Colorado Parks and Recreation Areas with National Monument

A beautiful mountain valley just west of Pikes Peak holds spectacular remnants of the earth's prehistoric life. Huge petrified redwoods and incredibly detailed fossils of ancient insects and plants reveal a very different Colorado of long ago. Almost 35 million years ago, enormous volcanic eruptions buried the then-lush valley and petrified the redwood trees that grew there. A lake formed in the valley and the fine-grained sediments at its bottom became the final resting-place for thousands of insects and plants. These sediments compacted into layers of shale and preserved the delicate details of these organisms as fossils. read more...

Phone: (719)748-3253   Price Range: $0 - $3   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Florissant   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Birding, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks   Details Provided By: Florissant Fossil Beds

Colorado National Monument preserves one of the grand landscapes of the American West. Sheer-walled canyons, towering monoliths, colorful formations, desert bighorn sheep, soaring eagles, and a spectacular road reflect the environment and history of the plateau-and-canyon country. Historic Rim Rock Drive offers 23 miles of breathtaking panoramic views and numerous overlooks. Trails lead across mesa tops and to spectacular overlooks or into backcountry canyons. read more...

Phone: 970-858-3617   Price Range: $3 - $5   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Fruita   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Rock Climbing, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Auto Touring   Details Provided By: Colorado National Monument

Hovenweep National Monument protects five prehistoric, Puebloan-era villages spread over a twenty-mile expanse of mesa tops and canyons along the Utah-Colorado border. Multi-storied towers perched on canyon rims and balanced on boulders lead visitors to marvel at the skill and motivation of their builders.

Phone: (970)562-4282   Price Range: $3 - $6   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Cortez   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Hiking, Camping, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Hovenweep National Monument

In his book, The Immense Journey, Loren Eisley wrote, Once in a lifetime, perhaps, one escapes the actual confines of the flesh. Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one so merges with sunlight and air and running water that whole eons, the eons that mountains and deserts know, might pass in a single afternoon without discomfort. read more...

Phone: (970)374-3000   Price Range: $5 - $10   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Dinosaur   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Cross Country Skiing, Fishing, Kayaking, Rock Climbing, Whitewater Rafting, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Snowshoeing   Details Provided By: Dinosaur National Monument

Yucca House National Monument is a large, unexcavated Ancestral Puebloan surface site. Yucca House is located in Southwest Colorado between the towns of Towaoc and Cortez. Currently, there are no facilities or fees at Yucca House. read more...

Phone: (970)529-4465   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Mesa Verde   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities:   Details Provided By: Yucca House National Monument