PHOTOGRAPHER'S PERSPECTIVE ON LOCATION SERIES: COLORADO

PAWNEE NATIONAL GRASSLANDS
WELD COUNTY, COLORADO
Text and image copyright Robert Palmer, all rights reserved

ACCESS
The Pawnee National Grasslands is open year round, with no entry fees. The area is located generally north of east-west highway 14 between Briggsdale and Sterling in northeast Colorado bordering Wyoming. Follow the signs from the abandoned town of Keota. It is an area popular to Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV's). The best time to visit is April through June although certain areas are off-limits from March 1 to June 30 due to nesting raptors. I happen to also love it during the winter. During July and August, the temperatures can be pretty hot.

AREA LAYOUT
The Pawnee National Grasslands is roughly 200,000 acres of high plains short grass prairie in northeastern Colorado. The area is mainly grassland with a series of sandstone bluffs and buttes that run through it, the Pawnee Buttes being the most visible. The Rocky Mountains can be seen on the west. A few county roads run through the area with very little or no traffic most of the time. I've been out in the area for a full day and never saw one vehicle.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND
Depending on the time of year, you can see all sorts of wildlife if you are careful to look. Typical birds include: Lark Sparrows, Horned Larks, Western Meadowlarks, Lark Buntings, McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Prairie Falcons, Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagles, Swainson's Hawks, Great Horned Owls and Burrowing Owls. The endangered Mountain Plover nests here. Over 250 bird species have been reported here. Pronghorns, Black-tailed Jackrabbits, Kit Foxes and Coyotes can be seen and photographed with some patience.

The Pawnee is an ideal place to photograph abandoned farmhouses, since there are many in the area. There is also the possibility of a tornado in the spring.

LIGHT
The light in the morning and evening is typically blue sky with no pollution. During the day, it is extremely harsh. If you are near the Pawnee Buttes at sunrise or sunset, you are sure to get a buttes' keeper. There are very few trees in the area, being such expansive grasslands and eroded sandstone.

MORE INFORMATION
For more information on the internet visit www.fs.fed.us/r2/arnf/districts/png/.

Robert Palmer considers the Pawnee National Grasslands his favorite place on the planet for nature photography, at least so far. For images of this area and other nature photos visit his website at www.falconphotos.com.

Feel free to send your comments on this location review to the editors at NatureScapes.Net.

All content on this site is copyrighted material as indicated. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.