National Parks
Colorado is lucky enough to have four National Parks in our state. They are: Rocky Mountain National Park, Black Canyon National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Each has its own characteristics, attractions, and personality.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky is closest to Denver and has the most visitors. The crowds have lead to rationing admissions to a reservation system, 970 586-1206 to spread the number of visitors evenly over the day. Recorded Trail Ridge Road status: (970) 586-1222.
Rocky Mountain National Park's 415 square miles (265,807 acres) encompasses a spectacular range of mountain environments. From meadows found in the montaine life zone to glistening alpine lakes and up to the towering mountain peaks, there is something for everyone to discover. Along the way explore over 300 miles of hiking trails and incredible wildlife viewing..
Colorado is lucky enough to have four National Parks in our state. They are: Rocky Mountain National Park, Black Canyon National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Each has its own characteristics, attractions, and personality.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky is closest to Denver and has the most visitors. The crowds have lead to rationing admissions to a reservation system, 970 586-1206 to spread the number of visitors evenly over the day. Recorded Trail Ridge Road status: (970) 586-1222.
Rocky Mountain National Park's 415 square miles (265,807 acres) encompasses a spectacular range of mountain environments. From meadows found in the montaine life zone to glistening alpine lakes and up to the towering mountain peaks, there is something for everyone to discover. Along the way explore over 300 miles of hiking trails and incredible wildlife viewing..
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
The canyon is deep with high cliffs above making it the most difficult to explore. A boat or raft from the upstream end to the Montrose end is the recommended way to see Black Canyon.
Mesa Verde National Park
For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 Pueblos and Tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. This World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth.
Sand Dunes National Park
Open 24/7 year round! There are no limitations or reservations to visit, but there is currently limited capacity in the visitor center.
The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Stay on a moonless night to experience this International Dark Sky Park's starry skies.
Some of the first people to enter the San Luis Valley and the Great Sand Dunes area were nomadic hunters and gatherers whose connection to the area centered around the herds of mammoths and prehistoric bison that grazed nearby. They were Stone Age people who hunted with large stone spears or dart points now identified as Clovis and Folsom points. Like nearly everyone else until about 400 years ago, they walked into the San Luis Valley. They apparently spent time here when hunting and plant gathering was good, and avoided the region during times of drought and scarcity.
National Parks in Colorado
Something for everyone in Colorado public lands that is why we want to keep them open to the public, unspoiled by private development. Previous administrations have considered selling parts of public lands for funding and favors to rich friends and corporations. The public can't let that happen ever again.
Something for everyone in Colorado public lands that is why we want to keep them open to the public, unspoiled by private development. Previous administrations have considered selling parts of public lands for funding and favors to rich friends and corporations. The public can't let that happen ever again.