About COEC
Colorado Outdoor Education Center is a 501(c)3 Non-profit organization founded in 1999. We have been offering outstanding programs in the out-of-doors since 1948 and have a national and international reputation for excellence. The Center operates three separate experiential education facilities on 6000 acres of mountain forest and meadow at an elevation of 8500’ in the Rocky Mountains.
Big Spring Ranch for Boys is open during the summer season only and includes a historic log lodge/dining hall, a modern health center, a theater and program center, a crafts shop, a heated and filtered swimming pool, a stables area and barn, tennis courts, playing fields, washhouses, and thirty-five platform tents and yurts.
High Trails Ranch is the home of the girls’ camp during the summer and the High Trails Outdoor Education Center program during the fall and spring seasons. This fully-winterized facility includes a lodge/dining hall and nine modern cabins, each containing two bunk rooms, a full bathroom, and a living room with a rock fireplace. High Trails also has a theater/recreation building, a crafts shop, a stables area and riding arena, a heated and filtered swimming pool, a health center, and playing fields.
The Nature Place is a year-round Colorado conference center with a focus on leadership and team development,hosting a variety of groups ranging from reunions to corporate retreats. Facilities include a large lodge/dining hall with stunning views of Pikes Peak, a business support office, and comfortable areas for meeting and relaxing. Guests stay in one of forty-eight modern studio apartments located near the lodge. Three conference rooms are fully outfitted for meetings, and the Sportsplex houses an indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, exercise room, and volleyball court.
The Center’s programs are guided by Executive Director Elizabeth Marable and an on-site team of fifteen professional educators. Most of these professionals have many years of experience with COEC and they provide mature and dedicated leadership for all of our programs. Twenty year-round support staff contribute to facility maintenance, office administration, and food services. A seasonal staff of one hundred young adults augments our year-round summer camp staff, and a dozen college graduates provide leadership for the High Trails Outdoor Education Center program during the Fall and the Spring. All programs are overseen by the COEC Board of Directors.
If you’d like to make a donation to the greater Colorado Outdoor Education Center, please use this link.
Charitable Donations to Colorado Outdoor Education Center are tax-deductible. The COEC’s Federal Tax ID is: 84-0619264. Colorado Outdoor Education Center is an equal opportunity service provider and employer and operates under permit from the USDA Forest Service, Pike National Forest.