List of protected areas of Colorado

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

Federal lands

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

National Park System

The National Park System includes 23 areas in Colorado. The National Park Service manages 18 of these 23 areas plus five National Wildernesses.

National Parks

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

The nine National Monuments in Colorado are:

Browns Canyon National Monument^[a] near Nathrop (February 19, 2015, Obama)
Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument between Red Cliff and Leadville in the Eagle River valley (October 12, 2022, Biden)
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument^[b] near Dolores (June 9, 2000, Clinton)
Chimney Rock National Monument^[c] near Pagosa Springs (September 21, 2012, Obama)
Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction and Fruita (May 24, 1911, Taft)
Dinosaur National Monument^[d] near Dinosaur (80 acres October 4, 1915, Wilson, additional 200,000 acres July 14, 1938, F. Roosevelt)
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument near Florissant (August 20, 1969, Nixon)
Hovenweep National Monument^[e] near Cortez (March 2, 1923, Harding)
Yucca House National Monument^[f] near Cortez (December 19, 1919, Wilson)

Two former National Monuments were elevated to National Park:

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument (March 2, 1933, Hoover, to October 21, 1999)
Great Sand Dunes National Monument (March 17, 1932, Hoover, to September 24, 2004)

Two former National Monuments were abolished due to their remoteness:

Holy Cross National Monument^[c] near Minturn (May 11, 1929, Hoover, abolished August 3, 1950)
Wheeler National Monument^[c] near Creede (December 7, 1908, T. Roosevelt, abolished August 3, 1950)

National Historic Sites

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.

The three National Historic Sites within Colorado are:

National Recreation Areas

The Dillon Pinnacles in Curecanti National Recreation Area.

The two National Recreation Areas within Colorado are::

Arapaho National Recreation Area^[c] near Granby
Curecanti National Recreation Area near Gunnison

National Historic Trails

The four National Historic Trails that pass through Colorado are:

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

National Scenic Trail

The National Scenic Trail that passes through Colorado is:

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail^[k] along the Continental Divide of the Americas

National Forests

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

National Grasslands

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

Lake Isabelle in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Mystic Island Lake in the Holy Cross 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

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

National Wildlife Refuges

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

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

The three National Heritage Areas in Colorado are:

National Historic Landmarks

The Tabor Grand Hotel in the Leadville Historic District.

The 26 National Historic Landmarks in Colorado are:

National Natural Landmarks

The 16 National Natural Landmarks in Colorado are:

National Recreation Trails

Mule deer along one of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Recreation Trails.

The 28 federally designated National Recreation Trails in Colorado are:

Apex National Recreation Trail^[p] near Golden
Barr National Recreation Trail^[c] between Manitou Springs and Pikes Peak
Bear Creek National Recreation Trail^[c] near Ouray
Big Dry Creek National Recreation Trail^[q] through Westminster
Calico National Recreation Trail^[c] near Dolores
Crag Crest National Recreation Trail^[c] near Cedaredge
Devils Head National Recreation Trail^[c] near Sedalia
Fish Creek Falls National Recreation Trail^[c] near Steamboat Springs
Grays Peak National Recreation Trail^[c] near Silver Plume
Greyrock Mountain National Recreation Trail^[c] near Laporte
High Line Canal National Recreation Trail^[r] through metropolitan Denver
Highline Loop National Recreation Trail^[c] near Dolores
Lake Fork National Recreation Trail^[c] near South Fork
Mineral Belt National Recreation Trail^[s] near Leadville
Mount Evans National Recreation Trail^[c] near Idaho Springs
Mount McConnel National Recreation Trail^[c] near Laporte
Petroglyph Point National Recreation Trail^[l] in Mesa Verde National Park
Platte River Greenway National Recreation Trail^[r] through metropolitan Denver
Poudre River National Recreation Trail^[t] between Greeley and Windsor
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Recreation Trails^[u] near Denver
Round Mountain National Recreation Trail^[c] near Loveland
Swamp Park National Recreation Trail^[c] near Steamboat Springs
Two Elk National Recreation Trail^[c] near Vail
Two Ponds National Recreation Trail^[u] in Arvada
Vail Pass National Recreation Trail^[c] between Copper Mountain and Vail
West Lost Trail Creek National Recreation Trail^[c] near Creede
Wheeler Ten Mile National Recreation Trail^[c] between Frisco and Copper Mountain
White House Ranch National Recreation Trail^[v] in Colorado Springs

National Register of Historic Places

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

Wild and Scenic River

The Wild and Scenic River in Colorado is:

Cache la Poudre Wild and Scenic River

Areas of Critical Environmental Concern

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

State lands

Colorado State Parks

Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages the 43 Colorado State Parks.

Colorado Wildlife Areas

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

State designated areas

Colorado Natural Areas

Exposed Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary at the Trinidad K-T Boundary Natural Area.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has designated 95 Colorado Natural Areas.^[1]

Regional trails

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.

Colorado Trail

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

Bicycle routes

The following four bicycle touring routes through Colorado are regularly scouted by the Adventure Cycling Association.

Notes

^ ^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.
^ ^a ^b ^c Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
^ ^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 Managed by the United States Department of Agriculture, United States Forest Service.
^ Dinosaur National Monument extends into the State of Utah.
^ Hovenweep National Monument extends into the State of Utah.
^ Yucca House National Monument remains undeveloped.
^ The California National Historic Trail traverses ten U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California.
^ The Old Spanish National Historic Trail traverses six U.S. states: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.
^ The Pony Express National Historic Trail traverses eight U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California.
^ The Santa Fe National Historic Trail traverses five U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
^ The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail traverses five U.S. states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
^ Jointly managed by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service and the United States Department of Agriculture, National Forest Service.
^ Managed by the United States Air Force.
^ ^a ^b Managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
^ Managed by the Jefferson County Open Space Program.
^ Managed by the City of Westminster, Colorado.
^ ^a ^b Managed by Colorado State Parks.
^ Managed by Lake County, Colorado.
^ Managed by the Poudre River Trail Corridor, Inc.
^ ^a ^b Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
^ Managed by the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department.

References

^ "Colorado Natural Areas Program, 2018-2020 review, triennal report to Governor Polis" (PDF). Colorado Parks & Wildlife. State of Colorado. n.d. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2022-07-25.

External links

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

[BLMUSFS-1] 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.

[BLM-2] Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.

[USFS-3] ^ ^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 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] Yucca House National Monument remains undeveloped.

[CNHT-7] The California National Historic Trail traverses ten U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California.

[OSNHT-8] The Old Spanish National Historic Trail traverses six U.S. states: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.

[PENHT-9] The Pony Express National Historic Trail traverses eight U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California.

[SFNHT-10] The Santa Fe National Historic Trail traverses five U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

[CDNST-11] The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail traverses five U.S. states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.

[NPS-12] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

[NPSUSFS-13] Jointly managed by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service and the United States Department of Agriculture, National Forest Service.

[USAF-14] Managed by the United States Air Force.

[CPW-15] Managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

[JCOSP-16] Managed by the Jefferson County Open Space Program.

[COW-17] Managed by the City of Westminster, Colorado.

[CSP-18] Managed by Colorado State Parks.

[LC-19] Managed by Lake County, Colorado.

[PRTC-20] Managed by the Poudre River Trail Corridor, Inc.

[FWS-21] Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

[CSPRD-22] Managed by the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department.

[CNAP-23] "Colorado Natural Areas Program, 2018-2020 review, triennal report to Governor Polis" (PDF). Colorado Parks & Wildlife. State of Colorado. n.d. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2022-07-25.

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