Since the community was founded in 1862, Fishers Peak has towered over the City of Trinidad and its residents, casting a shadow over the hopes of those adventurous enough to want to scale its 9,633-ft peak.  For although Fishers Peak’s profile is one of the most iconic sights in southern Colorado, access had long been restricted to the property’s owners and just a handful of lucky visitors.

This all began to change in 2017…

Jay Cimino, a well-known community member and philanthropist, approached Mayor Phil Rico in Trinidad in 2017 about the potential of purchasing a portion of Fishers Peak property as a park for Trinidad residents. Knowing the former property owner, Mayor Phil Rico was intrigued by the idea and agreed to accompany Cimino and others on a tour of the property. After confirming the property was indeed for sale, the "Gang of 14" (Cimino, Mayor Rico, Tom and Linda Perry, the Trinidad City Manager, and additional friends and family) visited the property for a tour and lunch. Over lunch, the group discussed the potential to purchase about 4,600 acres of the property just south of Trinidad, including the area that contained Fishers Peak. Following this tour and conversation, Mayor Rico asked the Trinidad City Council for approval to pursue this purchase, which was granted. In the fall of 2017, Mayor Rico connected with The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land to partner on the property purchase and management.

Not only were The Nature Conservancy and The Trust For Public Land supportive of the land acquisition, but they also proposed buying the entire 19,200 acres to help protect the area’s rich natural assets.  To help complete the purchase, the three partners engaged Great Outdoors Colorado (a lottery-funded organization that provides funding for outdoor recreation and conservation) for funding and Colorado Parks and Wildlife for property management.

Just over a year after the initial idea to purchase 4,600 acres of property, The Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Great Outdoors Colorado, and the City of Trinidad agreed to a plan to see the property become Colorado’s 42nd state park to be owned by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The 30 square mile property was purchased by The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land for approximately $25.45 million on February 28, 2019.

In September 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order officially paving the way for Colorado Parks and Wildlife to purchase the property and designating it as Colorado’s 42nd state park. 

A little over one year after the initial purchase, Colorado Parks and Wildlife purchased the property from The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land on April 2, 2020, using a combination of open space and outdoor recreation funding from Great Outdoors Colorado and Colorado Parks and Wildlife Habitat Stamp funds, as well as over $2 million contributed by TPL, TNC and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. Habitat Stamp funds are generated by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and are designated to conserve important fish and wildlife habitat.

On July 16, 2020, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission formally approved naming the property, Fishers Peak State Park.

Because Fishers Peak State Park has been under private ownership for so long, much of the area remains undisturbed, providing significant opportunities to conserve and protect natural resources. While some areas in Fishers Peak State Park will provide first-class outdoor recreation, all activities will be balanced with the goals of preserving areas of natural habitat and providing stewardship opportunities that will connect humans to nature.