Open plains, dry desert, river-carved canyons, and towering snow-covered peaks may all be found in the state of Colorado, making it home to some of the most varied landscapes in the United States. The state has long been a popular vacation spot for nature lovers thanks to its abundance of outdoor activities (skiing, rafting, and hiking are all top-notch).

The National Park Service safeguards and maintains a number of landscapes and places across the state because of their high cultural and historical significance. Visitors have been able to explore the state’s rich history and take in some of its most breathtaking scenery in these parks, monuments, recreation areas, historic sites, and trails for decades. We’ve chosen a small sampling of the best of what Colorado has to offer, beginning with its four national parks. Colorado is home to many sites managed by the National Park Service, such as historic trails and leisure areas.

Colorado National Parks

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park is a popular destination due to its abundance of hiking routes, breathtaking canyon vistas, and well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff houses. Petroglyph Point Trail is just one of many archaeological sites open to the public in Mesa Verde, and it features rock drawings created by prehistoric peoples long before the arrival of Europeans.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Located in southern Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park is home to the continent’s highest sand dunes. Visitors may enjoy a sandbox of epic proportions by climbing and sliding down the massive dunes, which are best seen at dawn and dusk. The looming Sangre de Cristo range in the distance is home to some of Colorado’s most intimidating peaks.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

It’s one of the most beautiful parks in the state, yet it’s not very well-known.The Gunnison River excavated a deep, narrow gorge, and the surrounding Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park protects this area. Visitors to this western Colorado park can see elk and golden eagles, among other animals, and take in breathtaking scenery like the famous Painted Wall cliff face.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Located in northern Colorado along the continental divide, Rocky Mountain National Park is the closest national park to the city of Denver. There are more than 300 miles of hiking routes within the park’s 265,807 acres, including a path to Longs Peak, one of the state’s 14,000-foot peaks. Drive Old Fall River Road in the fall to see the leaves, and visit a high-alpine lake or a meadow full of wildflowers in the summer.

Colorado National Monuments, Trails, Recreation Areas, and Sites

Colorado National Monument

Overlooking Grand Junction, Colorado from atop the Colorado Plateau is the Colorado National Monument. There are bighorn sheep and eagles can be seen in the monument, as well as some of the state’s most impressive scenery, such as steep red rock canyons and unique rock formations.

Santa Fe National Historic Trail

The Santa Fe Trail, established in the 19th century, links Santa Fe, New Mexico, with western Missouri. In Colorado, you can stop at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, a fur trading post from the 1840s where locals met to exchange goods with passing trappers and travellers, or explore the vast Comanche National Grassland.

Curecanti National Recreation Area

Curecanti National Recreation Area is home to three reservoirs that sit at the foot of craggy peaks and scrubby hills. The reservoirs are popular destinations due to the abundance of salmon and trout fishing, as well as the numerous paths and campsites that can be found along their banks.

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

The ancient history of Colorado is safeguarded in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, as the name suggests. Over 8,300 sites, ranging from settlements and kivas to shrines and sacred springs, have been recorded inside the monument’s 174,000+ acres of land, making it the area with the highest known archaeological site density in the United States.

Amache National Historic Site

An integral part of Colorado’s past is commemorated at the Amache National Historic Site. During World War II, it served as home to the Granada Relocation Centre, a concentration camp for Japanese-Americans. Located near Granada, Colorado, this place is a memorial to the unjust incarceration of more than 10,000 people.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Central Colorado is home to a grassy mountain valley that has one of the world’s most diverse fossil occurrences. Giant petrified redwood stumps (some as big as 14 feet) and hundreds of perfectly preserved fossils of plants and insects can be found in the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.