Parks
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National Historic Site
Bent's Old Fort
La Junta, CO
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site features a reconstructed 1840s adobe fur trading post on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail where traders, trappers, travelers, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. Today, living historians recreate the sights, sounds, and smells of the past with guided tours, demonstrations and special events.
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National Park
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison
Montrose, CO
Big enough to be overwhelming, still intimate enough to feel the pulse of time, Black Canyon of the Gunnison exposes you to some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America. With two million years to work, the Gunnison River, along with the forces of weathering, has sculpted this vertical wilderness of rock, water, and sky.
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National Historic Trail
California
Various States CA,CO,ID,KS,MO,NE,NV,OR,UT,WY
Follow in the footsteps of over 250,000 emigrants who traveled to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s: the greatest mass migration in American history. The California National Historic Trail is over 5,000 miles long and covers portions of 10 states. Step into history along more than 1,000 miles of ruts and traces from travelers and their overland wagons.
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National Monument
Colorado
Fruita, CO
Colorado National Monument preserves one of the grand landscapes of the American West. But this treasure is much more than a monument. Towering monoliths exist within a vast plateau and canyon panorama. You can experience sheer-walled, red rock canyons along the twists and turns of Rim Rock Drive, where you may spy bighorn sheep and soaring eagles.
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National Recreation Area
Curecanti
Gunnison, CO
Curecanti National Recreation Area is a series of three reservoirs along the once wild Gunnison River. The reservoirs that make up Curecanti today are a destination for water-based recreation high in the Rocky Mountains. Best known for salmon and trout fishing, Curecanti also offers opportunities for hiking, boating, camping, and bird watching.
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National Monument
Dinosaur
Vernal, Utah & Dinosaur, Colorado, CO,UT
Dinosaurs once roamed here. Their fantastic remains are still visible embedded in the rocks. Today, the mountains, desert and untamed rivers flowing in deep canyons, support an array of life. Petroglyphs hint at earlier cultures. Later, homesteaders and outlaws found refuge here. Whether your passion is science, adventure, history or scenery, Dinosaur offers much to explore.
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National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds
Florissant, CO
Beneath a grassy mountain valley in central Colorado lies one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. Petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide and thousands of detailed fossils of insects and plants reveal the story of a very different, prehistoric Colorado.
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National Park & Preserve
Great Sand Dunes
Mosca, CO
Open all day and night year round, the tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Experience a starry sky on moonless nights, or a surreal walk on the dunes under bright full moonlight.
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National Monument
Hovenweep
Blanding, Utah & Cortez, Colorado, CO,UT
Once home to over 2,500 people, Hovenweep includes six prehistoric villages built between A.D. 1200 and 1300. Explore a variety of structures, including multistory towers perched on canyon rims and balanced on boulders. The construction and attention to detail will leave you marveling at the skill and motivation of the builders.
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National Park
Mesa Verde
Cortez and Mancos, CO
Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from 600 to 1300 CE. Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.
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National Historic Trail
Old Spanish
AZ,CA,CO,NV,NM,UT
Follow the routes of mule pack trains across the Southwest on the Old Spanish National Historic Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Los Angeles, California. New Mexican traders moved locally produced merchandise across what are now six states to exchange for mules and horses.
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National Historic Trail
Pony Express
Various States CA,CO,KS,MO,NE,NV,UT,WY
It is hard to believe that young men once rode horses to carry mail from Missouri to California in the unprecedented time of only 10 days. This relay system along the Pony Express National Historic Trail in eight states was the most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph.
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National Park
Rocky Mountain
Estes Park and Grand Lake, CO
Rocky Mountain National Park’s 415 square miles encompass and protect spectacular mountain environments. Enjoy Trail Ridge Road – which crests at over 12,000 feet including many overlooks to experience the subalpine and alpine worlds – along with over 300 miles of hiking trails, wildflowers, wildlife, starry nights, and fun times. In a world of superlatives, Rocky is on top!
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National Historic Site
Sand Creek Massacre
Kiowa County, CO
The Sand Creek Massacre: profound, symbolic, spiritual, controversial, a site unlike any other in America. As 675 cavalrymen came around a prairie bend, the camps of Chiefs Black Kettle, White Antelope, and Left Hand lay in the valley before them. Chaotic, horrific, tumultuous, and bloody, the events of November 29, 1864 changed the course of history.
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National Historic Trail
Santa Fe
CO,KS,MO,NM,OK
You can almost hear the whoops and cries of "All's set!" as trail hands hitched their oxen to freight wagons carrying cargo between western Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Follow the Santa Fe National Historic Trail through five states and you'll find adventure and evidence of past travelers who made this remarkable trip before you!
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National Monument
Yucca House
Cortez, CO
Through a continuing tradition of public and private cooperation, Yucca House National Monument preserves one of the largest archeological sites in SW Colorado. The unexcavated nature of the site preserves its integrity and beauty for future generations of scientists and visitors. Experience a sense of discovery by visiting a site that has remained largely untouched for the past 800 years!
By The Numbers
- 13 National Parks
- 7,761,213 Visitors to National Parks
- $771,700,000 Economic Benefit from National Park Tourism »
- $560,642,496 of Rehabilitation Projects Stimulated by Tax Incentives (since 1995) »
- $67,233,151 of Land & Water Conservation Fund Appropriated for Projects (since 1965) »
- 66 Certified Local Governments »
- 111 Community Conservation & Recreation Projects (since 1987) »
- 3,050 Acres Transferred by Federal Lands to Parks for Local Parks and Recreation (since 1948) »
- 200,914 Hours Donated by Volunteers »
- 3 National Heritage Areas »
- 1 Wild & Scenic Rivers Managed by NPS »
- 4 National Trails Administered by NPS »
- 1,583 National Register of Historic Places Listings »
- 25 National Historic Landmarks »
- 15 National Natural Landmarks »
- 1 World Heritage Site »
- 929 Places Recorded by Heritage Documentation Programs »
- 6,287,245 Objects in National Park Museum Collections »
- 7,321 Archeological Sites in National Parks »
- 4 Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plans »
- 9 Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itineraries »
- Print the summary »
These numbers are just a sample of the National Park Service's work. Figures are for the fiscal year that ended 9/30/2019.