“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.”
― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
Dispersed Camping is allowed. I camped there for two nights and it was truly beautiful. There are hiking trails that takes you to the buttes. At night the wind turbines light up and for a moment I thought it was an alien landing field.
The Pawnee National Grassland is 35 miles east of Fort Collins and 25 miles northeast of Greeley in Weld County. Contained within the 30-by-60 mile area are 193,060 acres managed by the Pawnee National Grassland. The rest of the land is a checkerboard of private land, State of Colorado ownership and the Central Plains Experimental Range.
While developed facilities are limited on the grassland, recreation opportunities are not. The Pawnee is an internationally known birding area. It supports many bird species, especially during migration. The Colorado State Bird, the lark bunting, is very common on the grassland in spring and summer. The grassland also has many unique high plains bird species such as the mountain plover, burrowing owl and many birds of prey. Hiking, camping, picnicking, horseback riding and stargazing are also popular activities. Pronghorn, mule deer, coyote, swift fox, snakes and prairie dogs are just a few of the species that make the Pawnee Buttes National Grassland their home.
