Colorado
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
35110 Highway 194 East
La Junta, CO 81050-9523
(719) 384-2596
Principal outpost of Anglo-American presence on the Southern Plains. A trading center for Indians and a significant fur-trading post on the Santa Fe Trail. Reconstructed adobe fort with rooms furnished in period style, self-guiding tour of the fort, archeological collection, living history interpretation, annual rendezvous re-enactment.
Location: 8 miles east of La Junta and 15 miles west of Las Animas, Colo., on Colo. 194. La Junta served by Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. 68 miles east of Pueblo.
Accommodations: Meals and lodging in La Junta and Los Animas, Colo.
Sheer-walled canyon. Shadowed depths accentuate darkness of ancient rocks of obscure origin. Camping, fishing, hiking, nature trail, scenic overlooks.
Location: 15 miles from Montrose, Colo., on Colo. 347.
Accommodations: Meals and lodging in Montrose.
Deep canyons, towering monoliths, strange rock formations, dinosaur fossils, and remains of a prehistoric Indian culture grace colorful sandstone country. Visitor center. camping, hiking, climbing, scenic overlooks.
Location: The monument is 4 miles west of Grand Junction and 31/2 miles south of Fruita, Colo. on Colo. 340.
Accommodations: Meals and lodging in Grand Junction and Fruita, Colo.
Spectacular canyons cut by Green and Yampa Rivers through upfolded mountains. Quarry contains fossil remains of dinosaurs and other ancient animals. Camping, visitor centers, fishing, backcountry camping, hiking, boat trips, campfire programs, exhibits, world famous display of dinosaur fossils in quarry visitor center.
Location: On Colorado-Utah border 20 miles north of Dinosaur, Colo. All dinosaur fossils and all improved campgrounds are in quarry area 7 miles north of Jensen, Utah.
Accommodations: Meals and lodging in Vernal, Utah, 14 miles.
Treasure of paleontological history preserved by volcanic ash. Among world's richest plant and insect fossils groupings. Also bird and mammal fossils. Nature trail, view of Pike's Peak golden eagles nest in western part old gold mining town of Cripple Creek to the south, self-guiding trails around fossil beds.
Location: The monument is 35 miles southwest of Colorado Springs, Colo., via U.S. 24.
Accommodations: Meals and lodging in Colorado Springs and Woodland Park.
Among nation's largest and highest dunes. Deposited over thousands of years by southwesterly winds blowing through passes of lofty Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Visitor center, exhibits, hiking on the dunes, picnicking. camping, campfire programs in summer, naturalist walks, self-guiding trail.
Location: Follow U.S. 160 east from Alamosa, Colo.. to Colo. 150 and the monument.
Accommodations: Meals and lodging in Alamosa.
Hovenweep National MonumentSix groups of towers, pueblos. and cliff dwellings built by pre-Colombian Indians. Two groups in Utah, four in Colorado. Camping, hiking, Indian ruins.
Location: 45 miles from Cortez, Colo., on Utah-Colorado border. Dirt roads sometimes impassable in bad weather; check locally.
Accommodations: Meals and lodging in Blanding and Bluff in Utah; in Cortez in Colorado.