North Park (Colorado basin)
Encyclopedia
North Park is a high, sparsely populated basin (approximately 8800 ft in elevation) in the Rocky Mountains
in north central Colorado
in the United States
. It encompasses a wide valley in Jackson County
rimmed by mountain ranges at the headwaters of the North Platte River
and several smaller tributaries, including the Michigan River
, Illinois River
, and Canadian River
. The valley receives its name from being the northernmost of the three large mountain valleys (or parks) in Colorado on the western side of the Front Range. The others are Middle Park
and South Park
respectively.
The basin opens out northward into Wyoming
, in the direction of flow of the North Platte. On the east side, it is rimmed by the Medicine Bow Mountains
, the Never Summer Mountains
and Rabbit Ears Range
to the south, and the Park Range
to the west. The continental divide
rims the Park along the south and west. The primary economic activities in the valley are cattle
ranching and timber
harvesting, although the latter has declined substantially in recent decades. The largest community in the valley is Walden
, the Jackson County seat, that sits near the middle of the valley near the confluence of the Michigan and Illinois rivers. Smaller communities in the valley include the unincorporated hamlets of Gould
and Rand
.
The valley is crossed east-west by State Highway 14
, which enters from the east over Cameron Pass
, providing a link to the Poudre Canyon
and Fort Collins
. Highway 14 enters from the west over Muddy Pass
which provides access to Steamboat Springs
, and to Middle Park
in the valley of the Colorado River. It is crossed north-south by State Highway 125
, which enters from the north (from Wyoming) along the course of the North Platte. It enters from the south over Willow Creek Pass
, providing access to the upper end of Middle Park near Granby
. The valley along the Illinois River is the location of the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
.
and Mesozoic
sedimentary rocks that form a structural basin. The stratigraphy is similar to that in adjacent basins such as the Green River Basin to the west and the Denver Basin
to the east.
Petroleum has long been produced from anticinal traps of the Muddy Sandstone (Cretaceous
) at North McCallum and South McCallum oil fields. In 2007, North Park produced 96 thousand barrels of oil and 1.3 billion cubic feet (BCF) of natural gas from 153 wells. In 2008 EOG Resources
announced great success in drilling and completing horizontal oil wells in the Cretaceous Niobrara Formation
.
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
in north central Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It encompasses a wide valley in Jackson County
Jackson County, Colorado
Jackson County is the fourth-least densely populated of the Colorado 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. The county population was 1,577 at the 2000 Census. The county seat and the only municipality in the county is the Town of Walden.- History :...
rimmed by mountain ranges at the headwaters of the North Platte River
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long counting its many curves, It travels about distance. Its course lies in the U.S...
and several smaller tributaries, including the Michigan River
Michigan River
The Michigan River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately long, in north central Colorado in the United States. It drains a rural part of the eastern side of North Park in eastern Jackson County. The river issues from Michigan Lakes, a chain of alpine lakes at , along the...
, Illinois River
Illinois River (Colorado)
Illinois River is a tributary of the Michigan River, approximately long, in Jackson County in north central Colorado. It drains part of the North Park basin south of Walden....
, and Canadian River
Canadian River (Colorado)
The Canadian River is a tributary of the North Platte River, located approximately long, in Jackson County in north central Colorado in the United States...
. The valley receives its name from being the northernmost of the three large mountain valleys (or parks) in Colorado on the western side of the Front Range. The others are Middle Park
Middle Park (Colorado basin)
Middle Park is a high basin in the Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado in the United States. It is located in Grand County, on the southwest slope of Rocky Mountain National Park, approximately 50 miles west of Boulder.-Description:The basin surrounds the headwaters of the Colorado River...
and South Park
South Park (Colorado basin)
South Park is a high intermontane grassland basin, approximately 10,000 ft in elevation, in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. It encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles around the headwaters of the South Platte River in Park County approximately 60 mi southwest of Denver...
respectively.
The basin opens out northward into Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, in the direction of flow of the North Platte. On the east side, it is rimmed by the Medicine Bow Mountains
Medicine Bow Mountains
The Medicine Bow Mountains are a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains that extend for from northern Colorado into southern Wyoming. The northern extent of this range is the sub-range the Snowy Range...
, the Never Summer Mountains
Never Summer Mountains
The Never Summer Mountains are a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in north central Colorado in the United States. The range is located along the northwest border of Rocky Mountain National Park, forming the continental divide between the headwaters of the Colorado River in Rocky Mountain...
and Rabbit Ears Range
Rabbit Ears Range
The Rabbit Ears Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in north central Colorado in the United States. The range stretches east-west along the continental divide forming the border between Grand and Jackson Counties, separating Middle Park from North Park...
to the south, and the Park Range
Park Range (Colorado)
The Park Range, elevation approximately , is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Colorado in the United States. The range forms a relatively isolated part of the continental divide, extending north-to-south for approximately along the boundary between Jackson and Routt counties...
to the west. The continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
rims the Park along the south and west. The primary economic activities in the valley are cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
ranching and timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
harvesting, although the latter has declined substantially in recent decades. The largest community in the valley is Walden
Walden, Colorado
The Town of Walden is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, Jackson County, Colorado, United States. It is situated in the center of a large open valley called North Park. People from Walden and the surrounding area refer to themselves as "North...
, the Jackson County seat, that sits near the middle of the valley near the confluence of the Michigan and Illinois rivers. Smaller communities in the valley include the unincorporated hamlets of Gould
Gould, Colorado
Gould is a small unincorporated community in southeastern Jackson County, Colorado, United States. It is located on State Highway 14, southeast of Walden in North Park. The community is situated in the valley of the Middle Fork of the Michigan River between Owl Mountain and Gould Mountain. The...
and Rand
Rand, Colorado
Rand is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office established in 1881 in Jackson County, Colorado. It is a ranching community at the southern end of North Park south of Walden consisting of several homes and businesses, a post office, and ranching facilities...
.
The valley is crossed east-west by State Highway 14
Colorado State Highway 14
State Highway 14 in the U.S. state of Colorado is an east–west state highway approximately long. One of the longest state highways in Colorado, it traverses four counties along the northern edge of the state, spanning a geography from the continental divide in the Rocky Mountains to the...
, which enters from the east over Cameron Pass
Cameron Pass (Colorado)
Cameron Pass is a elevation mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains in north central Colorado in the United States. The pass is a gap between the south end of the Medicine Bow Mountains and the north end of the Never Summer Mountains. It sits on the border between Jackson County and Larimer County,...
, providing a link to the Poudre Canyon
Poudre Canyon
The Poudre Canyon is a narrow verdant canyon, approximately 40 mi long, on the upper Cache la Poudre River in Larimer County, Colorado in the United States...
and Fort Collins
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
. Highway 14 enters from the west over Muddy Pass
Muddy Pass
Muddy Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States.The pass straddles the continental divide along the boundary between Jackson and Grand counties. The pass separates North Park and the headwaters of the North Platte River with Middle Park near the...
which provides access to Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
The city of Steamboat Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Routt County, Colorado, United States. The city is also known as "Steamboat," "The Boat," or "Ski Town USA". As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,088.The city is an...
, and to Middle Park
Middle Park (Colorado basin)
Middle Park is a high basin in the Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado in the United States. It is located in Grand County, on the southwest slope of Rocky Mountain National Park, approximately 50 miles west of Boulder.-Description:The basin surrounds the headwaters of the Colorado River...
in the valley of the Colorado River. It is crossed north-south by State Highway 125
Colorado State Highway 125
State Highway 125 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Colorado. The highway runs north–south through Jackson and Grand counties in north central Colorado. It furnishes the principal north–south link through North Park and a connection to Middle Park over Willow Creek Pass...
, which enters from the north (from Wyoming) along the course of the North Platte. It enters from the south over Willow Creek Pass
Willow Creek Pass (Colorado)
Willow Creek Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of north central Colorado.-Overview:The pass encompasses the continental divide in the Rabbit Ears Range along the border between Jackson County and Grand County . North of the pass, the Illinois River descends into North Park in...
, providing access to the upper end of Middle Park near Granby
Granby, Colorado
The Town of Granby is a Statutory Town that is the most populous town in Grand County, Colorado, United States. Granby is situated along U.S. Highway 40 in Middle Park about west of Denver, Colorado, southwest of Rocky Mountain National Park...
. The valley along the Illinois River is the location of the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
The Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located in north central Colorado. The refuge is located in North Park in central Jackson County south of the town of Walden. The refuge was established in 1967 to furnish waterfowl with a suitable place to nest and...
.
Geology and mineral resources
The valley floor is underlain by PaleozoicPaleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
and Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
sedimentary rocks that form a structural basin. The stratigraphy is similar to that in adjacent basins such as the Green River Basin to the west and the Denver Basin
Denver Basin
The Denver Basin, sometimes also called the Julesburg Basin, Denver-Julesburg Basin , or the D-J Basin, is a geologic structural basin centered in eastern Colorado in the United States, but extending into southeast Wyoming, western Nebraska, and western Kansas...
to the east.
Petroleum has long been produced from anticinal traps of the Muddy Sandstone (Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
) at North McCallum and South McCallum oil fields. In 2007, North Park produced 96 thousand barrels of oil and 1.3 billion cubic feet (BCF) of natural gas from 153 wells. In 2008 EOG Resources
EOG Resources
EOG Resources is a Fortune 500 company with its headquarters in the Heritage Plaza building in downtown Houston, Texas. The company is one of the largest independent oil and natural gas companies in the United States with proven reserves in the United States, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the United...
announced great success in drilling and completing horizontal oil wells in the Cretaceous Niobrara Formation
Niobrara Formation
The Niobrara Formation, also called the Niobrara Chalk , is a geologic formation in North America that was laid down between 87 and 82 million years ago during the Coniacian, Santonian, and Campanian ages of the Late Cretaceous. It is composed of two structural units, the Smoky Hill Chalk Member...
.