Entry No. 3 — the Pueblo file — filed under: oddities
Colorado Gators Reptile Park
“A garbage disposal crew now 300-plus, steaming through 30-below winters at 7,500 feet.”
In 1977 the Youngs drilled into 87-degree geothermal water to farm tilapia in the San Luis Valley. In 1987 they bought 100 baby alligators as a garbage disposal for the fish guts. The disposal crew now numbers 300-plus — mostly confiscated pets and airport contraband — steaming in the shallows through 30-below winters at 7,500 feet. Morris, the gator who ate Chubbs's hand in Happy Gilmore, is retired here. Hold a baby gator and they notarize your Certificate of Bravery with its bite.
The move: Hold a baby gator together for the photo and walk out with matching bite-notarized Certificates of Bravery — or book the gator-handling class ahead and upgrade to a Certificate of Insanity.
📍 Before you go The park sits on the east side of Highway 17 about three miles south of Hooper and 17 miles north of Alamosa, with a gravel lot right at the gate. Paths between the geothermal ponds are dirt and the air smells honestly of fish and reptile, so wear closed shoes you do not love. Holding a small gator is a walk-up activity, but the gator-handling class runs by appointment — arrange it ahead if you want the bigger bragging rights. Pair it with the UFO Watchtower a few minutes up the highway in Hooper, or Great Sand Dunes National Park about half an hour east.
- 📍 Mosca (between Hooper and Alamosa)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 9162 Lane 9 N (east side of CO-17, 3 miles south of Hooper), Mosca, CO 81146
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11