Walden sits in the middle of North Park, an enormous high basin in northern Colorado, ringed by mountains, and it is one of the most remote little county seats in the state. About six hundred people live here, at around eight thousand one hundred feet, in a village of low buildings and wide streets, with sagebrush and hay meadows stretching away on every side. The Medicine Bow Mountains to the north and the Never Summer range to the south frame the view, and the wind is a constant companion.
North Park is a ranching region, with cattle grazing on the meadows, and a national wildlife refuge protects wetlands where ducks, geese and sandhill cranes gather. It also has the distinction of being the moose capital of Colorado. In the late 1970s, wildlife managers released a small number of moose into the basin, and the population thrived in the willow thickets, so you have a good chance of seeing a moose near the road, especially at dawn or dusk. A visitor centre in town explains the story.
Arriving here from the Poudre canyon, you cross Cameron Pass at over ten thousand feet, where the road drops from the forest into the park, with a sudden sense of space. The descent is gentle, with long bends, and in front of you lies a broad bowl, with the peaks around its edge. The road is generally good, but wind and weather can be severe, and ice and snow can appear very early or very late in the year. The cold here is serious, and winter nights in the park are among the coldest in Colorado.
Fuel is available in Walden, along with a few cafes and motels, but it is a small place and hours are short, so arrive with a reasonable tank. The nearest big town is a long distance away, so plan carefully, especially if the weather is bad. Wildlife is common, and elk, deer and pronghorn graze near the road, so keep your speed moderate at dusk. The best time is from late June to September, with wildflowers in the meadows, and golden aspens in the autumn, along the roads.