Arches National Park
Arches National Park is a national park of the United States in eastern Utah. The park is adjacent to the Colorado River, 4 mi (6 km) north of Moab, Utah. The p…
National Park System · Colorado
National parks in Colorado
84 destinations across the National Park System call Colorado home — from headline parks to lesser-known historic sites worth a detour.
The parks listed below cover everything the National Park Service maintains within Colorado. They include flagship parks (the names most travelers come for), plus the smaller monuments, historic sites, battlefields, and recreation areas that round out a serious itinerary. If you're putting together a state-focused trip, working from this list — rather than a generic top-five — will surface places you'd otherwise miss.
Each link below opens a full visitor guide: hikes, camping, nearby attractions, and visitor tips for that specific destination. Read them in any order — they're written to be standalone.
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park of the United States that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries i…
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a national park of the United States located in western Colorado and managed by the National Park Service. The Bla…
Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park is a national park of the United States located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab. The park preserves a colorful landscape er…
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States located in northwestern Arizona, the 15th site to have been named as a national park. The par…
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a national park of the United States that conserves an area of large sand dunes on the eastern edge of the San Lu…
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is a national park of the United States and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, and the only World Herita…
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is a US National Park located in southeastern California, straddling north-central Riverside County and part of southern San Bernardin…
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is a national park of the United States located approximately 55 mi (89 km) northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within t…
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a U.S. national recreation area in Southeastern Nevada and Northwestern Arizona. Operated by the National Park Service, La…
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is a national park of the United States located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. Located at the junction of the Colorado Pla…
Manti–La Sal National Forest
The Manti–La Sal National Forest covers more than 1.2 million acres (4,900 km2) and is located in the central and southeastern parts of the U.S. state of Utah a…
San Isabel National Forest
San Isabel National Forest is located in central Colorado. The forest contains 19 of the state's 53 fourteeners, peaks over 14,000 feet (4,267 m) high, includi…
Browns Canyon National Monument
Browns Canyon National Monument is a 21,586 acres (87 km2) national monument in Chaffee County, Colorado, that was designated as such by President Barack Obama …
Hovenweep National Monument
Hovenweep National Monument is located on land in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, between Cortez, Colorado and Blanding, Utah on the Cajon Mesa of …
White River National Forest
White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through its northern section. It is the mo…
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is a national monument protecting an archaeologically significant landscape located in the southwestern region of the …
Castle Mountains National Monument
Castle Mountains National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the eastern Mojave Desert and northeastern San Bernardino County, in the state of Cali…
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument is a National Park Service unit near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into sandstone and granite–g…
San Juan National Forest
The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. national forest covering over 1,878,846 acres (2,935.7 sq mi, or 7,603.42 km²) in western Colorado. The forest occupies l…
Chimney Rock National Monument
Chimney Rock National Monument is a 4,726-acre (1,913 ha) U.S. National Monument in San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado which includes an archaeol…
Chuckwalla National Monument
Chuckwalla National Monument is a national monument in the Colorado Desert of Southern California that protects 624,270 acres (2,526.3 km2; 252,630 ha) of deser…
Florissant Formation
The Florissant Formation is a sedimentary geologic formation outcropping around Florissant, Teller County, Colorado. The formation is noted for the abundant and…
Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument is an American national monument located on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the…
Fossil Butte National Monument
Fossil Butte National Monument is a United States National Monument managed by the National Park Service, located 15 miles (24 km) west of Kemmerer, Wyoming, Un…
Natural Bridges National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of the Four Corners boundary of southeast Utah, in the we…
Sand to Snow National Monument
Sand to Snow National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in San Bernardino County and northern Riverside County, Southern California. It protects dive…
Yucca House National Monument
Yucca House National Monument is a United States National Monument located in Montezuma County, Colorado between the towns of Towaoc (headquarters of the Ute Mo…
Women's Suffrage National Monument
The Women's Suffrage National Monument is a planned memorial that will honor suffragists who organized and demonstrated for the women's right to vote in the Uni…
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
Bent's Old Fort is a historical fort located in Otero County in southeastern Colorado, United States. A company owned by Charles Bent and William Bent and Ceran…
Granada War Relocation Center
Granada War Relocation Center, known to the internees as Camp Amache ( ah-mah-chee) and later designated the Amache National Historic Site, was a concentration …
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is a National Historic Site in Kiowa County, Colorado, commemorating the Sand Creek massacre that occurred here on No…
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Curecanti National Recreation Area (Pronounced (locally) or .) is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established…
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (, AN-zə bə-RAY-goh) is a California State Park located within the Colorado Desert of Southern California, United States. Created…
Colorado Bend State Park
Colorado Bend State Park is a 5,328.3-acre (2,156 ha) state park on the Colorado River mostly in San Saba County, Texas, United States. The smaller part in Lamp…
Inks Lake State Park
Inks Lake State Park is a 1,201 acres (486 ha) state park located in Burnet County, Texas, United States, next to Inks Lake on the Colorado River. The park open…
Lake Colorado City State Park
← Lake Colorado City State Park is a 500-acre state park southwest of Colorado City in Mitchell County, Texas, United States and is administered by the Texas P…
List of Colorado state parks
This is a list of the state parks in the U.S. State of Colorado. Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages the state park system to accommodate both outdoor recreatio…
Eldorado Canyon State Park
Eldorado Canyon State Park is part of the Colorado State Park system. It was established in 1978 and is located in Boulder County south of the city of Boulder. …
Cherry Creek State Park
Cherry Creek State Park is a state park in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The park consists of a natural prairie and wetland environment with an 880-…
Castlewood Canyon State Park
Castlewood Canyon State Park is a Colorado state park near Franktown, Colorado. The park retains a unique part of Colorado's history, the remains of Castlewood …
Chatfield State Park
Chatfield State Park is a state park located in Douglas and Jefferson counties of Colorado, United States. The park centers on Chatfield Reservoir, a 1,423 acre…
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Cheyenne Mountain State Park is a Colorado state park that was acquired in June 2000 through a partnership between the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado State …
Barr Lake State Park
Barr Lake State Park is a Colorado state park established in 1977 in Adams County near Brighton, Colorado, USA. The 2,715-acre (10.99 km2) park has 12 miles (19…
Boyd Lake State Park
Boyd Lake State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Colorado, located north of Loveland, Colorado. It became a state recreation area under the Colorado Di…
Crawford State Park (Colorado)
Crawford State Park is a Colorado State Park that encompasses Crawford Reservoir located about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the town of Crawford in Delta County, Co…
Eleven Mile State Park
Eleven Mile State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Park County, 11 miles (18 km) south of Lake George, Colorado, United States. Established in 1970, the…
James M. Robb – Colorado River State Park
The James M. Robb – Colorado River State Park is a Colorado State Park along the Colorado River in Mesa County near Grand Junction, Colorado. The 890-acre (3.6…
Jackson Lake State Park (Colorado)
Jackson Lake State Park is located northeast of Orchard, Colorado in western Morgan County, Colorado. It is situated on 2,411-acre (9.76 km2) Jackson reservoir…
Lake Pueblo State Park
Lake Pueblo State Park is a state park located in Pueblo County, Colorado. It includes 60 miles (97 km) of shoreline and 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land. Activit…
John Martin Reservoir State Park
John Martin Reservoir State Park is a state park in Colorado. It contains John Martin Reservoir, which is the second largest body of water in Colorado by capaci…
Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Gilpin and Jefferson counties northwest of Golden, Colorado. The 12,119-acre (49.04 km2) Fron…
Harvey Gap State Park
Harvey Gap State Park, is a Colorado state park founded in 1987. It is well known for its fishing and limited use boating. The park's reservoir—Grass Valley Res…
Highline Lake State Park
Highline Lake State Park is a Colorado state park. It is home to two lakes, Highline Lake, elevation 4,702 feet (1,433 m) and Mack Mesa Lake, elevation 4,728 f…
Lathrop State Park
Lathrop State Park is a Colorado state park located 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Walsenburg. The state purchased the property in 1962 and opened Colorado's first st…
Lone Mesa State Park
Lone Mesa State Park is a closed-access state park in Colorado located 23 miles (37 kilometers) north of Dolores. It is currently undergoing development and pla…
Lory State Park
Lory State Park, is a state park located west of the city of Fort Collins, Colorado and is west of Horsetooth Reservoir and north of Horsetooth Mountain Park. S…
Elkhead Reservoir State Park
Elkhead Reservoir State Park is a Colorado state park located in Moffat and Routt counties in northwest Colorado, near Craig. The park surrounds and includes th…
Fishers Peak State Park
Fishers Peak State Park is a Colorado state park in Las Animas County, Colorado, just south of Trinidad. Trinidad Lake State Park is nearby. The park opened on …
Roxborough State Park
Roxborough State Park is a state park of Colorado, United States, known for dramatic red sandstone formations. Located in Douglas County 20 miles (32 km) south…
Pearl Lake State Park
Pearl Lake State Park, at the base of Farwell Mountain, is in Routt County, Colorado near the town of Hahns Peak Village, Colorado and is north of Steamboat Sp…
Ridgway State Park
Ridgway State Park is a state park located in Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The park is 21 miles southeast of Montrose, 14 miles northeast of Ouray, 4…
Rifle Gap State Park
Rifle Gap State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Garfield County near Rifle, Colorado. The 1,341-acre (543-hectare) park established in 1966 includes a …
Rifle Falls State Park
Rifle Falls State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Garfield County northeast of Rifle, Colorado. The central feature of the 48-acre (19-hectare) park is…
Paonia State Park
Paonia State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Gunnison County east of Paonia, Colorado. The 1,857-acre (7.52 km2) park lies in a canyon surrounding Pao…
St. Vrain State Park
St. Vrain State Park, formerly known as Barbour Ponds, is a Colorado state park. The park hosts year-round camping. It is a popular birding destination, hosting…
Spinney Mountain State Park
Spinney Mountain State Park is a Colorado state park located in South Park in Park County, Colorado, United States. The park centers on the Spinney Mountain Res…
Navajo State Park
Navajo State Park is a state park of Colorado, USA, on the north shore of Navajo Lake. Touted as Colorado's answer to Lake Powell, this reservoir on the San Jua…
North Sterling State Park
North Sterling State Park is a state park in northeastern Colorado, located approximately 11 miles north of Sterling, Colorado in Logan County. The park encompa…
Mueller State Park
Mueller State Park is a Colorado state park encompassing 5,112 acres (20.69 km2) of land outside Divide, Colorado, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The park …
Mancos State Park
Mancos State Park is a Colorado state park. It is located near Mesa Verde National Park, the West Mancos Trail and the San Juan Skyway. The park is known to hav…
Trinidad Lake State Park
Trinidad Lake State Park is a state park 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Trinidad, Colorado, United States. The park protects Trinidad Lake, a dammed reservoir. There …
Vega State Park
Vega State Park is a 1,823-acre (738 ha) Colorado state park in Mesa County, Colorado in the United States. Vega Reservoir is a fishing destination and is locat…
Yampa River State Park
Yampa River State Park is a Colorado state park located along the Yampa River in Routt and Moffat Counties in northwestern Colorado in the United States.
Sylvan Lake State Park
Sylvan Lake State Park is a Colorado state park located in Eagle County, 10 miles (16 km) south of Eagle, Colorado. The 1,548-acre (626 ha) park established in …
Sweitzer Lake State Park
Sweitzer Lake State Park is a Colorado state park located in Delta County 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Delta, Colorado. The 210-acre (85 ha) park established in 196…
Steamboat Lake State Park
Steamboat Lake State Park is a Colorado state park located in Routt County 27 miles (43 km) north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and near the community of Hahn…
Staunton State Park
Staunton State Park is a Colorado state park in Park and Jefferson counties, located 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Conifer, Colorado. The 3,908-acre (1,582 ha) park,…
State Forest State Park
State Forest State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Jackson and Larimer counties east of Walden, Colorado, United States. The 70,838-acre (286.67 km2) p…
Stagecoach State Park
Stagecoach State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Routt County 17 miles (27 km) south of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The 1,641-acre (6.64 km2) park es…
Sweetwater Lake State Park
Sweetwater Lake State Park is a proposed Colorado State Park in Garfield County, Colorado in the United States, approximately 18 miles (29 km) north of the town…
Dead Horse Point State Park
Dead Horse Point State Park is a state park in San Juan County, Utah in the United States, featuring a dramatic overlook of the Colorado River and Canyonlands N…
Buckskin Mountain State Park
Buckskin Mountain State Park is a public recreation area located near Parker, Arizona, United States. A second developed area of the state park is known as the …
Lyman Reservoir
The Lyman Reservoir is a reservoir on the Little Colorado River located 17 miles (27 km) north of Springerville. It is the largest lake in the region. Lyman Lak…