Colorado Web Cams

Conifer, Colorado

(Note: This page may need reloading on some browsers for new views)

Conifer is a mountain town in Jefferson County, Colorado. It is located along U.S. Route 285 in the foothills about 30 miles / 48 km (a 45 minute drive) southwest of Denver with a population of 8,354 residents, as of  2020. It's elevation is at 8,277 feet (2,523 meters). The Pike National Forest runs directly through the town, making it a hotspot for wildlife spotting, hiking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing. The town hosts popular regional gatherings, including the 285 Winterfest (featuring tubing and a craft beer crawl) and the fall OktoBEERfest.

Unlike most U.S. towns and cities, there’s no official downtown in Conifer. Originally known as Bradford Junction in the 1860s, a stagecoach stop for those traveling southwest to South Park. The town’s new name, Conifer, comes from the abundance of coniferous trees in the area, including ponderosa pine, spruce, and fir trees. The town dwindled in the 1890s when the railroad replaced the stagecoach road and lessened the amount of people coming through the area. Before that, Conifer was home to wildlife and Ancient Peoples for at least 12,000 years. The Ute Trail was frequently traveled by Utes, Arapaho, and Cheyenne tribes while hunting.

Conifer has a humid continental climate (Koppen: Dfb) with a yearly temperature average of 38.6°F (3.7°C). Summertime is warm with cool nights, while winter is chilly with nights approaching zero degree Fahrenheit. The town sees 64 inches (162 cm) of snowfall annually, with 17.1 inches (436 mm) of liquid precip.

Hwy 285 by Kitty Dr, looking south, Conifer, Colorado
(from CDOT)

Hwy 285, Conifer, Colorado
(from CDOT)

- Map -

View Larger Map