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Denver, Colorado, offers a variety of archery ranges, some offering archery pro shops and archery lessons, others simply offering free targets if you bring your own equipment.
With tons of amazing destinations and a variety of big game, Colorado has a large and active hunting crowd. The bow hunting season is earlier and longer than the rifle hunting season though, making bow hunting a necessity for those looking to start elk hunting in September.
While some enjoy practicing archery with compound bows for hunting purposes, others simply enjoy honing their archery skills at a range using a more traditional recurve bow (first used by the Mongols around the year 1200). This makes archery popular in Colorado at almost all levels, including both youth and adults.
With so many archery ranges in the city, choosing one which is best for you might be difficult. As a result, we have narrowed the list down to our five favorite ranges available in Mile High City! We will provide a brief overview of the facility and explain what makes it so unique.
Five Of Our Favorite Archery Ranges Around Denver:
1) Bear Creek Archery
Bear Creek Archery is a pro shop with a range and lessons, where you can get all the equipment you need to get started with archery. You can also rent bows and arrows here if you’re just getting started or looking for something fun to do with your family while they’re visiting!
Located in Englewood, Bear Creek offers your choice of archery lessons (appointment required), or open shooting on 20 yard archery range. For those new to the sport, Bear Creek offers an “Introduction to Archery” class every Saturday morning.
The Bear Creek range provides an enjoyable environment for all levels of archers, from beginners to experts. They feature one of the more high-tech ranges, with a camera and TV system that lets you better see exactly where you hit the target
With 16 lanes, Bear Creek can accommodate larger groups, making it a great option for a company outing or team building event.
2) Golden High Country Archers
Golden High Country Archers is a private outdoor archery club in Golden, Colorado, located right near North Table Mountain (and New Terrain Brewing, which is always fun stop after a day of archery). The range features both 3d targets, and traditional targets.
As a private club, there’s a membership requirement and a cap on membership. The good news is membership is only ~$150 a year. The bad news is membership is currently only open to residents of Golden or active duty military personnel.
For those lucky enough to get access, you’ll need to provide all your own equipment. If you have some archery experience, but aren’t able to get membership, keep an eye on their website and social media. Golden High Country Archers hosts regular benefits shoots that are open to the public.
3) No Limits Archery
No Limits Archery is a massive archery range and pro shop located in near commerce city. Indoors you’ll find 44 lanes (!!) as far as 40 yards out. Outdoors (seasons permitting) you’ll find outdoor targets as far as 100 yards!
The range offers a pro shop with archery equipment for sale or rent, making the range suitable for those without their own cache of equipment.
No Limits offers an introduction to target archery class using recurve bows for $30 with equipment and instruction provided. The class is currently offered Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings.
4) Rocky Mountain Arsenal Archery Range
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal offers public archery range located in Rocky Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge on the east side of Denver. The archery range offers 10 lanes, ranging from 10 to up to 60 yards
This archery range is a different than the others mentioned, as it’s federally owned and operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The good news: It’s free!
The bad news: Rocky Mountain Arsenal is more DIY than the private facilities we’ve mentioned. You’ll need to bring your own equipment, and the range doesn’t offer regular archery lessons.
5) Empty Quiver Archery
Empty Quiver Archery, located in Broomfield, has an archery pro shop, as well as a practice archery range.
While the range is a bit shorter than some of of the others at 20 yards, Empty Quiver really prides themselves on their beginner programs. They offer beginner classes on Thursday evenings and Saturdays. The classes are $25 including equipment rental, and last for an hour and half. Each class has 3 instructors, and with 28 lanes, there’s plenty of room for the class as well as drop-in guests.
Bonus Mention: Archery Games Denver
Having explained the five favorite traditional archery ranges so far, it would be a lot better idea to describe this one Archery Games Denver as a bonus for reading this article.
Archery Games Denver is a family-friendly business that offers an activity they call Archery Dodgeball. It’s played on a indoor field using recurve bows and foam-tipped arrows. The rules follow the rules of dodgeball, with a mix of different game variations.
For those who have never shot archery before, it’s a fun way to give archery a try. All sessions begin with 15 minutes on the practice range to learn how to shoot. For those who are experience archers, Archery Games Denver is a fun way to practice those skills in a different way
If you’re looking for an archery experience that’s more than just shooting arrows into a target—but still fun—Archery Games Denver is the place to go!
Conclusion
Hopefully, this list provides you with a better sense of the types of archery ranges available in Denver. Not all of them are included here; however, there are many different places to shoot. This should make it easy for beginners to choose the best venue to develop and hone their skills.