<b>Heritage Dells & Tripp Ranch Meadow Open Spaces</b>, Jefferson County, Colorado.

Eastern Mojave Vegetation

Heritage Dells & Tripp Ranch Meadow Open Spaces, Jefferson County, Colorado.

Query:

The Heritage Dells and Tripp Ranch Meadow Open Spaces encompass three primary gulches — South Heritage Dells Gulch, Middle Dells Gulch, and North Heritage Dells Gulch — along with the Tripp Ranch Meadows Open Space and its small connecting gulch. These gulches contribute to the headwaters of the Kinney Run waterway, which ultimately flows into Clear Creek. Formed over thousands of years by seasonal rainfall and snowmelt, the gulches serve as natural drainage corridors and provide important ecological buffers within the surrounding neighborhood. Tripp Ranch residents enjoy expansive views of native Foothills grasslands from the open meadow area.

ACRES: 7.66

CLASSIFICATION: Natural Area

ATTRIBUTES: Ecological, Passive Visitation, Scenic

ACCESS AND TRAILS:

DESIGNATED PUBLIC ACCESS: No

TRAILS: Social

KEY FEATURES:

Riparian vegetation
Wildlife corridor
Watershed preservation

MANAGEMENT NOTES:

Natural drainageway – Ongoing monitoring may be necessary to manage erosion, preserve grade control, and maintain streambank stability.

Latitude: 39.7203026 Longitude: -105.2154106 (° decimal)
Elevation: 6126ft, 0m.

Articles that refer to this location:

Crawford Street, Golden, Jefferson County, Colorado: at gulch; at Heritage Dells OS; at trail;
Defrance Court: at Heritage Dells OS;
Defrance Drive: at Heritage Dells OS; at Heritage Dells OS;
Defrance Way: at Heritage Dells OS;
Checklist Flora of Native and Naturalized Vascular Plants of Golden and Vicinity, Jefferson County, Colorado: Heritage Dells OS;
Field Notes: 9 Apr 2026; 23 Apr 2026;

Area Plant Lists that contain this location:

Area Plant List for Golden.
Area Plant List for City of Golden Open Space.
Area Plant List for Heritage Dells & Tripp Ranch Meadow Open Spaces.

Heritage Dells OS, South Gulch, Middle Section, Looking upstream.	Heritage Dells Open Space, South Gulch, Looking Downstream into the Middle Section.	Heritage Dells Open Space, South Gulch, Looking Upstream into the Upper Section.	Small upper part of the middle gulch between Defrance Drive and Defrance Court.	Middle reach of the middle gulch in Heritage Dells Open Space.
Looking upstream at the middle reach of the middle gulch in Heritage Dells Open Space.	Heritage Dells Open Space, north Gulch, upper end.	Heritage Dells Open Space, north Gulch, end on Crawford Street.

Species collected at or near this location.

This list summarizes plants collected or observed at this specific, named location. It does not include plants collected or observed at nearby named or unnamed locations. It may be more instructive to use the Area Lists that contain this location.

TAS – The plant was collected by Tom Schweich.
Oth – The plant was collected by someone, but not Tom.
Obs – The plant was observed, but not collected.

Salicaceae

Salix irrorata Andersson. Dewystem Willow (TAS) CC:7

Cyperaceae

Carex bebbii Olney. Bebb's Sedge (TAS) CC:7

Carex occidentalis L. H. Bailey. Western Sedge (TAS) CC:7

Juncaceae

Juncus interior Wiegand. Inland Rush (TAS) CC:5

Total number of taxa:	4
Native Taxa: (serif, italic, bold)	4
Exotic Taxa: (sans-serif, italic)	0
Nativity Undetermined: (default font, italic)	0
Listed Weeds: Identified as Weed	0
FQA, CC, n=4, Mean C: 6.5, FQI = 13

If you have a question or a comment you may write to me at: tomas@schweich.com I sometimes post interesting questions in my FAQ, but I never disclose your full name or address.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M,
N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

[Home Page] [Site Map]

Date and time this article was prepared:3:15:04 PM, 8/1/2026.