List of protected areas of Colorado

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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A map showing the location of the U.S. State of Colorado.
The location of the State of Colorado in the United States of America.

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

Federal lands[edit]

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

National Park System[edit]

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[edit]

The four National Parks within Colorado are:

National Monuments[edit]

The Great Kiva in Chimney Rock National Monument.
Colorado National Monument.
Steamboat Rock in Dinosaur National Monument.

The nine National Monuments in Colorado are:

Two former National Monuments were elevated to National Park:

Two former National Monuments were abolished due to their remoteness:

National Historic Sites[edit]

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[edit]

The Dillon Pinnacles in Curecanti National Recreation Area.

The two National Recreation Areas within Colorado are::

National Historic Trails[edit]

Spanish Peaks as seen from the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.

The four National Historic Trails that pass through Colorado are:

National Scenic Trail[edit]

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[edit]

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.

National Grasslands[edit]

Picketwire Canyon in Comanche National Grassland.

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

National Wildernesses[edit]

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[edit]

The Dominguez–Escalante NCA.

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

National Wildlife Refuges[edit]

The Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge.

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

Federally designated areas[edit]

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[edit]

The South Fork South Platte River in the South Park National Heritage Area.

The three National Heritage Areas in Colorado are:

National Historic Landmarks[edit]

The Colorado Chautauqua Auditorium.
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[edit]

The Garden of the Gods.
Hanging Lake .

The 16 National Natural Landmarks in Colorado are:

National Recreation Trails[edit]

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[edit]

The Royal Gorge Bridge.

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

Wild and Scenic River[edit]

The Cache la Poudre Wild and Scenic River.

The Wild and Scenic River in Colorado is:

Areas of Critical Environmental Concern[edit]

The Blanca Wetlands ACEC.

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

State lands[edit]

Colorado State Parks[edit]

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 43 Colorado State Parks.

Colorado Wildlife Areas[edit]

DeWeese Reservoir State Wildlife Area.

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

State designated areas[edit]

Colorado Natural Areas[edit]

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 Mount Goliath Natural Area.
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 95 Colorado Natural Areas.[1]

Regional trails[edit]

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.

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.

Bicycle routes[edit]

Hoosier Pass on the TransAmerica Trail Bicycle Route.

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

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ 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. ^ a b c Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
  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.
  7. ^ The California National Historic Trail traverses ten U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California.
  8. ^ The Old Spanish National Historic Trail traverses six U.S. states: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.
  9. ^ The Pony Express National Historic Trail traverses eight U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California.
  10. ^ The Santa Fe National Historic Trail traverses five U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
  11. ^ The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail traverses five U.S. states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
  13. ^ Jointly managed by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service and the United States Department of Agriculture, National Forest Service.
  14. ^ Managed by the United States Air Force.
  15. ^ a b Managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
  16. ^ Managed by the Jefferson County Open Space Program.
  17. ^ Managed by the City of Westminster, Colorado.
  18. ^ a b Managed by Colorado State Parks.
  19. ^ Managed by Lake County, Colorado.
  20. ^ Managed by the Poudre River Trail Corridor, Inc.
  21. ^ a b Managed by the United States Department of the Interior, United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
  22. ^ Managed by the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "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[edit]


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