I left Denver Botanic Gardens,
where I had spent a couple of hours looking at plants buried in snow
(click here if you’ve forgotten what I found there - Beauty of Snow...), but decided
against heading straight home. I was curious to see how much snow the
plains had received, so I drove to Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to follow the Wildlife Drive. My first stop was right at the beginning, where I took a picture of my favorite trees just uphill :)
The plains had less snow than I expected. It was enough to powder the
ground, but not enough to cover the grass with a white blanket. Still,
the views were stunning - dark tree silhouettes creating a striking
contrast against the snow.
And the bison were there. Not close to the road (I had hoped for that),
but far away. Still, it was good to see them… sometimes you couldn’t
spot them at all :)
The prairie, bare trees, and mountains in the distance… You just stop
the car and sit there, taking it all in. A peaceful moment with nature,
what could be more relaxing?
Prairie dogs were there too. They’re always there, right next to the
road, going about their business. I think it was the first time I’d seen
them in the snow; all my previous encounters had been in summer.
I slowly moved along the road, watching bison, deer, and prairie dogs against a backdrop of trees and mountains.
One family stayed on high alert, clearly uneasy about something. They
probably sensed a raptor overhead and didn’t want to risk becoming
lunch. I spent a few minutes watching them before moving on.
More mountains, more bison. Small herds were scattered along the river that crosses the plains.
The deer were there too. A few were grazing, while others rested - far
enough from the road that they paid no attention to the passing cars.
And more prairie dogs ;) You can never predict what animals you’ll find there, but you can always count on seeing prairie dogs.
It was a short, gentle drive… Even this thin layer of snow transformed the prairie and it looked simply beautiful.
Photos taken on March 07, 2026.
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