Missile Site Park

Located just west of Greeley and owned by Weld County, the Missile Site Park offers a unique opportunity for the public to tour a once active Atlas E missile silo.This cold-war era missile site was active from 1961 to 1965 and housed one Atlas rocket and one war head. As part of the 566th Strategic Missile Squadron out of Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, the single-use site was manned by five-men crews who worked 24-hour shifts. During their shift, the team was responsible for monitoring the missile status, and, if directed, initiating the entire launch sequence from opening the 18-inch thick door to raising the missile into launch position to fueling it with rocket fuel – the entire sequence had to be completed within 15 minutes. Visitors to the site can tour many areas of the silo including the missile maintenance room, the command control centers and living quarters. After the decommissioning and turnover to the County, the site was considered to serve as a Cold War fall-out shelter. Should it have been needed, the site was capable of housing 2,300 people.While much of the site serves as storage for the county, photographs and a knowledgeable tour guide will explain how  the site once looked and worked when it was in operation as well as share interesting facts about the building – such as the fact that there is enough concrete in the facility to build a standard four-foot wide sidewalk from the site to Salt Lake City, Utah.While public tours are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at no charge, reservations need to be made in advance with the site caretaker. Groups of 10 or more can request a Saturday tour. The county also sponsors an open house at the site twice a year, Memorial Day and Labor Day, where the public is invited to tour the facility. To schedule your visit, please go to www.weldgov.com, click on the department tab for Buildings and Grounds which provides a link to the Missile Site Park page. Missile Site Park was built on the bluffs which overlook the Poudre River Valley and provide campers with fantastic views of the Rocky Mountains.Although there is a basic restroom with running water on site, the campground offers only dry land camping (no services) for 12 camp sites, fire pits and picnic tables. The cost is $5 per day. The campground is closed from October thru May of each year. There are no reservations as it is first come—first served.The Missile Site Park offers RV dump service to Weld County residents. The cost is $5 per RV. ($2 if the RV stayed overnight in the Missile Site Park campground). Normal hours of operation for the RV dump are 7 AM to 3:30 PM.