The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests cover an area of 1.3 million acres, acres that consist of hills and mountains both.

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site features a reconstruction of a trading post from the early 1800s, one of the few white outposts along the Santa Fe Trail.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of many awe-inspiring canyons carved by the Colorado River system. Here, the Gunnison River has sliced sharply into the rock, leaving behind rugged dark cliffs that give the canyon its name. Unlike the Grand Canyon, Black Canyon is narrow and steep, and at some places visitors can look over an edge for heart-stopping views 2,000 feet straight down.

Curecanti National Recreation Area includes 42,000 acres of beautiful country along the Gunnison River. Panoramic mesas, fjord-like reservoirs, and deep, narrow canyons abound. Blue Mesa Reservoir, with 96 miles of shoreline, is Colorado's largest body of water.

Dinosaur National Monument is two parks in one. It was originally established to protect an area that was one of the most productive sources of dinosaur bones in the world. This area contains an enclosed quarry with some 1,600 exposed bones from 11 different dinosaur species. The park was later expanded to include 300 square miles of great, high desert canyon country through which the Green and Yampa Rivers flow. This area offers wonderful scenery and some good hiking and white water rafting opportunities.

The Florissant Fossil Beds are a visual record of plant and animal life in the Colorado region some 35 million years ago. Several nature trails wander through a pleasant mountain valley sprinkled with petrified sequoia stumps, with views of Pike's Peak to the east.

Great Sand Dunes National Park is home to the tallest sand dunes in the U.S., nestled at the base of the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains in southern Colorado. Over 700 feet high in places, the sweeping dunes are constantly changed by winds coming over the Rockies.

Hovenweep National Monument features some impressive ancient Indian ruins in an very remote area along the Utah/Colorado border.

Mesa Verde National Park showcases some of the best-preserved and largest Anasazi ruins in the country. Several large cliff dwelling communities cut into the side of sandstone cliffs are the main attraction, along with thousands of smaller ruins and spectacular views of the Four Corners region.

These grasslands stretch for nearly 200,000 acres throughout Weld Country and they are both beautiful and full of life.

Rocky Mountain National Park exhibits the massive grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. Throughout its 415 square miles of rock-ribbed wildness, the park truly is a land of superlatives. Here, at least 60 mountains exceed 12,000 feet, topping off at 14,255 feet on the football field-sized summit of Longs Peak.

An unexcavated Ancestral Pueblo structure has been left as found at this tiny National Monument.