7 Jun 2022

Check out this popular scavenger hunt at Bluff Lake Nature Center

Summer is here and the Bluff Lake Nature Center team has been working on more ways to get families out and enjoy all that their urban nature sanctuary has to offer.

Enter: Their incredibly popular scavenger hunt, Bluff Lake Quest 3.0!

With new clues to get kids and grownups alike out there on our 1.5 miles of trails and discovering new nature facts, Bluff Lake Quest 3.0 is our refreshed version of the free scavenger hunt which can be downloaded via their website (https://www.blufflake.org/events/self-guided-tours-scavenger-hunts) or picked up at their kiosk at the site entrance. As you solve each clue, you’ll collect different colored beads found in canisters along the trail.

“We did the Quest with all three of our after-school groups and they all loved it,” says Bluff Lake Americorps Environmental Educator Lauren Godfrey, who was involved in reworking the scavenger hunt. “The Quest is designed so that kids get to see the majority of Bluff Lake in a fun and engaging way. The kids all said it was their favorite day of after-school!”

Bluff Lake is owned by a nonprofit agency of the same name, and manages the property as a wildlife refuge and outdoor classroom. The refuge is home to many hundreds of species of native animals and plants which thrive in a variety of habitats. Bluff Lake is Denver’s largest open space managed as native habitat, and Denver’s only nonprofit nature center. Local families have enjoyed using the resource as a way to get their kids outside and connect with nature in an adventurous and active way.

“Of course, the secret is that the real treasures are everything that they do along the way while they are looking for the hidden canisters,” says parent Dan Lindberg. “Our sons love exploring Bluff Lake – we always see something new and natural every time we go. We so appreciate that everyone has worked to make the center so accessible to people of any age. Getting them started with a real appreciation of nature seems like starting them on the right path for the rest of their lives.”

The scavenger hunt has been rising in popularity since its first edition, especially as families increasingly seek self-guided activities that they can participate in at their own pace.

“I created the first scavenger hunt three years ago, and it has been growing since then,” says Heidi Pfeiffer, Bluff Lake Nature Center’s Director of Education & Summer Camp. “It’s so much fun to see excited kids running after clues, clutching their maps! We also have great volunteer translators, Ignacio Correa-Ortiz and Mariano Simone, who help us offer this activity (and others) in Spanish. We hope to create a place that is welcoming for everyone to enjoy and form their own connections with nature.”

So if you’ve already solved the last version of the Quest’s clues, here’s your chance to get back on the trail and collect another set of beads as you explore all Bluff Lake Nature Center has to offer.