Aylor Open Lands, Thornton

OutsideAug 20

The Country’s First Nature Library Lets You Check Out Camping Gear Like Books

This first-of-its-kind 15-acre "nature library" near Denver lets you borrow more than 650 outdoors-related items for free and features hands-on play spaces designed to combat screen fatigue.

Adjacent 140-acre open space; exterior loop trail will connect by 2027.

12 things in this story

Anythink Nature LibraryMuseumNation's first public nature library, 33,000 square feet.
Shou Sugi BanPlaceWood treatment used for the dark room's campfire smell.
learning gardenSightVisitors water recently planted magnolias for Hispanic Heritage Month.
gravel trailTrailQuarter-mile trail winds across campus to an outdoor storytelling circle.
TryIts programPlaceBorrow over 650 outdoors-related items with a free library card.
Great Outdoors ColoradoPlaceLocal organization for sessions on glowing organisms.
WildingsPlaceSessions for 2-6 year olds combining story time and sensory activities.
art and science labSightSpace for firsthand learning; visitors made cyanotype tote bags.
Indigenous Voices sectionNeighborhoodBook spine labels organized by Indigenous tribal names.
kinship gardenSightOpen-air garden at the center of the building with peepholes.
Aylor Open LandsSightAdjacent 140-acre open space; exterior loop trail will connect by 2027.
Elsewhere
Rocky Mountain National ParkHotelEstes Park, United StatesFormer interpretive ranger worked at this park.

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Aylor Open Lands

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The Country’s First Nature Library Lets You Check Out Camping Gear Like Books