To celebrate the Centennial State’s 148th birthday, all Colorado state parks — including Lake Pueblo, the state’s most visited park each year — will be free to enter Aug. 5, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Every year on Aug. 1, the state recognizes its 1876 founding with Colorado Day. CPW does its part to provide picturesque backdrops for the festivities, albeit a few days after the fact, by offering free entry to all state parks on the first Monday of each August.
“This free entry day is an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in the beauty of Colorado state parks and their diverse landscapes,” CPW officials said in a July 31 news release.
While park admission is free, all other park fees — including camping reservations, boat and off-highway vehicle registrations, and hunting and fishing licenses — remain in effect.
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Here are some things to know about Colorado Day and what to know before you head to a Colorado state park to celebrate.
What is Colorado Day?
Colorado Day marks the anniversary of Colorado joining the United States.
It officially became the 38th state in the Union on Aug. 1, 1876, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed the proclamation granting its statehood.
How did Colorado get its name? And why is it the Centennial State?
Colorado’s state name originates from the Spanish word for “colored red.” The name was chosen for Colorado as a Territory in 1861 by Congress, according to the Colorado Encyclopedia.
The state got its moniker as the Centennial State because it became a state in 1876, 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
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Another name often associated with the state is “Colorful Colorado,” likely due to its picturesque combination of mountains, rivers and plains, according to the Colorado Encyclopedia.
Heading to a state park on Aug. 5? Here’s what to know before you go
Colorado is well known for its natural beauty, and CPW officials urge Coloradans to protect its exquisite outdoor amenities and “act as stewards of the state’s land, wildlife, and water.”
“By balancing outdoor recreation with mindful conservation, we can all protect Colorado’s natural beauty,” CPW officials said in the release.
What to know before you go
River the Labrador retriever plays fetch while wearing a life jacket at Lake Pueblo on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
Be safe on the water
As of July 15, Colorado was on track to surpass its record high for water-related fatalities, when 42 such deaths occurred on Colorado water bodies. CPW officials urge all water recreators to remember that life jackets save lives, and the majority of water-related deaths occur because people do not wear them.
Be careful with fire
Colorado is currently experiencing wildfires across multiple Front Range and Western Slope counties. Fire safety is a state-wide effort, and CPW encourages state park visitors to always practice fire safety.
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Check fire restrictions or bans at coemergency.com
Download the free Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX) app for wildfire alerts
Drown fires out with water until you can touch the embers
Never leave a fire unattended
Avoid parking or driving on dry grass
Check your tire pressure, exhaust pipes, and whether chains or exposed wheel rims are dragging from your vehicle, which may create sparks.
Keep wildlife wild
More on Lake Pueblo: Your 2024 guide of things to do at Lake Pueblo State Park this spring and summer
Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on X, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Lake Pueblo State Park is free to enter Aug. 5. Here’s why
Interstate 70 closed near Vail and Silverthorne on Sunday for “safety concerns” as snow battered the Colorado mountains, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The eastbound interstate was closed between Exit 180 for East Vail and Exit 190 for Vail Pass Summit, about 1 mile west of Copper Mountain, as of 6 p.m. Sunday, CDOT officials said.
CDOT cameras in the area of the closure showed snow-covered roads and white-out conditions.
Westbound I-70 was also closed at 6 p.m. Sunday between Exit 216 for U.S. 6 near Loveland Pass and Exit 205 for Colorado 9 near Silverthorne, according to CDOT.
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Multiple Waze users reported “weather hazards” in both closed sections of I-70.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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There was certainly a scenario Saturday night where Colorado would’ve needed to navigate the final 20 minutes of its upset loss to Kansas without star quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders, the son of Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders and a projected top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, shoved referee Kevin Mar after taking a sack on third down with Colorado trailing by nine in the third quarter, and he was “lucky” that didn’t result in an ejection, Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira said on the broadcast.
Shedeur Sanders shoved a referee during Colorado’s loss to Kansas on Nov. 23. Screengrab via X/@CFBONFOX
“There’s no question that he does,” Pereira said when asked about Sanders shoving Mar. “Look, I get why he’s upset because people are almost climbing over him after he was down, but, you know, the officials can use their hands all they want to try to keep order. But you cannot come back as a player and push an official.
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“In the chaos, the officials don’t see it, but he’s lucky that he wasn’t ejected from the game.”
After the sack, Sanders approached Mar from behind — who was surrounded by a cluster of players — and shoved the longtime official with his right arm.
Shedeur Sanders reacts during Colorado’s loss to Kansas on Nov. 23. Screengrab via X/@CFBONFOX
By that point, three other referees had moved closer to the scuffle and attempted to separate the players and Sanders while protecting Mar.
Sanders, who finished 23 of 29 for 266 yards and three touchdowns during No. 16 Colorado’s 37-21 loss, wasn’t penalized on the play, but his frustrations had started to boil over.
The game featured plenty of physical hits, with Colorado’s College Football Playoff hopes at stake and Kansas attempting to claw its way toward becoming bowl eligible.
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At one point in the first half, defensive end Dean Miller lowered his head and flung himself toward Sanders’ knees while he attempted a pass.
“I mean, I just don’t know how that’s legal overall,” Sanders told reporters after the game when asked about Miller’s hit. “I ain’t understand that, but, you know, it is what it is. There was a couple plays like that.”
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders looks to pass against Kansas on Nov. 23, 2024. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
The Buffaloes trailed 17-0 at one point but managed to trim its deficit to two points early in the third quarter, when Travis Hunter — also projected as a top pick in the upcoming NFL draft — and Sanders connected on a touchdown pass.
But Devin Neal accounted for the final two touchdowns, providing the Jayhawks with some cushion and ensuring Colorado was on its way to ending the night in a four-way tie atop the Big 12 standings.
Deion said after the game that Colorado had become “intoxicated with the success.”
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“We started smelling ourselves a little bit,” Deion said, according to ESPN. “… We got intoxicated with the multitude of articles and the assumption that we’re this and the assumption that we’re that. And we did not play CU football. Therefore, we got our butts kicked. It is what it is.”
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Mikey Keene threw two touchdown passes, Bryson Donelson had a career-high 150 yards rushing and a TD on 13 carries Saturday night and Fresno State beat Colorado State 28-22.
Colorado State (7-4, 5-1 Mountain West) fell into a tie for second with No. 24 UNLV in the conference standings behind No. 12 Boise State — which will host the Mountain West championship game on Dec. 6.
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Donelson, a freshman, went into the game with 199 yards rushing this season, including his previous season high of 58 yards in the season opener. Keene was 20-of-28 passing for 181 yards with no interceptions. Mac Dalena finished with seven receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown for Fresno State (6-5, 4-3 Mountain West Conference).
Justin Marshall capped a 12-play, 77-yard opening drive that took nearly 6 1/2 minutes off the clock with a 10-yard TD for the Rams and finished with 94 yards rushing.
Donelson ran for a 21 yards and Keene hit Raylen Sharpe for a 38-yard gain to set up a 16-yard TD run by Donelson to make it 7-7. Joshua Wood followed with a 4-yard scoring run before Dalena caught a 28-yard touchdown pass with 3:18 left in the second quarter and Keene hit Jalen Moss for a 15-yard TD less than 3 minutes later that gave the Bulldogs a 28-7 lead at halftime.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi ran for a 9-yard TD late in the third quarter, threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Person and then hit Vince Brown II for the 2-point conversion to trim Colorado State’s deficit to 28-22 with 17 seconds left.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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