, elk, beaver and fox call this home, and wildflowers of every description present a kaleidoscope of color from spring through fall.