Best places to fly drones in Colorado
Colorado's best legal flying is on national forest land outside designated wilderness, like Brainard Lake above Boulder and Rampart Reservoir above Colorado Springs. Front Range cities and counties mostly ban drones on their parks and open space, with a few exceptions like Lakewood's designated flying areas. State parks only allow radio-controlled models in designated areas, such as the model airfields at Cherry Creek and Chatfield.
Cities
Top spots in Colorado
Poudre Canyon at Ansel Watrous
Bear Creek Lake Park
Boulder Aeromodelers Field (Boulder Reservoir)
Brainard Lake Recreation Area
Chatfield State Park Model Airplane Field
Chautauqua Park and the Flatirons
Suhaka Model Airfield (Cherry Creek State Park)
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
East Reservoir (Lakewood)
Eldorado Canyon State Park
Garden of the Gods
Hutchinson Park
Longmont Aircraft Modelers Field
Lory State Park
Love-Air RC Club Drake Field
Manitou Lake
Mount Falcon Park
Pikes Peak RC Club Field
Pikes Peak Soaring Society Field
Pineridge Natural Area
Rampart Reservoir
Red Rocks Park
Rocky Mountain Modeleers Field
Rocky Mountain National Park
Roxborough State Park
Walker Ranch
Colorado drone laws
- Fly under 400 feet and keep the drone within your visual line of sight.
- Recreational pilots must pass the FAA's free TRUST test. Drones over 250 grams must be registered with the FAA.
- Get LAANC authorization before flying in controlled airspace around Denver, Colorado Springs and other airports.
- Drones can't take off from, land in or be operated from congressionally designated wilderness, which covers a lot of Colorado's high country.
- Using a drone to look for or scout wildlife as an aid in hunting is illegal in Colorado.
State parks
Colorado Parks and Wildlife regulation #100 makes it unlawful to operate radio-controlled models except in designated areas. Cherry Creek and Chatfield state parks near Denver both have model airplane fields.
No-fly areas
- Colorado state parks outside designated model aircraft areas.
- Rocky Mountain National Park and other National Park Service units.
- City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, Boulder County open space and Jefferson County Open Space.
- Denver parks outside designated areas, including Denver Mountain Parks like Red Rocks.
- Colorado Springs parks, trails and open space, including Garden of the Gods, without written consent and a film permit.
- Fort Collins natural areas.
Colorado drone FAQ
Can you fly a drone in Colorado state parks?
Only in designated areas. Colorado Parks and Wildlife makes it unlawful to operate radio-controlled models except in designated areas, like the model airplane fields at Cherry Creek and Chatfield state parks.
Can you fly a drone in Boulder?
Not on City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks land or Boulder County open space, which covers the Flatirons and most trailheads. Brainard Lake in the Arapaho National Forest, west of town, is a legal option outside the Indian Peaks Wilderness.
Where can you fly a drone in Colorado Springs?
Not in city parks or Garden of the Gods without written consent and a film permit. Pike National Forest land outside wilderness, like Rampart Reservoir and Manitou Lake, is open to recreational drones under FAA rules.