Dennis Weaver Memorial Park
The Towns, Mountains and Rivers of Southwest Colorado
In the amazing beauty of Southwest Colorado, Hidden Gems of Southwest Colorado | Colorado.com , you’ll find famous towns and resorts such as Telluride, Durango, Silverton and one of our new favorites Ouray. These little old West towns are located on beautiful snow melt rivers that have become famous for flyfishing and rafting such as the Animas, Things To Do On The Animas River In Durango, CO or Uncompahgre, Fly Fishing a Colorado Gem: The Uncompahgre River – Fly Fisherman and surrounded by rock, mountains, with 13,000’ peaks. Many of these peaks, you can hike to and some you can drive. This is the type of area that we like to set up camp for a month and explore everything our muscles and bones can take.
In early July, from Ouray, we went North on CO-550, the Northern segment of “The Million Dollar Highway”, to Ridgway State Park. Colorado Parks & Wildlife – Ridgway (state.co.us) The Park is fabulous on a beautiful day with a large lake for fishing, sailing, canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding. There are some hiking trails and two RV Parks with full and partial hook-ups. A lot of people day camp right on the edge of the lake, paddle and picnic enjoying the beautiful views and summer weather. It’s really a great park!
Remembering Dennis Weaver
On our way back South, we saw the sign for the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park. Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud?! What a great show! We watched the NBC Mystery Movie every week growing up. For most of us, this might be his best-known role, but he also played Chester Goode on the great CBS Western, Gunsmoke for nine years, winning an Emmy in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series. Gunsmoke became the highest-rated and longest-lasting series in United States television history. In 1971 Weaver appeared in Steven Spielberg’s very first television film Duel.
College, the U.S. Olympic Trials and serving in the U.S. Navy
Born in Joplin, Missouri, Weaver went to college at the University of Oklahoma at Norman and became a track star in the Decathlon. In 1948 he finished sixth in the London Olympic trials failing to qualify. During World War II, he served as a pilot in the United States Navy, flying the Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter.
The Memorial
Now we’ve come across a very nice memorial 80-acre park that is a permanent wildlife preserve along the Uncompahgre River. The park is at the entrance to Weavers eco-friendly RiverSage subdivision with 130 acres of green space, miles of winding hiking and biking trails and beautiful views of the mountains and river.
The centerpiece of the Memorial Park is the huge cast bronze American Eagle with a 20-foot wingspan that weighs 2,800 lbs. This amazing eagle was created by Wyoming sculpture Vic Payne, Vic Payne Studio and donated to the Weaver family by Gerrye and Bill Widger of Ridgway. The eagle soars above an enormous carin at the center of an astronomically aligned medicine wheel.
Along with the peace and serenity you’ll experience at this park, you can observe a preserve filled with wildlife. The salmon and trout in the Uncompahgre lure animals such as bear, deer, elk, fox, marmot, rabbit and squirrels. Big cats such as bobcat, cougar or lynx may be present. With their cunning stealth, it’s more likely they see you than you see them. The park is also a riparian reprieve, a native habitat for ducks, hawks, geese, herons and eagles. Colorado’s native blue heron hunt and fish the waters edge.
As always, leave no trace.
Directions to the Park: approximately 1.5 miles north of Ridgway, turn west at RiverSage Drive. Follow the road down and cross the bridge. Park in the lot on the right. R.V. turn-around available. The entrance to the park is marked by a sign “Dennis Weaver Memorial Park,” but you will see the Eagle as you cross the bridge.
Dennis Weaver Memorial Park, Ridgway, Colo. (dennisweaverpark.com)
The Memorial Park is available for Special Events Dennis Weaver Memorial Park, Ridgway, Colo. (dennisweaverpark.com)
Two To Do’s Near Ridgway, CO.
Driving from Ridgway or Telluride
We also enjoyed a trip to Telluride where we saw a large herd of Elk in a nearby field, toured the town, road the gondola up the mountain and on our return trip to Ouray via Ridgway drove a 1800s mining supply route, The Last Dollar Road. Colorado Hidden Gem: Last Dollar Road | Colorado.com. We had read that this road was rated Easy for off-roading, so with our very capable 4 Wheel Drive Jeep Wrangler we jumped right in. When the weather has been dry for a long period of time, just about any vehicle and mountain bikes will prevail. Most of the road was dry but we did come across a narrow-exposed portion that was very soft and a bit wet that mountain bikers could no longer pedal and get traction. We carried on up some inclines, over large rock through the furry pines and white bark aspens to great views of the nearby San Juan Mountains. Keep an eye out along the road as you will pass a famous movie location, the cabin from True Grit!
Find that road!
From Telluride: Take CO 145 west approximately 5 miles and turn right on Last Dollar Road. You will pass the Telluride airport on your right when the road is still paved.
From Ridgway: Take Highway 62 west until you see a sign for Last Dollar Road. Turn left off of the highway and continue left when you hit a fork in the road (a right turn will take you to the town of Sawpit).
This drive is approximately 3 hours.
Two Falls
In Telluride
Drive or hike through town, to the end, and find the tallest free-falling waterfall in Colorado. Bridal Veil Falls is a 365-foot waterfall at the end of the box canyon overlooking Telluride, Colorado. Hiking and off-road trails pass by the falls, and it has a hydroelectric power plant at its top. Winter forms the frozen shape of the falls forms an imposing challenge to ice climbers. In the summer, the entire town and surrounding area is busy with Hikers, 4-Wheel Drive enthusiasts and Mountain Bikers. In winter of course it’s Skiers, Snowboarders and Ice Climbers. Note that the new Bridal Veil Trail is a difficult, uneven, rough trail with a hazardous water crossing during Spring and early Summer that is not recommended for families or hikers with lesser capabilities.
Hike to Bear Creek Falls. The trailhead originates in the town of Telluride at the end of South Pine St. and the 2.5 mile hike takes approximately 1.25 hours with an elevation gain of about 1,000’. You will find a set of beautiful waterfalls and enjoy stunning views above the town. Outdoor recreation is plentiful year around in this area.
