The history of Woodland Park is typically that of a small community in the mountains, favored with a good location and able to respond to changing situations. This combination of favorable location and ability to respond has resulted in periods of rapid growth since 1891. This growth has been directed in a positive way to protect the natural beauty of the area as well as the residents. Woodland Park has become a city where modern convenience blends well with historic charm.

   The location of Woodland Park is its greatest asset. The city is located on a high, broad plateau between 8,200 and 9,000 feet above sea level and offers "the best view of Pikes Peak". It is also at the junction of Ute Pass and a valley system that extends north of the city, providing a well-drained town site and favorable access to Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak to the southeast, Denver to the north, and mountain recreation areas in all directions.

   Nature has been lavish in her donations to Woodland Park, the town taking its name from the thickly wooded hills and valleys on every side. Stately pines and spruce of prolific growth form a perfect forest for miles around, in a grand picturesque scene. Looking to the south the view is spectacular. Pikes Peak with her colossal sheds stands in bold relief against the blue sky, her snowy crest above the clouds. The canyon of Fountain Creek, with its rugged borders, flows to the plains. The easy access to all of this through Ute Pass gives Woodland Park a unique place among the State resort areas.

   Woodland Park and its surrounding areas can be accurately defined as a true "Rocky Mountain Playground" with year-round activities for the resident and visitor - young and old.

   That's why our mountain community at the top of Ute Pass is no longer considered just a jumping-off place for mountain activities. The area has plenty to offer. There are all kinds of campgrounds, from public sites in the national forest to the most complete sites on commercial campgrounds.

   Summer recreational activities include hiking, back-packing, camping, cycling, four-wheeling, horseback-riding, picnicking, rodeos and gymkhanas, sight-seeing, fishing, youth and adult softball leagues, tennis and more.

   The trout are here for the taking. One of the most beautiful of small mountain lakes is just a few miles north of Woodland Park on Colorado Highway 67, Manitou Lake. It is so easy to get to that picnickers gather there in droves on summer weekends.

   A larger, man-made lake lies up Rampart Range Road between Woodland Park and Colorado Springs. Rampart Reservoir holds water piped from the Homestake Reservoir near Leadville for eventual use in Colorado Springs. The city and the U.S. Forest Service have opened the lake for fisherman and picnickers.

   Woodland Park is on the main route to Deckers and the South Platte River. The South Platte near Deckers, regarded as one of the premier fishing streams in the state, attracts fishermen and sightseers from across the nation and even from abroad. Its white capped, swift-moving water, huge boulders, deep canyons and clear pools make it one of the most scenic rivers anywhere. Adding to its attraction is the fact that one has to hike only a mile or so uphill to reach the most scenic locations.

   Winter fun also abounds in the region, with such varied activities as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice fishing, ice skating, tubing and sledding.

   Woodland Park is the scenic gateway to most of the Colorado ski slopes. You'll enjoy mostly sunshine days - above the clouds - with unexcelled ski possibilities. U.S. Route 24 through Woodland Park is the most direct and most beautiful route to Breckenridge - and beyond to Dillon, Copper Mountain, and Vail. Or you can head west directly to Monarch, Purgatory, Telluride and Wolf Creek.

POPULATION

Woodland Park 6,515 (Year 2000)
Males: 3,264 (50.1%), Females: 3,251 (49.9%)
Teller County 19,000 (Estimate)

Median Age 37.5
Median household income: $52,279
Median house value: $165,000

ELEVATION