Near Estes Park in Larimer County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Horseshoe Park

Photographed by Connor Olson, August 25, 2020

1. Horseshoe Park Marker

Inscription. Hidden Valley Creek, below, once flowed directly into Horseshoe Park before its course was diverted by an Ice Age glacial moraine. Today, beaver continue to alter the creek's course by building dams that have created the chain of ponds visible below.

The huge, open, light-colored alluvial fan in Horseshoe Park marks a dramatic change. On July 15, 1982, the upstream Lawn Lake dam failed. Flood debris dammed Fall River, eventually forming a temporary lake. Look for other evidence of the Lawn Lake Flood along Roaring River, below Mummy Mountain.

Picture Captions:
The Lawn Lake Flood of 1982 submerged most of Horseshoe Park, leaving behind the alluvial fan that created "Fan Lake."
A boardwalk through the beaver ponds visible below allows visitors to explore the beaver's watery world.

Erected by USDI National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is July 15, 1982.

Location. 40° 24.047′ N, 105° 39.814′ W. Marker is near Estes Park, Colorado, in Larimer County. It is on Trail Ridge Road,

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

on the right when traveling west. Located at rainbow curve overlook. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Estes Park CO 80517, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Front Range.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Changing Times Bring Changing Uses (approx. 0.6 miles away); Ancient Paths, Ancient Peoples (approx. 0.6 miles away); Rocky Mountain’s “Parks” (approx. 1.9 miles away); Animals in Flux (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Woodpecker Army (approx. 2.8 miles away); Roger Wolcott Toll (approx. 3.3 miles away); Trail Ridge Road at Rock Cut (approx. 3.7 miles away); Trail of Aspens (approx. 5.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Estes Park.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 550 times since then and 20 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on January 7, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.