The Ute tribe was the predominant Native American group to occupy the Park County area, starting in the fourteenth or fifteenth century.  Beginning in 1859, the Colorado Gold Rush brought non-native settlements to Park County.  Due to mining and related activities at that time, the Gold Rush era was estimated to have brought about ten thousand people to the Park County area.  In 1861, Park County became one one of the original seventeen counties in the Colorado territory.  The county seat was initially in Tarryall and then in another mining community.  However, in 1867, the county seat moved to Fairplay, where it has resided ever since.  The railroad reached Park County in 1879, followed soon thereafter by telegraph lines.

Eventually mining in Park County declined with tourism and ranching becoming the major industries.  As of 2012, Park County ranchers raised a combined herd of 6,565 cattle and calves. Native hay is the top crop.  Popular outdoor activities for tourists (and locals alike) include cross-country skiing, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and snow shoeing.  Park County now has a total area of 2,211 square miles and a permanent population of 16,206 (as of the 2010 census).  There are significant variations in the elevation across Park County, ranging anywhere from 7,000 to 14,000 feet. Park County includes the incorporated towns of Alma and Fairplay as well as other unincorporated communities like Bailey, Como, Grant, Hartsel, Jefferson, Lake George and Shawnee. The geographic center of the state of Colorado is actually located in Park County.

In 1949, Park County became home to Burro Days, an annual multi-day event that always takes place the last full weekend in July.  As part of the festival, there races that send runners twenty-nine miles to the top of Mosquito Pass and back with a burro.  Nowadays, Burro Days also includes a pancake breakfast, lama races, gold panning, a parade, local musical entertainment, a BBQ & barn dance and almost 150 arts, craft and food booths.