Sheep Lakes
This area of Horseshoe Park is one of the best places to see Rocky Mountain wildlife.
Plan Around Sheep Lakes
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Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Sheep Lakes Details
This area of Horseshoe Park is a great place to look for Rocky Mountain wildlife, including bighorn sheep, mule deer, and elk. The bighorn come down from the mountains for the natural minerals found at Sheep Lakes. The sheep must cross Highway 34 to get to the lakes. For your safety and the safety of the bighorn, obey the 'no stopping' traffic zones and do not try to approach the animals. Bighorn are extremely skittish, and stressing them by approaching can lead to disease or illness. The lakes themselves, called kettle lakes, were formed by melting chunks of glacial ice. The information station here is open daily from mid-May to mid-August.
Difficulty
Low
Distance
N/A
Estimated time
Region
East Side
Nearby Parks Around Sheep Lakes
Compare nearby parks around Sheep Lakes when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Sheep Lakes
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Sheep Lakes while the map context is still fresh.
0.4 mi away
Bighorn Sheep
Bighorn sheep once thrived in the thousands in this part of the Rockies.
0.6 mi away
Sheep Lakes Bighorn Crossing
The sheep cross Highway 34, aided by park rangers and volunteers who stop traffic.
0.8 mi away
Aspenglen Campground
This campground was the scene of tragedy when the Lawn Lake dam failed in 1982.
0.8 mi away
Aspenglen Campground
This campground was the scene of tragedy when the Lawn Lake dam failed in 1982.
1.0 mi away
Elk Exclosures
A lack of natural predators has led the elk to overgraze the lower meadows and forests.
