10 Colorado state parks launching augmented reality trail missions in October

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is partnering with Agents of Discovery, an educational mobile gaming platform, to create augmented reality trail missions at 10 different state parks.

The missions, which task users with accomplishing educational and fun outdoor activities at state parks, can be accessed by smartphone users by downloading the Agents of Discovery app from the App and Play stores. Missions are free to play and, once downloaded, do not require Wi-Fi or a data connection.

Examples at CPW state parks include a Halloween-themed trail at Staunton State Park. St. Vrain State Park has Junior Ranger activities. Barr Lake State Park has a mission on the Neidrach Trail by the visitor center, as well as a water trail where you take a kayak out on Barr Lake to learn about the history of the park.

It’s a way that CPW is trying to engage kids and families with nature using technology,” said Barr Lake State Park Manager Michelle Seubert. “So many people have smartphones. Instead of fighting with them to keep it in their pockets, why not let them use it to discover interesting things about the park?”

“Over 70% of people own smartphones, so why not try to utilize this device that everyone is carrying to help educate and inform people about the cool things and places where they’re at?” said CPW Statewide Interpretation & Wildlife Viewing Coordinator Mary McCormac. “They can play games and get info and it’s a fun way to integrate technology into outdoor learning.”

Get started by downloading the Agents of Discovery app and visiting one of the state parks below.

State parks with augmented reality trail missions
Barr Lake
Chatfield
Cherry Creek
Cheyenne Mountain
Eleven Mile
Ridgway
St. Vrain
Staunton
Steamboat Lake
Trinidad Lake

Agents of Discovery is an educational mobile gaming platform that uses augmented reality to get youth active. They empower educators in all sectors to turn the whole world into an engaging, fun, and safe learning environment.

Educators use the online platform, the Mission Maker, to design their own games. These games (Missions) are then published to the Agents of Discovery app and available from the App and Play stores.