Clear Creek County is home to lots of wildlife!

Wildlife viewing while on your Colorado camping vacation is awesome.  So while camping, hiking, biking, white water rafting, skiing or any outdoor sports keep an eye out for creatures big and small.

Observe animals from a safe distance, safe for you and safe for the animals. You can get ‘close’ by using binoculars, a spotting scope, or a camera with a telephoto lens. If the animals you are observing have their heads up, ears pointed toward you, or appear ‘jumpy’ or nervous when you move, you are probably too close!

ALWAYS keep your dog on leash. You don’t want to find out what it is like to pull porcupine quills out of your dog’s no

Bighorn Sheep

The bighorn sheep is the mammalian symbol of the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado’s official mammal. Colorado is home to the largest population of the species anywhere.

Bald Eagles

The bald eagle – so named because of its white head – is found only in North America, and it’s the continent’s second largest bird of prey. Their head and tail feathers turn predominantly white in the fourth or fifth year. Adult males weigh about eight to nine pounds. Females are slightly larger, about 10 to 14 pounds. The birds’ length is 31 to 37 inches with a wingspan of six to 7.5 feet.

Mountain Goats

The mountain goat, like the moose, was introduced deliberately to Colorado, to expand hunting opportunities. The first such introduction was in 1947.

Mule Deer

There are two species of Deer in Colorado; mule deer and white-tails. The deer in Clear Creek County are Mule deer. Mule deer bound with stiff-legged gait, the tail held down; white-tails move with a graceful lope, the flag-like tail held erect.

Elk

The wapiti, or elk, is the largest of Colorado’s native deer (seven to nine feet long, with a four to six inch tail, and weighing 450 – 900 pounds). Commonly called “elk” in this country, wapiti is a preferred name because elsewhere in the world “elk” refers to the animal we call moose.

Black Bears

Black bears are familiar to everyone, and with the demise of the grizzly bear they are the largest of Colorado’s carnivores. Although called black bears, they can be honey-colored, blond, brown, cinnamon or black. They may have a tan muzzle or white spot on the chest.

Mountain Lions

The mountain lion is called by more names than any other Colorado mammal – cougar, puma, panther, catamount or just plain lion – and all connote respect for such a magnificent hunter. Colorado’s largest cat, adult mountain lions are more than six feet long, with a graceful, black-tipped tail 32 inches long. They weigh 130 pounds or more. Color is reddish to buffy, paler below.

Yellow-Bellied Marmot

The yellow bellied marmot is the largest of our ground squirrels, a close relative of the woodchuck of the East and Midwest.

Beaver

Beavers, the largest rodents, measure more than three feet in length, and weigh up to 55 pounds, with a broad, nearly naked, flat tail and webbed feet.

American Pika

The pika is a close relative of the rabbits and hares, with two upper incisors on each side of the jaw, one behind the other. Being rock-gray in color, pikas are seldom seen until their shrill, metallic call reveals their presence.

Bobcat

The bobcat is a familiar animal, but it is secretive and seldom seen. The animals are 32–37 inches long with a tail about 6 inches in length. Bobcats are similar in appearance to their cousin, the lynx.

Chipmunks

Colorado is home to five species of chipmunks; Colorado chipmunk, Hopi chipmunk, Uinta chipmunk, cliff chipmunk and the least chipmunk. The most widespread chipmunk in Colorado is the least chipmunk.

Marten

The Marten (often called the pine marten or American marten) is a weasel that lives in trees. Males are about two feet long, with an eight inch tail, and they weigh about 1 1/2 pounds. Females are 10 to 20 percent smaller than the males, and weigh only half as much as the male.

Mink

The mink is a large, brown, semi-aquatic weasel. Males are 20 – 24 inches long, females about one-fifth smaller. Mink are dark brown, slightly more pale beneath, with the tip of the tail nearly black. Their toes are partially webbed.

Muskrat

The muskrat is an overgrown, semi-aquatic vole. Muskrats have dense under-fur and a nearly waterproof “overcoat.” Their feet are webbed and fringed with stiff hairs. The animals are dark brown in color, about 26 inches in length (of which the tail comprises nine inches) and weigh about two pounds.

Porcupine

The porcupine is familiar to nearly everyone. Second in size only to the beaver among Colorado rodents, porcupines are 27 to 32 inches long (of which ten inches is tail). Weighing up to 33 pounds, these are large mammals.

River Otter

The river otter is the longest of our weasels, ranging from 3 to 4 1/2 feet, of which the powerful, cylindrical tail (which thickens toward the base) comprises about one-third. Webbed toes and water-resistant fur suit the animal to a life spent largely in water.

Raccoons

Raccoons need no introduction. With their ringed, bushy tail, yellowish brown fur (with a blackish wash) and black face mask, they are unmistakable.

Skunks

Four species of skunks are known in Colorado: striped, eastern and western spotted, and hog-nosed. The striped skunk (24 to 32 inches long, weighing to nine pounds) is the largest and most widespread.

Wolverines

Wolverines are three feet long, with a rather short tail, just one-quarter the total length. Otters are longer, but wolverines are the heaviest of weasels, tipping the scale at 20 to 30 pounds or more. They are stocky mammals, built like a small bear. Their fur is dark brown to black, and the sides have a characteristic yellowish brown to whitish stripe.

Golden Eagles

Golden eagles are very large raptors. Their overall length may approach 3 feet with wingspans of approximately 7 feet. Females are generally larger than males. Females weigh around 13 pounds and males around 9 pounds. They are generally dark brown in color, but may have small patches of white or gray. Juvenile birds have a wide, white band at the base of their tail, and a dark brown bottom half.

American Peregrine Falcon

Perhaps the fastest creatures on earth, American peregrine falcons can swoop down on prey at speeds reaching 200 mph. The peregrine is a medium-sized falcon characterized by a nearly black helmet, a dark slate-blue back and buff broken by horizontal bars on the under parts. Adult peregrines vary in length from 15 to 22 inches, with wingspread of 43-46 inches. Female peregrine falcons are slightly larger than the males, and weigh between one pound 14 ounces and two pounds 11 ounces; males average one pound seven ounces.