South Valley Park
Encyclopedia
South Valley Park is Jefferson County Open Space located in Jefferson
County west of Ken Caryl
, Colorado
. The 909 acres (3.7 km²) Front Range
park established in 1999 has 8 miles (12.9 km) of hiking trails. Horse and bicycle travel is allowed on 7 miles (11.3 km). Facilities include a parking lot, restrooms, picnic sites.
The Fountain
and Lyons Formations pierce the meadows
and scrubland
of the park.
Rocky mountain juniper
and Gambel oak
are found around the rock spires. Commonly seen wildlife includes mule deer
, elk
. Common birds include steller's jay
.
The park has been occupied by humans as early as 10,000 years ago. The earliest evidence is a 10,000 year old Folsom spear point
found in the park. Numerous fire pits and stone tools have also been found in the area. A human skull found at a burial site has been carbon dated
to approximately 1,900 years ago.
Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....
County west of Ken Caryl
Ken Caryl, Colorado
Lockheed Martin and its predecessor, Martin Marietta, operate a facility located in Ken Caryl Valley.-In popular culture:In the South Park episode Trapped in the Closet, a reference is made to FunPlex, an amusement center in Ken Caryl, though it has since been renamed Fun City.-External links:*...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The 909 acres (3.7 km²) Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...
park established in 1999 has 8 miles (12.9 km) of hiking trails. Horse and bicycle travel is allowed on 7 miles (11.3 km). Facilities include a parking lot, restrooms, picnic sites.
The Fountain
Fountain Formation
The Fountain Formation is a Pennsylvanian bedrock unit consisting primarily of conglomerate, sandstone, or arkose, in the states of Colorado and Wyoming in the USA, along the east side of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, and along the west edge of the Denver Basin.-Origin of name:The...
and Lyons Formations pierce the meadows
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
and scrubland
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
of the park.
Rocky mountain juniper
Juniperus scopulorum
Juniperus scopulorum is a species of juniper native to western North America, in Canada in British Columbia and southwest Alberta, in the United States from Washington east to North Dakota, south to Arizona and also locally western Texas, and northernmost Mexico from Sonora east to Coahuila...
and Gambel oak
Gambel oak
Quercus gambelii, or Gambel oak, is a deciduous small tree or large shrub widespread in the foothills and lower mountain elevations of the central southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico: its range is centered on the Colorado Plateau–Four Corners states of Utah-Colorado,...
are found around the rock spires. Commonly seen wildlife includes mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
. Common birds include steller's jay
Steller's Jay
The Steller's Jay is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay...
.
The park has been occupied by humans as early as 10,000 years ago. The earliest evidence is a 10,000 year old Folsom spear point
Folsom point
Folsom points are a distinct form of chipped stone projectile points associated with the Folsom Tradition of North America. The style of toolmaking was named after Folsom, New Mexico where the first sample was found within the bone structure of a bison in 1927....
found in the park. Numerous fire pits and stone tools have also been found in the area. A human skull found at a burial site has been carbon dated
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
to approximately 1,900 years ago.