Plains Conservation Center (Visitor Center) — Local services in Aurora

We went to see the farm animals. This was my first time, but my son takes his kids a lot since they're right across the street from it. It was their first time this year. They had 5 turkeys, about a dozen chickens, about 6 sheep and 2 donkeys (one had open wounds on it's front legs and was trembling). Last year there were pigs and cows also. The grandkids were disappointed that there wasn't much to see and we were on our way out when two different vehicles went past, the 2nd in an Aurora city truck stopped to let us know that this was a fee based area that has guided tours ($3.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids over 2) which my son and I noted there weren't any signs for. Maybe we missed them? We asked about why there weren't as many animals as last year and she said "The farmer last year wasn't taking care of them so they decided to go with ones that didn't need as much care." When this was her response I brought up the injuries to the donkey that she seemed oblivious to and said donkeys tremble in order to keep the flies off. This was a different kind of tremble than that, in my opinion. But if I were that donkey, I would have been trying extra hard to keep the flies from laying eggs in my open wounds! I hope they got this animal the vet care it needed. It is a beautiful area that they could do so much more with, lots of trails, teepees, and farm equipment. I wouldn't mind paying the money if you were able to feed the animals or something and/or if there were more of them. They also need to expand the hours because if you go back on some of those trails there is no way any human that I know of could walk them in the small window of time that isn't in the blazing heat of the day. Maybe they could set up a picnic area with a couple of gazebos halfway through the trails to rest so if you do go during the heat of the day you have somewhere to rest? Wine tasting parties? So much could be done to show off this beautiful...

We wanted to see some good prairie and possibly some wildflowers so we gave the Plains Conservation Center a try. Right off Hampden and easy access with plenty of parking, it started off on the right foot.

There is a nice visitor center(with helpful and friendly volunteers), training buildings, admin building, restrooms, a yurt and nice demonstration garden.

We hit the PCC welcome trail just north of the buildings. As there are guided tours, the trails are big enough to allow passage of motor vehicles.

Almost immediately we began seeing Pronghorn. I think we ended up seeing around 25 of them. We were hoping to see more forbs and bluestone, but it was mainly short grasses. And, unfortunately, along the Soddie Trail, a lot bull and Canadian Thistle.

Trails: Seem to be well developed. We took the PCC Welcome Trail, Toll Gate Fork Trail, Soddie Trail and then part of the North Soddie Loop for a total of 2.6 miles. Maps show these trail locations and distances well. There was a thunderstorm moving into the area so we had to cut our exploration short.

However, besides the Pronghorn, there were two adult Bald Eagles nesting (about where Riparian Trail and Toll Gate Fork Trail meet) and a juvenile sitting in the trees. The hills to the east of the creek is where we saw most of the Pronghorn.

Along the North Soddie Loop trail there are numerous stations with old farm equipment. Pretty cool if you like thus kind of stuff. I think most had QR codes to learn mire about them.

In addition, there are three tipis set-up in an education area and a garden, corral and sod house (?) we didn't explore due to the weather.

There were additional trails we didn't explore, but will be back to check them...

came here with my son's preschool class for a field trip. It was a guided tour, and our tour guide was very educated and patient with the children. They have tee pees set up, just like they would have been used on the plains. All of the implements were in place, and were carefully explained to all of us. Daily life was expressed, with an emphasis on what the role of children would be (for our young guests). They also have a sod house, which was very informative for the adults in our group, as well as the children. Again, daily implements were handled and explained. Daily life was emphasized. Things like the great dust bowl were talked about, and the impact that it had on the families that lived on the plains. I believe that this is a very educational and interesting place that is very often overlooked by residents. There is a wealth of knowledge here, and it's well worth a visit to learn about what happened on our land long before the suburbs took over. Especially if you have children, GO! You'll all have a wonderful time and learn a lot in...