Location of land open to hunting will be announced this fall. 

Colorado hunters will have more land available starting this fall thanks to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Public Access Program. This program provides limited, seasonal hunting and fishing access to Colorado trust land across the state.

In May, the CPW Commission unanimously approved the adding 210,000 acres to the Public Access Program for the fall season, which brings the program to a total of 777,000 acres. This expansion was the latest in a multi-year effort to grow the program to 1 million acres. 

“The expansion of the Public Access Program passed by CPW will grow the program by 37 percent to 777,000 acres over the next year. Colorado is a growing state with increased demand for hunting and angling access. In the coming years, Governor Polis and the Department of Natural Resources will continue to seek additional access opportunities to encourage Coloradans to experience, explore and enjoy the outdoors,” said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources.  

According to the CPW, Colorado has 3 million acres of land held in trust since statehood in 1876 for the purpose of funding public schools. Revenue comes from leasing these lands and has earned $1.7 billion for the state's public school since 2008. 

“I’m thrilled that hunters and anglers will have more access to state trust lands in Colorado this season,” said Dan Prenzlow, CPW Director. “Hunters and anglers are a critical foundation to wildlife conservation. They make significant contributions to our local economy, especially rural economies. It’s an added benefit that our Public Access Program helps fund Colorado school kids.”

Location of the lands open for hunting will be disclosed this fall. 

For more information about the Public Access Program, visit CPW’s website. You can view land enrolled in the Public Access Program using CPW’s Hunting ATLAS.