Begins closure of unsuitable areas in southern Clear Creek, northern Larimer and Grand counties
Idaho Springs, Colo. (08/13/25)— Today the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests’ Clear Creek Ranger District opened the Devils Nose Target Range, located southwest of Idaho Springs, approximately 1.5 miles northeast of Echo Lake. This shooting range is an important part of the effort to manage recreational sport shooting in a safe and sustainable manner.
This range opening prompts the closing of 94,900 acres of unsuitable areas of National Forest System lands identified in the 2019 Recreational Sport Shooting Management Decision for public safety. The decision outlined geographic areas where ranges needed to be built before closures could be implemented, ensuring recreational shooting opportunities. These safety closures are in southern Clear Creek, northern Larimer and Grand counties. The closure order and map can be found on the forest website. You can find a full list of public target ranges on Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s website.
“Following years of collaboration, it is exciting for us and our partners to have the first public shooting range opening and these safety closures being implemented,” Forest Supervisor Chris Stubbs said. “We knew it was important to offer safe places for displaced recreational shooters to go, while managing for public safety.”
The 2019 Decision to close unsuitable areas when shooting ranges were constructed and open to the public came about through more than a decade of collaboration with the Northern Front Range Recreational Sport Shooting Management Partnership. This partnership is made up of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Larimer counties. Additional closures in northern Clear Creek and Gilpin counties are planned when the Clear Creek Shooting Sports Park opens in 2026.
“Colorado Parks and Wildlife is thrilled to have this new location for recreational shooters to safely practice their sport,” Shannon Schaller, CPW Northeast Deputy Region Manager, said. “The collaboration of local, state and Federal partners was key in making this balanced project a reality.”
The Devils Nose Target Range is open during daylight hours and managed by the Forest Service. The recreation site includes a vault toilet and three shooting galleries with 24 lanes (25-yard, 50-75 yard and 100 yards), each with shooting benches and shade cover.
These shooting closure orders completed the process outlined in the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. A comment period for the closure orders took place May 5 - July 3, 2023, in accordance with the Dingell Act requirements for these types of orders.