Think back to summer as a kid. You might remember the well-worn path to the creek behind your house, the fort built out of scrap wood and imagination, or the familiar call to “be home when the streetlights come on.” But for most kids today, that kind of unguided outdoor freedom is rare: more nostalgic dream than neighborhood norm.
In Highlands Ranch, however, there’s a place where childhood still feels wild. Where kids can trade screens for sun, and the only algorithm is the rhythm of the natural world. That place is the Backcountry Wilderness Area.
Tucked into the southern edge of Highlands Ranch, the 8,200-acre Backcountry Wilderness Area is more than just open space. It’s a deliberate piece of community design. Set aside in 1980 with the goal of preserving habitat and creating a balance between development and nature, the Highlands Ranch Community Association’s land has since become one of the region’s most cherished assets. Surrounded by growth, it now serves as a kind of Central Park for South Denver, a sanctuary of wildlife and wonder in the midst of suburban sprawl.
Last year alone, the Backcountry Wilderness Area logged more than 250,000 visits. Visitors recreated on 26 miles of trails, practiced aim at the archery ranges, and participated in educational programs that ranged from preschool nature play to outdoor survival skills. Whether walking, exploring or learning, these experiences help people, especially kids, form real connections to the natural world.
And those connections matter.
The average American child spends just five to seven minutes a day playing outdoors freely. At the same time, rates of anxiety, depression, and physical health concerns are rising. The Backcountry Wilderness Area offers a remedy: fresh air, physical activity, and unstructured play in a natural setting. Programs like Camp Backcountry and Sunshine & Storytime introduce children to wildlife, ecology, and the joy of discovery, all while planting the seeds of environmental stewardship.
“The recreation and education opportunities in the Backcountry Wilderness Area are always working towards our mission of conservation,” said Mark Giebel, Backcountry Wilderness Area director. “We’re able to engage our community, especially the kids, in nature, and almost without fail, they begin to care about the well-being of the Backcountry Wilderness Area and other nature around them.”
Last year, more than 12,000 guests—the majority of them children—took part in Backcountry Wilderness Area programs. Our new early childhood programs served hundreds of kids ages 0–6 with immersive nature play. These are more than just educational experiences. They’re character-building ones. Kids learn patience watching bugs. They learn empathy by sparing the anthill. And, without realizing it, they begin to see themselves as caretakers of the wild.
And, the nature here isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving. The resident elk population has doubled in the past decade, and turkey numbers have doubled in the same time. Trail cams routinely capture glimpses of black bears and golden eagles. Springtime brought a burst of new life with elk calves, turkey poults, and even a successful golden eagle nesting season. Fire mitigation and habitat improvement efforts are ongoing, and an exciting partnership with the Denver Zoo and Denver Mountain Parks will soon bring bison back to the area, an ecological and cultural restoration years in the making.
“Every decision made in the Backcountry Wilderness Area is made with wildlife in mind,” Giebel says. “We thoughtfully weigh the consequences of access and recreation to balance with the necessary protections to ensure wildlife and their habitat continue to thrive.”
These stories — of growth, of stewardship, of wildlife coexisting with people — are made possible through the community’s support of the HRCA Backcountry Wilderness Area and it’s 501c3, the Backcountry Wilderness Area Fund. This nonprofit helps keep programs low-cost or free, maintains habitat health, and ensures that the Backcountry Wilderness Area remains a place where nature and people can flourish side-by-side. Consider this a personal invitation to take time to discover your local wild place.
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Kids learn patience watching bugs. They learn empathy by sparing the anthill. And, without realizing it, they begin to see themselves as caretakers of the wild.