Caring for Button Rock Preserve

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Consultation has concluded

Within this walk-in only preserve you will find Longmont and Ralph Price Reservoirs along the North Saint Vrain Creek. Longmont manages this natural watershed and reservoirs to preserve the resource and provide storage for the City's Water Utility.

PROJECT UPDATE: To read the Button Rock Preserve Management Plan, go to the News tab below.

Overview

Button Rock Preserve is located 7 miles west of the town of Lyons in the lower montane foothills of the St. Vrain Creek watershed. A section of the North St. Vrain Creek runs through the eastern third of the Preserve and elevations range from 6,000 feet to almost 7,500 feet. The City of Longmont purchased the Preserve primarily to protect and maintain the main municipal drinking water source for Longmont and Lyons. The area also functions as a nature preserve to protect the fragile watershed and allow limited passive recreational opportunities.

Today, the Preserve is 2,671 acres and public recreation activities include passive recreational activities such as fishing, fly-fishing, rock climbing, hiking, wildlife observation, and dog walking.

Visitation and Use of the Preserve

As visitation continues to increase, the need to balance resource protection with passive recreation has become critical. Visitation policies were developed starting in the 1960s and 1970s and were substantially updated in the 1990s. We are evaluating current regulations to determine if they still align with the Preserve’s present-day management needs. Through the Caring for Button Rock Preserve project, a management plan will be developed and adopted as a foundation for long-term sustainable, adaptive management of Preserve resources based on best available information.

Visitation Through the Years

In 2021, the Preserve received more than four times the number of annual visitors than it did in 2000.

  • 1988: 3,200 people
  • 2000: 13,000 people
  • 2012: 31,000 people
  • 2020: 71,000 people
  • 2021: 58,000 people

The Button Rock Management Plan

The Button Rock Preserve Management Plan provides specific management direction in the areas of:

  • water quality protection
  • natural and cultural resource protection
  • existing infrastructure and improvements
  • recreation
  • rules and regulations

PROJECT UPDATE: To read the Button Rock Preserve Management Plan, go to the News tab below.

Overview

Button Rock Preserve is located 7 miles west of the town of Lyons in the lower montane foothills of the St. Vrain Creek watershed. A section of the North St. Vrain Creek runs through the eastern third of the Preserve and elevations range from 6,000 feet to almost 7,500 feet. The City of Longmont purchased the Preserve primarily to protect and maintain the main municipal drinking water source for Longmont and Lyons. The area also functions as a nature preserve to protect the fragile watershed and allow limited passive recreational opportunities.

Today, the Preserve is 2,671 acres and public recreation activities include passive recreational activities such as fishing, fly-fishing, rock climbing, hiking, wildlife observation, and dog walking.

Visitation and Use of the Preserve

As visitation continues to increase, the need to balance resource protection with passive recreation has become critical. Visitation policies were developed starting in the 1960s and 1970s and were substantially updated in the 1990s. We are evaluating current regulations to determine if they still align with the Preserve’s present-day management needs. Through the Caring for Button Rock Preserve project, a management plan will be developed and adopted as a foundation for long-term sustainable, adaptive management of Preserve resources based on best available information.

Visitation Through the Years

In 2021, the Preserve received more than four times the number of annual visitors than it did in 2000.

  • 1988: 3,200 people
  • 2000: 13,000 people
  • 2012: 31,000 people
  • 2020: 71,000 people
  • 2021: 58,000 people

The Button Rock Management Plan

The Button Rock Preserve Management Plan provides specific management direction in the areas of:

  • water quality protection
  • natural and cultural resource protection
  • existing infrastructure and improvements
  • recreation
  • rules and regulations

Tell your story

As the project team explores what sustainable management of this important property looks like, we need to hear from you. 

Please share your story of what you value most about Button Rock Preserve.

Thank you for providing insights to the Caring for Button Rock project team by submitting your story. It will be one piece of several tools and evaluations to inform development of the Button Rock Preserve Management Plan.

CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
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    Bike access

    by SometimesMDothersCO, about 5 years ago

    I would probably only use this resource if bike access allowed for connection between Lyons and Estes.

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    Regional Connectivity

    by redstonedave, about 5 years ago

    Button Rock is a great area and I am excited to see some additional planning to take this beautiful place into the future. Please consider a multi use access trail from Hall Ranch, thru Button Rock, and into USFS lands to the west. This would provide a major regional connector and allow people to travel from Estes to Lyons on trail! This could help disapate users in Button Rock and could also help alleviate parking issues there.

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    Beautiful Button Rock

    by LongmontTrailWizard, about 5 years ago

    As a 17-year resident of Boulder I have had the pleasure of exploring most of the amazing public lands the County has to offer. Surprisingly Button Rock Preserve escaped my curiosity for the majority of that time. My first visit to the Preserve was actually to one of the few homes that are on private land behind the gate. My family friends welcomed me to their cabin and I was able to hike the shoreline trail and explore the Preserve. I immediately fell in love with the area, something of a hidden gem in busy Boulder County. In the following... Continue reading

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    Regional Trail Connectors...All the Cool Kids Are Doing It

    by velo_verde, about 5 years ago

    Wow, what a great opportunity to link two incredible places via bicycle--Hall Ranch and Coulson Gulch! Permitting a low impact, passive recreational multi-use trail (it already exists) would be instrumental in relieving the demand on the Front Range for bikepacking and long trail excursions. Thank you for your consideration!

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    Please consider bicycle access

    by KBK, about 5 years ago

    Hi there. I would love to see some sort of bicycle access to this wonderful area. I know that Hall Ranch is just next door and a trail already exists to the reservoir. However, that trail does not allow bicycle access at this time due to concerns that it would enable cyclists to enter the, currently closed to bikes, roads at Button Rock. I think this would be an amazing addition to regional connectivity here in Boulder County! It could also provide links for future access to the USFS lands above Button Rock that have bicycle access already. This could... Continue reading

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    Sanctuary

    by FunGuy, about 5 years ago

    I have been hiking and fishing Button Rock for about 25 years.  I don't know of a better more diverse and well laid out natural area by a small city like Longmont.  The people I meet along the trails and fishing are friendly and seem to enjoy the area also.  I have seen great diversity of wildlife and plants here.  The Ranger, Jamie Freel, is very professional, knowledgeable,  and is always actively engaged with projects in the preserve.  I haven't met one of the seasonal rangers either that wasn't pleasant and helpful.

    During the winter I often think about the... Continue reading