List of protected areas of Colorado

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 BlackCanyonInner.jpg|Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Dunes at sunset along the southern edge of the dune field in Great Sand Dunes National Park. NPS-Debra Miller (18659276586).jpg|Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Mesa verde cliff palace close.jpg|The Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park. Fall05-LongsPeakCU JPG RSZ md.jpg|Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. National Monuments . . . The nine National Monuments in Colorado are: • Browns Canyon National Monument 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 near Dolores (June 9, 2000, Clinton) • Chimney Rock National Monument near Pagosa Springs (September 21, 2012, Obama) • Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction and Fruita (May 24, 1911, Taft) • Dinosaur National Monument 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 near Cortez (March 2, 1923, Harding) • Yucca House National Monument 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 near Minturn (May 11, 1929, Hoover, abolished August 3, 1950) • Wheeler National Monument near Creede (December 7, 1908, T. Roosevelt, abolished August 3, 1950) National Historic Sites on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. The three National Historic Sites within Colorado are: • Amache National Historic Site near Granada • Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site near La Junta • Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site near Chivington National Recreation Areas . The two National Recreation Areas within Colorado are: • Arapaho National Recreation Area near Granby • Curecanti National Recreation Area near Gunnison National Historic Trails as seen from the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. The four National Historic Trails that pass through Colorado are: • California National Historic Trail through Sedgwick County • Old Spanish National Historic Trail through southwestern Colorado • Pony Express National Historic Trail through Sedgwick County • Santa Fe National Historic Trail through southeastern Colorado National Scenic Trail 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: • Continental Divide National Scenic Trail along the Continental Divide of the Americas National Forests in red and the 2 National Grasslands in light green in the San Isabel National Forest. The United States Forest Service manages the 11 National Forests within Colorado. • Arapaho National Forest • Grand Mesa National Forest • Gunnison National Forest • Pike National Forest • Rio Grande National Forest • Roosevelt National Forest • Routt National Forest • San Isabel National Forest • San Juan National Forest • Uncompahgre National Forest • White River National Forest National Grasslands . The United States Forest Service manages the two National Grasslands within Colorado. • Comanche National Grassland – southeastern Colorado • Pawnee National Grassland – northeastern Colorado National Wildernesses in red . . . . 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. • Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness • Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness • Buffalo Peaks Wilderness • Byers Peak Wilderness • Cache La Poudre Wilderness • Collegiate Peaks Wilderness • Comanche Peak Wilderness • Dominguez Canyon Wilderness • Eagles Nest Wilderness • Flat Tops Wilderness • Fossil Ridge Wilderness • Great Sand Dunes Wilderness • Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness • Gunnison Gorge Wilderness • Hermosa Creek Wilderness • Holy Cross Wilderness • Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness • Indian Peaks Wilderness • James Peak Wilderness • La Garita Wilderness • Lizard Head Wilderness • Lost Creek Wilderness • Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness • Mesa Verde Wilderness • Mount Evans Wilderness • Mount Massive Wilderness • Mount Sneffels Wilderness • Mount Zirkel Wilderness • Neota Wilderness • Never Summer Wilderness • Platte River Wilderness • Powderhorn Wilderness • Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness • Raggeds Wilderness • Rawah Wilderness • Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness • Sangre de Cristo Wilderness • Sarvis Creek Wilderness • South San Juan Wilderness • Spanish Peaks Wilderness • Uncompahgre Wilderness • Vasquez Peak Wilderness • Weminuche Wilderness • West Elk Wilderness National Conservation Areas . The Bureau of Land Management manages the three National Conservation Areas within Colorado. • Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area • Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area • McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area National Wildlife Refuges . The United States Fish and Wildlife Service manages the eight National Wildlife Refuges within Colorado. • Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge • Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge • Baca National Wildlife Refuge • Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge • Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge • Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge • Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge • Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge ==Federally designated areas==