List of protected areas of Colorado

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Main article: Geography of Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park.

This is a list of protected areas of the U.S. State of Colorado.

Federal lands[]

Main article: List of federal lands in Colorado

The United States federal government owns 36.23% of Colorado's total land area.

National Park System[]

Main article: List of National Park System areas in Colorado

The National Park System includes 21 areas in Colorado. The National Park Service manages 17 of these 21 areas plus five National Wildernesses.

National Parks[]

Main article: List of national parks in Colorado
The Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park

The four National Parks within Colorado are:

  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park near Montrose
  • Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve near Mosca
  • Mesa Verde National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site near Cortez
  • Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park and Grand Lake

National Monuments[]

Main article: List of national monuments in Colorado
The Great Kiva in Chimney Rock National Monument.
Steamboat Rock in Dinosaur National Monument.

The eight National Monuments in Colorado are:

  • Browns Canyon National Monument[a] near Nathrop
  • Canyons of the Ancients National Monument[b] near Cortez
  • Chimney Rock National Monument[c] near Pagosa Springs
  • Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction and Fruita
  • Dinosaur National Monument[d] near Dinosaur
  • Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument near Florissant
  • Hovenweep National Monument[e] near Cortez
  • Yucca House National Monument near Cortez

Two former National Monuments were reclassified due to their remoteness:

National Historic Sites[]

Main article: List of national historic sites in Colorado
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.

The two National Historic Sites within Colorado are:

proposed:

National Recreation Areas[]

Main article: List of national recreation areas in Colorado
The Dillon Pinnacles in Curecanti National Recreation Area.

The two National Recreation Areas within Colorado are::

National Historic Trails[]

Main article: List of national historic trails in Colorado
See also: List of trails in Colorado
Spanish Peaks as seen from the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.

The four National Historic Trails that pass through Colorado are:

  • California National Historic Trail[f] through Sedgwick County
  • Old Spanish National Historic Trail[g] through southwestern Colorado
  • Pony Express National Historic Trail[h] through Sedgwick County
  • Santa Fe National Historic Trail[i] through southeastern Colorado

National Scenic Trail[]

Main article: List of national scenic trails in Colorado
See also: List of trails in Colorado
Grays Peak is the highest point on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and the Continental Divide in North America.

The National Scenic Trail that passes through Colorado is:

National Forests[]

Main article: List of national forests in Colorado
An enlargeable map of Colorado showing the 11 National Forests in red and the 2 National Grasslands in light green
Mount Elbert in the San Isabel National Forest.

The United States Forest Service manages the 11 National Forests within Colorado.

  • Arapaho National Forest
  • Grand Mesa National Forest
  • Gunnison National Forest
  • Pike National Forest
  • Rio Grande National Forest
  • Roosevelt National Forest
  • Routt National Forest
  • San Isabel National Forest
  • San Juan National Forest
  • Uncompahgre National Forest
  • White River National Forest

National Grasslands[]

Main article: List of national grasslands in Colorado
Picketwire Canyon in Comanche National Grassland.

The United States Forest Service manages the two National Grasslands within Colorado.

  • Comanche National Grassland – southeastern Colorado
  • Pawnee National Grassland – northeastern Colorado

National Wildernesses[]

Main article: List of national wildernesses in Colorado
An enlargeable map of Colorado showing the 42 National Wildernesses in red
East Rim Arch in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness.
Lake Isabelle in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.
Mystic Island Lake in the Holy Cross Wilderness.
The Lost Creek Wilderness.

There are 44 National Wildernesses within Colorado. The United States Forest Service manages 34, the National Park Service manages four, the Bureau of Land Management manages three, the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management jointly manage two, and the United States Forest Service and the National Park Service jointly manage one National Wilderness.

National Conservation Areas[]

List of national conservation areas in Colorado redirects here.
The Dominguez–Escalante NCA.

The Bureau of Land Management manages the three National Conservation Areas within Colorado.

National Wildlife Refuges[]

List of national wildlife refuges in Colorado redirects here.
The Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service manages the eight National Wildlife Refuges within Colorado.

  • Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge
  • Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
  • Baca National Wildlife Refuge
  • Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge
  • Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge
  • Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge
  • Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
  • Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge

Federally designated areas[]

The following areas are designated by the National Park Service, but reside on a variety of federal, state, county, city, town, and private lands.

National Heritage Areas[]

List of national heritage areas in Colorado redirects here.
The South Fork South Platte River in the South Park National Heritage Area.

The three National Heritage Areas in Colorado are:

National Historic Landmarks[]

Main article: List of national historic landmarks in Colorado
The Colorado Chautauqua Auditorum.
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.
The Tabor Grand Hotel in the Leadville Historic District.

The 26 National Historic Landmarks in Colorado are:

National Natural Landmarks[]

Main article: List of national natural landmarks in Colorado
The Garden of the Gods.
Hanging Lake .

The 16 National Natural Landmarks in Colorado are:

National Recreation Trails[]

Main article: List of national recreation trails in Colorado
See also: List of trails in Colorado
Grays Peak National Recreation Trail approaching the summit
Mountain goats along the Mount Evans National Recreation Trail.
Mule deer along one of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Recreation Trails.

The 28 federally designated National Recreation Trails in Colorado are:

National Register of Historic Places[]

Main article: List of National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
The Royal Gorge Bridge.

There are more than 1,500 Colorado sites on the National Register of Historic Places.

Wild and Scenic River[]

List of wild and scenic rivers in Colorado redirects here.
The Cache la Poudre Wild and Scenic River.

The Wild and Scenic River in Colorado is:

  • Cache la Poudre Wild and Scenic River

Areas of Critical Environmental Concern[]

Main article: List of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern in Colorado
The Blanca Wetlands ACEC.

The Bureau of Land Management has designated 88 Areas of Critical Environmental Concern in western Colorado.

State lands[]

Colorado State Parks[]

Main article: List of Colorado state parks
Eldorado Canyon State Park.
Fishers Peak State Park.
A yurt in Mancos State Park.
Roxborough State Park.
State Forest State Park.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages the 42 Colorado State Parks.

Colorado Wildlife Areas[]

Main article: List of Colorado state wildlife areas
DeWeese Reservoir State Wildlife Area.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages the 307 Colorado State Wildlife Areas.

State designated areas[]

Colorado Natural Areas[]

Main article: List of Colorado natural areas
The Arikaree River Natural Area.
Dinosaur tracks in the Dakota Hogback Natural Area.
The Garden Park Fossil Locality.
The Lake San Cristobal Natural Area.
The .
The Rabbit Valley Natural Area.
The Redcloud Peak Natural Area.
The Roxborough Natural Area.
The Slumgullion Earthflow Natural Area.
The Staunton Natural Area.
Exposed Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary at the Trinidad K-T Boundary Natural Area.
The Wheeler Geologic Natural Area.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has designated 93 Colorado Natural Areas.

  • Aiken Canyon Natural Area
  • Arikaree River Natural Area
  • Bonny Prairie Natural Area
  • Castlewood Canyon Natural Area
  • Chalk Bluffs Natural Area
  • Comanche Grassland Lesser Prairie Chicken Natural Area[c]
  • Dakota Hogback Natural Area
  • East Sand Dunes Natural Area
  • Garden Park Fossil Locality
  • Indian Springs Trace Fossil Locality
  • Irish Canyon Natural Area
  • Lake San Cristobal Natural Area
  • [v]
  • Needle Rock Natural Area
  • Paradise Park Natural Area
  • Rabbit Valley Natural Area
  • Raven Ridge Natural Area
  • Redcloud Peak Natural Area
  • Roxborough Natural Area[n]
  • Slumgullion Earthflow Natural Area[c]
  • Staunton Natural Area[n]
  • Trinidad K-T Boundary Natural Area
  • Wheeler Geologic Natural Area[c]
  • Zapata Falls Natural Area

Regional trails[]

Main article: List of regional trails in Colorado
A cyclist on the Kokopelli Trail in McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.

The following transcontinental hiking trail was established by the American Discovery Trail Society.

  • American Discovery Trail

The following hiking trail across the Southern Rocky Mountains is maintained by the Colorado Trail Foundation.

The following three single-track mountain bike trails are maintained by the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association and the Bureau of Land Management.

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jointly managed by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management and the United States Department of Agriculture, United States Forest Service.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi Managed by the United States Department of Agriculture, United States Forest Service.
  4. ^ Dinosaur National Monument extends into the State of Utah.
  5. ^ Hovenweep National Monument extends into the State of Utah.
  6. ^ The California National Historic Trail traverses ten U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California.
  7. ^ The Old Spanish National Historic Trail traverses six U.S. states: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.
  8. ^ The Pony Express National Historic Trail traverses eight U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California.
  9. ^ The Santa Fe National Historic Trail traverses five U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
  10. ^ The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail traverses five U.S. states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
  12. ^ Jointly managed by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service and the United States Department of Agriculture, National Forest Service.
  13. ^ Managed by the United States Air Force.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
  15. ^ Managed by the Jefferson County Open Space Program.
  16. ^ Managed by the City of Westminster, Colorado.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Managed by Colorado State Parks.
  18. ^ Managed by Lake County, Colorado.
  19. ^ Managed by the Poudre River Trail Corridor, Inc.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
  21. ^ Managed by the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department.
  22. ^ Jointly managed by the United States Forest Service and the Denver Botanic Gardens.

External links[]

Coordinates: 38°59′50″N 105°32′52″W / 38.9972°N 105.5478°W / 38.9972; -105.5478 (State of Colorado)

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