List of national natural landmarks in Colorado

This is a list of National Natural Landmarks in the U.S. state of Colorado.

There are 16 National Natural Landmarks in Colorado, one of which extends into Wyoming. They cover areas of geological, biological and historical importance, and include lakes, mountains, rock formations and numerous fossil sites. The landmarks are located in 14 of the state's 64 counties. Four counties each contain all or part of two NNLs, while two landmarks are split between two counties. The first two designations, Slumgullion Earthflow and Summit Lake, were made in 1965, while the most recent designation, Sulphur Cave and Spring, was made in 2021.^[1]^[2]^[3] Natural Landmarks in Colorado range from 60 to 380,000 acres (24.3 to 153,780.5 ha; 0.1 to 593.8 sq mi) in size. Owners include private individuals and several municipal, state and federal agencies.^[4]

The National Natural Landmarks Program is administered by the National Park Service, a branch of the Department of the Interior. The National Park Service determines which properties meet NNL criteria and, after notifying the owners, makes nomination recommendations. The Secretary of the Interior reviews nominations and, based on a set of predetermined criteria, makes a decision on NNL designation or a determination of eligibility for designation. Both public and privately owned properties can be designated as NNLs. Owners may object to the nomination of the property as a NNL.^[5] This designation provides indirect, partial protection of the historic integrity of the properties via tax incentives, grants, monitoring of threats, and other means.^[6]

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National Natural Landmarks

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Big Spring Creek

Garden Park Fossil Area

Garden of the Gods

Hanging Lake

Indian Springs Trace Fossil Site

Lost Creek Scenic Area

Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas

Raton Mesa

Roxborough Park

Russell Lakes

Sand Creek

Slumgullion Earthflow

Spanish Peaks

Sulphur Cave and Spring

Summit Lake

West Bijou Site

Colorado National Natural Landmarks (clickable map)

#	Name	Year	Location	County	Ownership	Description
1	Big Spring Creek	2012	37°46′00″N 105°37′30″W / 37.7666667°N 105.6250000°W / 37.7666667; -105.6250000 (Big Spring Creek)	Saguache	Federal	Unique spring-fed creek fed by an unconfined aquifer, creating a rare animal- and plant-supporting wetlands in a generally arid area. Part of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.^[7]
2	Garden of the Gods	1971	38°52′04″N 104°53′28″W / 38.8677690°N 104.8910877°W / 38.8677690; -104.8910877 (Garden of the Gods)	El Paso	Municipal	The site showcases the lithologic character of sedimentary rocks, as well as providing a habitat for North American honey ants and excellent viewing opportunities for several bird species.^[8]
3	Garden Park Fossil Area	1973	38°32′06″N 105°13′18″W / 38.5349959°N 105.2216545°W / 38.5349959; -105.2216545 (Garden Park Fossil Area)	Fremont	Federal	Internationally recognized paleontological site renowned for finds of dinosaur, fish, crocodile, turtle and mammal fossils. Located on Bureau of Land Management land.^[9]
4	Hanging Lake	2011	39°36′05″N 107°11′30″W / 39.6013883°N 107.1917138°W / 39.6013883; -107.1917138 (Hanging Lake)	Garfield	Federal	Travertine deposition-formed lake with substantial hanging garden plant life and minimal human alteration, unique in the region. A part of White River National Forest.^[10]
5	Indian Springs Trace Fossil Site	1979	38°22′03″N 105°29′07″W / 38.3674977°N 105.4852759°W / 38.3674977; -105.4852759 (Indian Springs Trace Fossil)	Fremont	Private	Best North American location for animal trace fossils from the Ordovician period.^[11]
6	Lost Creek Scenic Area	1966	39°16′07″N 105°28′05″W / 39.268611°N 105.468056°W / 39.268611; -105.468056 (Lost Creek Scenic Area)	Park, Jefferson	Federal	Located in Pike National Forest, with extensive rock formations, including gorges, ridges and spires, and stream channels that meander between above- and under-ground.
7	Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas	1973	39°40′52″N 105°11′33″W / 39.68100°N 105.19238°W / 39.68100; -105.19238 (Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas)	Jefferson	County, private	Site of major paleontological importance, unique for fossil footprints of reptiles, birds, and mammals. The site was expanded in 2011 to include the 19-acre (7.69 ha; 0.03 sq mi) Parfet Prehistoric Preserve in the city of Golden.^[12]
8	Raton Mesa	1967	37°05′52″N 104°27′46″W / 37.0978686°N 104.4627319°W / 37.0978686; -104.4627319 (Fishers Peak)	Las Animas	State, private	Protected by a thick lava cap, Raton Mesa has resisted the extensive erosion and weathering that has affected surrounding areas, providing an extreme contrast in geography.
9	Roxborough State Park	1980	39°25′45″N 105°04′06″E / 39.42907°N 105.06841°E / 39.42907; 105.06841 (Roxborough Park)	Douglas	State	Site showcases typical Colorado Front Range sedimentary strata, as well as erosion of Fountain Formation sandstone in unusual patterns, extensive fossil remains and unusual plant populations.
10	Russell Lakes	1975	37°56′41″N 106°07′12″W / 37.9448092°N 106.1199637°W / 37.9448092; -106.1199637 (Russell Lakes)	Saguache	Federal, private	Colorado's largest remaining bulrush marsh, now rare in the southern Rocky Mountains. Provides habitat for extensive flora and fauna, especially waterfowl.
11	Sand Creek	1984	40°59′45″N 105°46′05″W / 40.9957404°N 105.7681064°W / 40.9957404; -105.7681064 (Chimney Rock)	Larimer	Federal, state, private	Shared with Wyoming, the site is one of North America's most impressive occurrences of cross-bedded sandstone and "topple blocks". Also a site of paleontological and biological significance.
12	Slumgullion Earthflow	1965	37°59′55″N 107°14′42″W / 37.9986086°N 107.2450542°W / 37.9986086; -107.2450542 (Slumgullion Earthflow)	Hinsdale	Federal, private	A major example of the geologic process of mass wasting, a large flow of volcanic rock traveled from mountainside to valley to form Lake San Cristobal. The same process is occurring again, slowly covering the existing flow. Located on Bureau of Land Management land.
13	Spanish Peaks	1976	37°22′32″N 104°59′37″W / 37.3756661°N 104.9936861°W / 37.3756661; -104.9936861 (West Spanish Peak)	Huerfano, Las Animas	Federal, private	Located in San Isabel National Forest, the site is an exceptional illustration of over 500 igneous dikes, many exposed, formed when molten igneous rock is forced into a fault before hardening.
14	Sulphur Cave and Spring	2021	40°29′01″N 106°50′24″W / 40.4836973°N 106.8401306°W / 40.4836973; -106.8401306 (Sulphur Cave and Spring)	Routt	Municipal	Located in the Howelsen Hill Ski Area of Steamboat Springs, the site is a superb example of bacterially-mediated sulfuric acid speleogenesis. The cave contains many uncommon cave features, such as biovermiculations and snottites.
15	Summit Lake	1965	39°35′54″N 105°38′40″W / 39.5983532°N 105.6443243°W / 39.5983532; -105.6443243 (Summit Lake)	Clear Creek	Municipal	At almost 13,000 feet (4,000 m), the site contains an excellent example of alpine tundra in the contiguous US. Some of the plants that survive in this microclimate are usually found only in the Arctic Circle.
16	West Bijou Site	2016	39°40′52″N 104°44′09″W / 39.68100°N 104.73588°W / 39.68100; -104.73588 (West Bijou Site)	Arapahoe	Private	Part of the Plains Conservation Center, the site contains fossil and mineral evidence detailing the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, the Earth's most recent mass extinction event.^[2]

References

General

"National Registry of Natural Landmarks" (PDF). National Park Service. June 2009. pp. Introduction, 15–17. Retrieved 2014-01-06.

Specific

^ "National Registry of Natural Landmarks" (PDF). National Park Service. June 2009. pp. Introduction, 15–17. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
^ ^a ^b "Interior Secretary Jewell Designates New National Natural Landmark" (PDF). National Park Service. November 17, 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
^ "High Plateaus, Smelly Caverns, and Coastal Dunes, Meet the Nation's Newest Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
^ "Colorado". National Park Service. June 28, 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
^ "36 CFR Part 62: National Natural Landmarks Program, Final Rule" (PDF). Federal Register. May 12, 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-17. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
^ "Frequently Asked Questions". National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
^ "Big Spring Creek". National Park Service. June 28, 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
^ "Garden of the Gods". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
^ "Spring 2013 Buds Two New NNLs and Expands an Existing Site". National Park Service. June 10, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
^ "Hanging Lake". National Park Service. June 28, 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
^ "Indian Springs Trace Fossil Site". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
^ "Secretary Salazar Designates New National Natural Landmarks". National Park Service. June 15, 2011. Retrieved 2014-01-07.

External links

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Protected areas of Colorado

Federal

4 National Parks	Black Canyon of the Gunnison Great Sand Dunes Mesa Verde Rocky Mountain
9 National Monuments	Browns Canyon (BLM-USFS) Camp Hale-Continental Divide (USFS) Canyons of the Ancients (BLM) Chimney Rock (USFS) Colorado Dinosaur Florissant Fossil Beds Hovenweep Yucca House
3 National Historic Sites	Amache Bent's Old Fort Sand Creek Massacre
2 National Recreation Areas	Arapaho (USFS) Curecanti
1 Wild and Scenic River	Cache la Poudre River
4 National Historic Trails	California Trail Old Spanish Trail Pony Express Trail Santa Fe Trail
1 National Scenic Trail	Continental Divide Trail
11 National Forests	Arapaho Grand Mesa Gunnison Medicine Bow–Routt Pike Rio Grande Roosevelt San Isabel San Juan Uncompahgre White River
2 National Grasslands	Comanche Pawnee
44 National Wildernesses	Black Canyon of the Gunnison Black Ridge Canyons Buffalo Peaks Byers Peak Cache La Poudre Collegiate Peaks Comanche Peak Dominguez Canyon Eagles Nest Flat Tops Fossil Ridge Great Sand Dunes Greenhorn Mountain Gunnison Gorge Hermosa Creek Holy Cross Hunter–Fryingpan Indian Peaks James Peak La Garita Lizard Head Lost Creek Maroon Bells-Snowmass Mesa Verde Mount Evans Mount Massive Mount Sneffels Mount Zirkel Neota Never Summer Platte River Powderhorn Ptarmigan Peak Raggeds Rawah Rocky Mountain National Park Sangre de Cristo Sarvis Creek South San Juan Spanish Peaks Uncompahgre Vasquez Peak Weminuche West Elk
3 National Conservation Areas	Dominguez–Escalante Gunnison Gorge McInnis Canyons
8 National Wildlife Refuges	Alamosa Arapaho Baca Browns Park Monte Vista Rocky Flats Rocky Mountain Arsenal Two Ponds
3 National Heritage Areas	Cache la Poudre River Corridor Sangre de Cristo South Park
28 National Historic Landmarks	Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Bent's Old Fort Central City/Black Hawk Historic District Colorado Chautauqua Cripple Creek Historic District Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad Denver Civic Center Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Elitch Gardens Carousel Georgetown–Silver Plume Historic District Granada War Relocation Center Leadville Historic District Lindenmeier site Lowry Pueblo Ludlow Tent Colony Site Mesa Verde Administrative District Minnequa Steel Works Pikes Peak Pike's Stockade Raton Pass Red Rocks Park Shenandoah-Dives Mill Silverton Historic District Telluride Historic District Temple Aaron Trujillo Homesteads United States Air Force Academy, Cadet Area Winks Panorama
16 National Natural Landmarks	Big Spring Creek Garden of the Gods Garden Park Fossil Area Hanging Lake Indian Springs Trace Fossil Natural Area Lost Creek Scenic Area Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas Raton Mesa Roxborough Russell Lakes Sand Creek Slumgullion Earthflow Spanish Peaks Sulphur Cave and Spring Summit Lake West Bijou Site
National Register of Historic Places	National Register of Historic Places listings in Colorado

State

43 State Parks	Arkansas Headwaters Barr Lake Boyd Lake Castlewood Canyon Chatfield Cherry Creek Cheyenne Mountain Crawford Eldorado Canyon Eleven Mile Elkhead Fishers Peak Golden Gate Canyon Harvey Gap Highline Lake Jackson Lake James M. Robb - Colorado River John Martin Reservoir Lake Pueblo Lathrop Lone Mesa Lory Mancos Mueller Navajo North Sterling Paonia Pearl Lake Ridgway Rifle Falls Rifle Gap Roxborough Spinney Mountain St. Vrain Stagecoach State Forest Staunton Steamboat Lake Sweetwater Lake Sweitzer Lake Sylvan Lake Trinidad Lake Vega Yampa River
1 State Forest	State Forest
307 State Wildlife Areas	List of Colorado state wildlife areas
96 State Natural Areas	Aiken Canyon Antero-Salt Creek Arikaree River Badger Wash Blacks Gulch Blue Mountain-Little Thompson Fault Bonny Prairie Boulder Mountain Park Brush Creek Fen California Park Castlewood Canyon Chalk Bluffs Coal Creek Tallgrass Prairie Colorado Tallgrass Prairie Comanche Grassland Copeland Willow Carr Corral Bluffs Cross Mountain Canyon Dakota Hogback Deer Gulch Dome Rock Droney Gulch Duck Creek Dudley Bluffs East Lost Park East Sand Dunes Elephant Rocks Escalante Canyon Fairview Fourmile Creek Fruita Paleontological Garden Park Fossil Gateway Palisade Geneva Basin Iron Fens Gothic Gunnison Gravels Haviland Lake High Creek Fen High Mesa Grassland Hoosier Ridge Hurricane Canyon Indian Spring Indian Springs Trace Fossil Irish Canyon Jimmy Creek Ken-Caryl Ranch Kremmling Cretaceous Ammonite Limestone Ridge Lookout Mountain Lower Greasewood Creek McElmo Mexican Cut Mini-Wheeler Miramonte Reservoir Mishak Lakes Mount Callahan & Logan Wash Mine Mount Emmons Iron Bog Mount Goliath Narraguinnep Needle Rock North Park Phacelia Orient Mine Owl Canyon Pagosa Skyrocket Paradise Park Park Creek Hogback Pyramid Rock Rabbit Valley Rajadero Canyon Raven Ridge Redcloud Peak Rough Canyon Roxborough Ryan Gulch Saddle Mountain San Miguel River Sand Creek Shell Duck Creek Shell Rock Slumgullion Earthflow South Beaver Creek South Boulder Creek South Cathedral Bluffs Specimen Mountain Staunton Tamarack Ranch Treasurevault Mountain Trinidad K-T Boundary Two Buttes Unaweep Seep Wacker Ranch West Creek Wheeler Geologic White Rocks Yanks Gulch/Upper Greasewood Creek Natural Area Zapata Falls
26 Scenic and Historic Byways	Alpine Loop Cache la Poudre-North Park Collegiate Peaks Colorado River Headwaters Dinosaur Diamond Flat Tops Trail Frontier Pathways Gold Belt Tour Grand Mesa Guanella Pass Highway of Legends Lariat Loop Los Caminos Antiguos Mount Evans Pawnee Pioneer Trails Peak to Peak San Juan Skyway Santa Fe Trail Silver Thread South Platte River Trail Top of the Rockies Tracks Across Borders Trail of the Ancients Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow Unaweep Tabeguache West Elk Loop