Just a few minutes outside of Denver, is the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
This is a 16000 acre Wildlife Refuge just 10 miles north of downtown Denver.
It is home to more than 300 different species of wildlife including white pelicans, raccoons, deer, coyotes, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs. There are also a number of wild bison in the area. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was originally a chemical weapons manufacturer. 40 years after it was built, roosting and endangered bald eagles were spotted in the area. After several scientists took samples of the wildlife in the area, it was deemed too important to the ecological world to continue further military operations. The Wildlife Refuge outside of Denver is one of the perfect places to visit during the summer months when the weather is warm. It rarely rains and there is always a lot to see and do. A few weeks ago my friends and I went to the wildlife refuge in Denver and we were caught in the middle of a freak hailstorm. It was very warm outside on that particular day, and we never expected hail to start falling. When it did, everyone in the group was caught by surprise. We had to huddle under some trees for refuge while the hail pelted everything in the valley. Nature can be very surprising at times. The cold pieces of ice fell from the sky on a sunny day with no other signs of storm activity in the area. Even the animals seemed surprised by the freak nature storm.