Fast Facts:
- 66-acre mountaintop park
- Officially acquired in 1916, but used as a park even earlier
Features:
- Spectacular views
- Lariat Trail Scenic Mountain Drive
- Buffalo Bill Grave & Museum
- Pahaska Tepee & Gift Shop
Overview:
Lookout Mountain Park has it all – a panoramic view stretching from the Continental Divide to downtown Denver, acres of wooded foothills, the grave and historic collection of western legend Buffalo Bill, mountain meadows, a distinctive stone shelter, a twisting scenic mountain road, and the Beaver Brook Trail. The area is divided into a picnic area to the west below the summit and the Buffalo Bill “campus” to the east with Pahaska Tepee and
Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave.
A striking native stone picnic shelter, designed by architects W.E and A.A. Fischer and built in 1913, sits west of the summit on a rolling hill overlooking the Continental Divide and surrounded by mountain meadows. The foothills landscape is primarily an open ponderosa pine forest with an understory of native and introduced grasses and native shrubs such as mountain mahogany. Steep north-facing slopes are dominated by Douglas-fir forest.
Surrounded to the north, east, and west by Jefferson County Open Space, Lookout Mountain Park is part of a larger complex of contiguous public lands. Trails connect from this park to the Lookout Mountain Nature Center and Boettcher Mansion (operated by Jefferson County), creating a network of facilities in this larger park area. The east end of the Beaver Brook Trail is also accessible from Lookout Mountain.
The spectacular scenery and serene setting at the summit of Lookout Mountain and its one-of-a-kind attractions draw crowds year-round. A recent analysis estimated that more than half a million people visited the Grave each year. The challenging, steep uphill climb on the Lariat Trail lures hundreds of bicyclists in all kinds of weather.
Buffalo Bill Museum and Pahaska Tepee
The Museum features a variety of exhibits on the American West and William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, who was buried here on Lookout Mountain in 1917. Permanent and online exhibits feature photographs and artifacts from the Wild West shows, Buffalo Bill's life and relationships with the Native Americans, Old West weapons, and much more.
Each year, usually in February, the Museum hosts a Buffalo Bill Birthday Celebration, as well as other events through the year.
Pahaska Tepee originally housed a curio shop, soda fountain, and a formal dining room. Today a concessionaire runs a restaurant and gift shop year round in the building.
See also:
Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave; Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway;
Location and Facilities:
Lookout Mountain Park and Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave are located 19 miles (30 km) from downtown Denver. Take I-70 west to Exit 256, which is marked “Buffalo Bill Grave,” and then follow the signs. Or take 6th Avenue west to Golden and turn west (left if coming from Denver) onto Lariat Trail (19th Street) at the light. Follow the winding road to the top of scenic Lookout Mountain.
Facilities in Lookout Mountain Park are picnic areas with charcoal grills, a shelter house, scenic overlook, Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave, Pahaska Tepee Gift Shop.
The Denver Mountain Park system is on the National Register of Historic Places as a multiple properties listing. All parks are considered natural areas, and all wildlife and plants are protected and preserved.