# Upper Bear Creek, Colorado

Upper Bear Creek is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Upper Bear Creek CDP was 984 at the United States Census 2020. The Evergreen post office (Zip Code 80439) serves the area.

## History

The Upper Bear Creek area is rich in history - Troutdale in the Pines, a posh resort hotel, catered to Hollywood movie stars and America's elite in the 1920s and served as a vacation spot for Denverites escaping the summer heat. Other summer resorts sprang up in the area as well, including the Greystone Guest Ranch and the Brookforest Inn. In more recent history, Willie Nelson, Lee Majors, Farrah Fawcett, and others have lived along Upper Bear Creek.
Additionally, the Mt. Evans Outdoor Lab School, a campus of the Jefferson County Public Schools, is located in the Upper Bear Creek area. Many Jeffco 6th graders will spend a week at Mt. Evans, or the other outdoor lab school, Windy Peak, where they stay in cabins or dorms and study various aspects of the outdoors, including forestry, astronomy, ecology, and pioneer history, among others.
Generally regarded as the most exclusive and desirable area within Evergreen, Upper Bear Creek features outstanding trout fishing (for homeowners and guests), peaceful serenity and meadows, and in many spots views of Mt. Evans.

## Geography

The Upper Bear Creek CDP has an area of 2,426 acres (9.819 km$^2$), including 4.0 acres (0.016 km$^2$) of water.

### Climate

Corral Creek (RAWS) and Evergreen 6.5 WSW (CoCoRaHS) are weather stations near Upper Bear Creek with temperature and precipitation/snowfall data, respectively. Corral Creek has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), with long, snowy winters and warm but relatively short summers that are more characteristic of a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc).
Climate data for Corral Creek (RAWS), Colorado, 2002–2020 normals: 8210ft (2502m) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) | 66 (19) | 73 (23) | 74 (23) | 84 (29) | 91 (33) | 90 (32) | 92 (33) | 89 (32) | 80 (27) | 71 (22) | 65 (18) | 92 (33) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 60.0 (15.6) | 58.7 (14.8) | 65.5 (18.6) | 69.3 (20.7) | 76.8 (24.9) | 85.2 (29.6) | 86.5 (30.3) | 84.5 (29.2) | 81.0 (27.2) | 74.4 (23.6) | 66.7 (19.3) | 59.5 (15.3) | 88.1 (31.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.0 (5.6) | 40.6 (4.8) | 47.7 (8.7) | 52.3 (11.3) | 60.0 (15.6) | 72.4 (22.4) | 77.5 (25.3) | 75.2 (24.0) | 69.4 (20.8) | 57.8 (14.3) | 49.2 (9.6) | 40.8 (4.9) | 57.1 (13.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.6 (−1.3) | 27.8 (−2.3) | 34.8 (1.6) | 39.5 (4.2) | 46.8 (8.2) | 57.4 (14.1) | 63.0 (17.2) | 60.8 (16.0) | 54.5 (12.5) | 43.8 (6.6) | 35.7 (2.1) | 28.1 (−2.2) | 43.5 (6.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.1 (−8.3) | 14.9 (−9.5) | 21.8 (−5.7) | 26.7 (−2.9) | 33.6 (0.9) | 42.4 (5.8) | 48.5 (9.2) | 46.4 (8.0) | 39.6 (4.2) | 29.9 (−1.2) | 22.1 (−5.5) | 15.3 (−9.3) | 29.9 (−1.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −4.9 (−20.5) | −7.2 (−21.8) | 2.6 (−16.3) | 11.4 (−11.4) | 20.1 (−6.6) | 31.7 (−0.2) | 41.1 (5.1) | 37.7 (3.2) | 28.3 (−2.1) | 13.2 (−10.4) | 2.4 (−16.4) | −7.1 (−21.7) | −13.0 (−25.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) | −24 (−31) | −15 (−26) | −5 (−21) | 10 (−12) | 27 (−3) | 36 (2) | 33 (1) | 23 (−5) | −8 (−22) | −16 (−27) | −20 (−29) | −24 (−31) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.75 (19) | 0.91 (23) | 2.02 (51) | 2.67 (68) | 2.73 (69) | 2.02 (51) | 3.35 (85) | 2.73 (69) | 2.01 (51) | 1.39 (35) | 0.92 (23) | 0.73 (19) | 22.23 (563) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 12.7 (32) | 18.2 (46) | 23.2 (59) | 26.3 (67) | 9.7 (25) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.0 (2.5) | 11.1 (28) | 10.8 (27) | 16.7 (42) | 130.1 (329.5) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 8.1 (21) | 10.7 (27) | 12.2 (31) | 11.4 (29) | 6.1 (15) | 0.6 (1.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.8 (4.6) | 7.2 (18) | 6.4 (16) | 8.2 (21) | 19.3 (49) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.0 | 9.2 | 8.7 | 10.8 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 15.1 | 14.6 | 9.2 | 8.1 | 5.9 | 7.2 | 119.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 53 |
| Source 1: XMACIS2 (Corral Creek normals & Evergreen6.5 2003-2020 snowfall) ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Evergreen 6.5 precip/precip days) ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Upper Bear Creek CDP for the United States Census 2010.