Here are seven of Colorado's top national parks and monuments to visit while you're there, whether you're organizing a road trip through the state or looking for things to do on a week-long vacation.
In Colorado's most well-known national park, moose graze in lush valleys, elk leap across raging streams, and trails wind up craggy peaks and descend into lake-filled glacial basins.
Rocky Mountain National Park
One of the less well-known national parks in the country is the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. However, for those who take the time to travel here, it's a breathtaking sight.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
The Gunnison River carved a canyon so deep that, at its narrowest point, sunlight only reaches the bottom for half an hour each day by slicing through marbled rock walls.
Similar to those who lived in Canyon de Chelly and other Arizona sites, the ancient Puebloans of Mesa Verde carved their homes into the protective shadow of cliffs, building elaborate, multi-level communities above the canyon floor.
Mesa Verde National Park
Most visitors are shocked to learn that there are more archaeological sites in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument than in any other park in the nation, even though it is only 12 miles from Mesa Verde.
Dinosaur National Monument, which straddles the border between Colorado and Utah, is the place to go if you've ever wanted to see—and possibly even touch—huge dinosaur bones sticking out of the rock where they were discovered.
Browns Canyon, which was established in 2015, is best known for its whitewater rafting opportunities on the Arkansas River, which roars through Class IV and Class V rapids with names like Pinball and Seidel's Suckhole.
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