The 6-acre Yampa River Botanic Park is situated in a valley beside the Yampa River at an altitude of 6,800 feet. The location has a frost-free growing season of approximately 60 days; while summers are dry and intensely sunny, winters are cold with heavy snow.
Beginning in 1995, the Yampa River Botanic Park sprang from a flat horse pasture to a six acre gem of ponds, berms, and more than 60 individual gardens. Each garden is in a unique setting with its own slope, sun exposure, soil chemistry, trees, shrubs, and irrigation pattern determining what will, and will not, grow well. Through the use of designed microclimates the garden supports both alpine plants and desert plants found in the Yampa Valley.
Most plants are labeled with both scientific and common names. Many gardens and plant selections promote water wise and environmentally friendly landscaping.
The Botanic Park is free and open to the public from the beginning of May through the end of October.