Rifle Colorado History and Recreational ActivitiesRifle Colorado was founded in 1882 and incorporated as a Home Rule Municipality in August of 1905. Rifle gets its name from Rifle Creek, named by a trapper who accidentally left his gun behind on the bank of this creek, returned for it and named the creek rifle. This town sprung up at the confluence of Rifle Creek and the Colorado River. Surrounded by the Roan Cliffs, Grand Hogback and the Grand Mesa, Rifle was home to early trappers and cattle ranchers who still run cattle on much of this area's public lands. Many people living here commute back and forth for work to the local ski areas and towns like Glenwood Springs and Aspen where the cost of living has grown much higher than Rifle. Also with the Energy Boom, people have migrated to this small town because of all the gas drilling in the surrounding mountains like the Roan Plateau and the Piceance Basin. Drilling has brought a great increase in wealth to people of our area but also much controversy as to the care of our public lands. Campaign to Save Roan Plateau has been trying to keep drilling from destroying this wonderful and diverse back country paradise. Many people enjoy the Roan Plateau year round for fishing, hiking and hunting. The rapid influx of drilling to Western Colorado has everyone that lives here worried that much of our beautiful and irreplaceable public lands could be turned into an industrial wasteland, laced with pipes, roads and devoid wildlife. The Roan and Piceance Basin has one of the largest deer herds in Colorado and many elk. These animals migrate and there is worry over their migration routes being screwed up with roads and drill rigs popping up everywhere. Further concerns are contaminated water used for fracturing of the rock under ground to release the gas from the wells. Rifle Colorado has much to offer the outdoors enthusiast year round with hiking, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, fishing, rock climbing, cross country skiing and alpine skiing at local ski areas like Sunlight, Powderhorn and Aspen. Located 12 miles out of town is Rifle Mountain Park, known for it's great limestone climbing and scenery as well as Rifle Falls Park located abut four miles up the road from Rifle Gap Reservoir. There are hiking trails and camping spots at Rifle Falls as well as trout fishing in the creek that flows through this park. The fish hatchery located a short distance up 325. It is one of the largest in Colorado and worth a visit. This map from the Colorado Parks Service shows the locations of the area parks. There is excellent elk and deer hunting in the White River National Forest, Grand Mesa National Forest and Flat Tops Wilderness areas, all within short driving distances of Rifle Colorado. Some of the game units in close proximity to Rifle include 22,23,32,33, and 42 which also includes 41 and 421. Check my Outdoors Info Links for area information on hunting here. Rifle Gap State Park located about 8 miles north out of Rifle is a nice lake year round for boating, fishing and ice fishing in the winter months. This lake has walleyes, black bass, pike, perch and rainbow trout. I fish this lake every year, winter and summer, usually with good success. Harvey Gap reservoir, a short distance from Rifle Gap, has northern pike, crappies, perch, bass and rainbow trout.(see map link above) There are also many great fly fishing streams and rivers close by which also include Gold Medal Rivers like the Colorado, Roaring Fork and Frying Pan. For more information on fly fishing hot spots near Rifle Colorado check out the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The Rifle Colorado Chamber of Commerce has more information on activities and businesses located here. Western Colorado Towns
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