Genesee Park (Colorado)
Genesee Park is a park in Jefferson County, Colorado. It is the largest park in the Denver Mountain Parks system, with a total of. Interstate 70 traverses the park between exits 252 and 254 along the Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway. On I-70 just west of exit 254, there are scenic overlooks for both directions for viewing the historic Bison herd, which live on maintained pastures on the north and south sides of I-70. The land for Genesee Park was initially purchased in 1912 and the park area was largely complete by 1926.
The park contains two mountains, Genesee Mountain at above sea level and Bald Mountain at above sea level. The park also contains forests of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and lodgepole pine. The park's bison herd is owned by the City and County of Denver, Colorado. Some of the original bison were acquired from Yellowstone National Park in 1914. There is also a "Braille trail" area which was vandalized in May 2017.
Chief Hosa Lodge, designed by Jacques Benedict, was built in 1918 near what is now Exit 253. A historical point of interest, it is currently used as an event facility. The nearby Chief Hosa Campground serves recreational travelers each year between May and September. A large stone picnic shelter near Genesee Mountain was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939; it is also available for group use by reservation.
