Entry No. 66 — the Denver file — filed under: haunted

National Wildlife Property Repository

“a customs seizure crossed with a natural-history nightmare”

Tucked inside the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge sits a 16,000-square-foot federal warehouse stacked floor to ceiling with the spoils of the global wildlife trade: pangolin scales, carved ivory, sea-turtle-shell guitars, python-skin boots, mounted tiger heads. It's the largest repository of seized trafficking goods on Earth, run by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and most Denverites have no idea it's a 20-minute drive away. When tours run, a ranger walks you through aisles of contraband that look like a customs seizure crossed with a natural-history nightmare.

The move: When public access is open, book the first-Friday tour, then make a half-day of it by pairing it with a slow drive through the Rocky Mountain Arsenal refuge to spot bison and the resident prairie dogs.

📍 Before you go This isn't a standalone address — the repository is Building 128 deep inside the Rocky Mountain Arsenal refuge, so you'll pass through the Gateway Road entrance gate and the refuge visitor center to reach it. The refuge grounds are free and open daily, gates running roughly sunrise to sunset (longer on summer evenings), which makes the drive out worthwhile even when the warehouse itself isn't on the agenda. The repository is strictly appointment-only — no walk-ins — and tours are genuinely scarce, since it's a working federal warehouse staffed by a skeleton crew who hand-pick which requests they can host. Treat any visit as a lucky bonus, not a guarantee.

• 📍 Commerce City
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Low-key
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 6550 Gateway Rd, Building 128, Commerce City, CO 80022 (inside Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge); by appointment only, [email protected] / 303-287-2110

Hours: By appointment only; historically free public tours on the first Friday of each month. NOTE: as of mid-2026 FWS lists tours and education programs as 'unavailable until further notice' pending staff availability. Email/call ahead to confirm before planning a visit.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Atlas Obscura · fws.gov · rmpbs.org

last checked: 2026-06-07