|**SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - NATURAL GAS AND CRUDE OIL PROPERTIES Costs Incurred in Natural Gas and Crude Oil Property Acquisition, Exploration and Development Activities (Unadited) (Details) (USD $)**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  | 12 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
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|**Costs Incurred, Oil and Gas Property Acquisition, Exploration, and Development Activities [Line Items]**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
|Proved Properties                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          | $ 11,973,000us-gaap_CostsIncurredAcquisitionOfOilAndGasPropertiesWithProvedReserves                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|Unproved Properties                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | 45,999,000us-gaap_CostsIncurredAcquisitionOfUnprovedOilAndGasProperties                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
|Development Costs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          | 590,855,000us-gaap_CostsIncurredDevelopmentCosts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
|Exploratory drilling                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | 0pdce_ExploratoryDrilling                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
|Geological and geophysical                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | 1,000pdce_GeologicalAndGeophysical                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
|Total Costs Incurred                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | 648,828,000pdce_TotalCostsIncurred                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
|Cost Incurred to Convert PUDs to PDNP                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      | $ 125,200,000pdce_CostIncurredToConvertPudsToPdnp                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
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|[1]
              Property acquisition costs represent costs incurred to purchase, lease or otherwise acquire a property.[2]
              Development costs represent costs incurred to gain access to and prepare development well locations for drilling, drill and equip development wells, recomplete wells and provide facilities to extract, treat, gather and store crude oil, natural gas and NGLs. Of these costs incurred for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, $125.2 million, $40.1 million and $62.0 million, respectively, were incurred to convert proved undeveloped reserves to proved developed reserves from the prior year end.[3]
              Exploration costs - represents costs incurred in identifying areas that may warrant examination and in examining specific areas that are considered to have prospects of containing crude oil, natural gas and NGLs. | [1]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
|[1]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | Property acquisition costs represent costs incurred to purchase, lease or otherwise acquire a property.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
|[2]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | Development costs represent costs incurred to gain access to and prepare development well locations for drilling, drill and equip development wells, recomplete wells and provide facilities to extract, treat, gather and store crude oil, natural gas and NGLs. Of these costs incurred for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, $125.2 million, $40.1 million and $62.0 million, respectively, were incurred to convert proved undeveloped reserves to proved developed reserves from the prior year end.
|[3]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | Exploration costs - represents costs incurred in identifying areas that may warrant examination and in examining specific areas that are considered to have prospects of containing crude oil, natural gas and NGLs.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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