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Colorado State Parks
Parks > Yampa River State Park > Nature

Nature

The Yampa River supports a rich agricultural heritage that shapes the unique character of this area. It also represents an important opportunity to find ways to perpetuate a working landscape compatible with the conservation of a nationally significant river system.

Wildlife

The Yampa River is one of the most hydrologically and biologically intact rivers in the West, supporting a diversity of native aquatic communities (including four federally listed fish species — Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, bonytail chub and razorback sucker — as well as candidate species such as the Colorado River cutthroat trout) and significant reaches of globally rare riparian plant communities.

Bird Life: Over 240 bird species have been recorded in the Yampa River corridor. Sandhill cranes stage on the Yampa River during migratory travel and to care for their young until they are ready to fly. Blue Heron rookeries co-exist with nesting bald eagles and a variety of other avian species including:

  • Great blue herons
  • Belted kingfishers
  • Various waterfowl species
  • Raptors including bald eagles and hawks
  • Migratory songbirds

Mammals: This area of Northwest Colorado is known for abundant big game species. Elk, deer and antelope can be found throughout the year. Other mammals include:

  • Mule deer and white-tailed deer
  • Elk herds (especially visible during winter months)
  • Pronghorn antelope
  • Moose (occasionally)
  • Black bears
  • Mountain lions
  • Smaller mammals like beavers, muskrats, and various rodents

Updated: 6/2/2025 10:30 AM MT

Plants

The Yampa River is one of the last relatively intact river systems in the west and contains globally rare plant communities. While riparian areas occupy less than 3 percent of the western landscape, they provide habitat for 80 percent of the region’s wildlife.

Riparian Vegetation: Mature Cottonwoods line the river corridor and provide the base for other riparian plant species including:

  • Plains cottonwood (dominant canopy species)
  • Willow species along wet areas
  • Box elder and Russian olive
  • Understory shrubs like wild rose and chokecherry
  • Native grasses and forbs in meadow areas

Upland Areas: The surrounding landscape features:

  • Sagebrush steppe communities
  • Juniper woodlands on elevated sites
  • Grassland prairies
  • Mountain shrub communities at higher elevations

Updated: 6/2/2025 10:30 AM MT

​Geology

The Yampa River is located in the Wyoming Basin Physiographic Province of the Rocky Mountains. The river basin is defined by four major structural features, the Washakie Basin, the Park Range, the Unita Mountains and the White River Plateau. The headwaters of the Yampa River begin in the area known as the Flat Tops and pass through a variety of unique features such as volcanic dikes, exposed Precambrian through Quaternary rocks; flowing into the wide alluvial valley where agricultural lands and riparian habitat co-exist.​