community in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 35% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in summer (60th percentile) and lowest in spring (29th). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, 0.12 mi NW.
When is the honey flow in Red Feather Lakes?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, willows, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jun (summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Red Feather Lakes, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on Jun 8.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.
The land and water around Red Feather Lakes
Mostly: Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland; Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest; Rocky Mountain Lower Montane-Foothill Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.12 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.13 mi N.
How Red Feather Lakes ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 28th | 17th | 67th | 72nd |
| Colorado | 35th | 29th | 60th | 48th |
| Southern Rockies | 49th | 51st | 51st | 52nd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 62% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Red Feather Lakes: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Laporte 26 mi · Estes Park 31 mi · Wellington 31 mi · Fort Collins 32 mi · Walden 37 mi · Timnath 37 mi
All towns in Colorado · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Red Feather Lakes (40.8095, -105.579); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.