Staunton State Park

Staunton State Park is a Colorado state park in Park and Jefferson counties, located 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Conifer, Colorado. The 3,828-acre (1,549 ha) park, which opened on May 18, 2013, includes dramatic rock outcroppings, several streams and a waterfall. On December 4, 2012, the property was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Staunton Ranch-Rural Historic Landscape.

The park was created out of a gift by Francis H. Staunton, who donated the original 1,720 acres to the State of Colorado. Ms. Staunton required the land "be preserved in perpetuity, for public benefit, as a natural wilderness-type park... typifying Colorado's most beautiful mountain forest and meadow region". Since 1986, the State of Colorado acquired additional lands through the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) lottery proceeds. These include the Elk Falls Ranch, portions of the Davis Ranch, and property once owned by playwright Mary Coyle Chase. The Staunton Ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places for exemplifying a pattern of homesteading, ranching, and use as a summer resort. It is also considered notable for its rustic architecture and for containing the area's only sawmill.

State park

State parks or provincial parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" or "province" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state, and of some states of Mexico. The term is also used in Australia, though the distinction between state and national parks there is different. The Canadian equivalent term is provincial park. Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies.

State parks are thus similar to national parks, but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks. In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with a few exceptions such as the Adirondack Park in New York and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California.

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Latest News for: staunton state park

Rare white squirrel spotted in Arapahoe County

Fox31 Denver 19 Mar 2025
Colorado spot named among top unique campgrounds. Campspot ... It's a recessive genetic trait, and "a rare sight to see," Colorado Parks and Wildlife wrote in a post about a leucistic squirrel spotted at Staunton State Park in 2021 ... .
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