
National Park Service Sites in Colorado

The visitor's center at Great Sand Dunes National Park
I know, I know: the title says "National Park Service Sites in Colorado" but I included a number of other sites from other agencies and even one Native American tribe in the list below. What to say? There's a lot to look at and I wanted to be sure nothing was overlooked...
Name, Location | Acreage | Comments |
---|---|---|
Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge Alamosa, CO |
11,169
|
Rio Grande marshland, migratory waterfowl, wintering bald eagles, self-guided tours |
Anasazi Heritage Center Dolores, CO |
|
Beautiful museum displaying Anasazi artifacts and history. 2 excavated pueblos on site. |
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge Walden, CO |
14,500
|
Nesting and rearing habitat for migratory waterfowl, interpretive trails, self-guided tours. |
Bents Old Fort National Historic Site La Junta, CO |
|
1833 trading post and Santa Fe Trail depot reconstructed. |
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Montrose, CO |
20,000
|
Spectacular canyon, viewpoints, interpretive exhibits, guided tours, includes 11,180 acre wilderness. |
Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge Maybell, CO |
13,500
|
Prime wetland bottoms of the Green River in a semiarid region. Waterfowl, mule deer, pronghorns |
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Visitor Center at Anasazi Heritage Center, Dolorado, Colorado |
Lowry Pueblo, Hovenweep National Monument in Colorado | |
Colorado National Monument Fruita, CO |
20,450
|
High plateaus, colorful canyons, wildlife, Rim Rock Drive, Tours. |
Comanche National Grassland Springfield, CO |
419,000
|
Prehistoric cave art, dry shortgrass prairie, desert wildlife, 200 bird species, Lesser Prairie Chicken Natural Area. |
Curecanti National Recreation Area Gunnison, CO |
42,000
|
3 large lakes created by dams along the Gunnison River in a volcanic landscape: Black Canyon and Curecanti Needle. |
Dinosaur National Monument Dinosaur, CO |
211,000
|
Canyons, peaks, mesas, Gates of Lodore, Echo Park Road, riverboating, rafting, tours. |
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Florissant, CO |
6,000
|
Interpretive exhibits, guided tours of an area with 80,000 plant and animal specimens fossilized over 30 million years ago. |
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve Mosca, CO |
|
The tallest sand dunes in North America at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the San Luis Valley |
Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery Hotchkiss, CO |
50
|
This hatchery produces 1.2 million trout annually for southwestern Colorado reservoirs. |
Leadville National Fish Hatchery 6 m. SW of Leadville, CO |
3,000
|
Built in 1889, 2nd oldest federal hatchery still in use. Nature trails, tours, panoramic views. |
Mesa Verde National Park Mancos, CO |
52,000
|
World Heritage Site of Anasazi cliff dwellings dating to 1200 AD. Guided tours. |
Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge 6 m. S of Monte Vista, CO |
14,000
|
Unique wetland habitat in a desert setting. Wildlife, migratory waterfowl, self-guided tours. |
Pawnee National Grassland Briggsdale, CO |
193,000
|
Pawnee Buttes, eastern Colorado Plains: lots of Dust Bowl type rangeland |
Rocky Mountain Arsenal Denver, CO |
17,000
|
Former munitions plant is now a wildlife sanctuary. Access only by scheduled guided tours. |
Rocky Mountain National Park Estes Park, CO |
265,000
|
Small glaciers and volcanos, 91 peaks over 11,000 feet, Longs Peak (14,255 ft.) Trail Ridge Road, 355 miles of trails. |
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Eads, Colorado |
2,385 acres
|
Site of an 1864 massacre of mostly unarmed Arapaho and Cheyenne women, children and elderly men. |
Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area Alamosa, Colorado |
Historic area encompassing three National Wildife Refuges, Great Sand Dunes National Park, San Luis Lakes State Park, Zapata Falls National Recreation Area and more. | |
Ute Mountain Tribal Park Towaoc, CO |
125,000
|
Primitive area with Anasazi ruins in various stages of reconstruction. |
Yucca House National Monument Visitor Center at Mesa Verde National Park, Mancos, Colorado |
9.5 acres
|
No public access. |

Locations of the sites in the list above

Colorado National Monument
Other National Park Service Related Pages
Santa Fe National Historic Trail - Old Spanish National Historic TrailCalifornia National Historic Trail - Pony Express National Historic Trail
More Colorado Information, Photos and Maps
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