Moraine Park Museum and Amphitheater

Larimer County, United States

Freely accessible

Public space — no opening hours to check.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Find out more

Situated in Moraine Park, a glaciated meadow between two moraines in Rocky Mountain National Park, the Moraine Park Museum and Amphitheater represent a significant chapter in American park development and rustic architecture. Originally built in 1923 as the Moraine Park Lodge by Imogene Green MacPherson—who had homesteaded the site since 1903 and operated it as a private tourist resort—the structure was purchased by the National Park Service in 1931. The NPS reworked the lodge in 1934–35 and constructed an adjacent amphitheater in 1935, designed by the NPS Branch of Plans and Designs and built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Both buildings exemplify National Park Service Rustic design, employing stone and log construction suited to their mountain setting. The amphitheater, positioned about one hundred feet from the lodge with seating interspersed among trees, features an intricate system of stone gutters and culverts for drainage. Today the museum presents interactive natural history exhibits covering glaciation, ecosystems, and human impact, while offering environmental education programs to visitors. The lodge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976; the designation was expanded to include the amphitheater in 2005.