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COLORADO NATIONAL PARKS
Colorado is the northeast of Grand Canyon and is home to some unique national parks, not to mention a state that is known around the world for its nature and outdoor recreation.
COLORADO NATIONAL PARKS
Mesa Verde National Park
Don't let the 290-mile distance to Mesa Verde National Park from Grand Canyon National Park talk you out of a visit. Mesa Verde is a spectacular treasure that is well worth the side trip.
Mesa Verde, Spanish for "green table," offers a rare glance into the lives of Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A. D. 600 to A. D. 1300.
Talk about taking a step back into history… Today the national park protects more than 4,000 archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These are some of the most notable and best preserved in the entire U. S.
Plan four hours, at minimum, to experience Mesa Verde. Half of this time will be spent driving into and out of the national park. After driving 15 miles into the park entrance is Far View Visitor Center, your first stop. Here, you'll explore Cliff Palace, Balcony House, or Long House. (NOTE: You'll need to purchase tickets, at $3.50 per person, to enjoy the ranger-guided cliff dwelling tours.
Cliff House is the largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde. Take the one-hour, ranger-guided tour that starts about eight miles from the Visitor Center. It's short; only one-quarter of a mile roundtrip. You'll climb ladders and feel immersed in the historic Pueblo people culture while exploring Cliff Palace. Balcony House beckons the more adventurous visitors! It is another one-hour, ranger-guided tour that involves climbing a 32-foot ladder, crawling through a 12-foot-long tunnel and climbing up a 60-foot open rock face with two 10-foot ladders to exit the site. This starts 10 miles from the Visitor Center. Finally, Long House offers the most in-depth tour. Starting with a tram ride to and from the trailhead, this 90-minute, ranger-guided adventure involves climbing two 15-foot ladders within the site. The roundtrip hike is three-quarters of a mile. This tour begins at the Wetherill Mesa information kiosk, a 12-mile drive from the Visitor Center.
To get to this national park, from Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim, travel Highway 64 for 53 miles, to Highway 89, at which point, head north for about 15 miles, before taking a right on Navajo Trail U. S. Highway 160 for 210 miles before taking a right on Ruins Road.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Okay, at 440 miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, this is quite a distance from Grand Canyon National Park. But if you're traveling from the Midwest or North to Grand Canyon, stopping at Colorado's Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is definitely worthwhile.
After all you're on a "canyon vacation," and Colorado's Black Canyon is a stunning sight!
In fact, no other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. In one place, the canyon is only 40 feet wide! This natural spectacle was formed slowly by the action of water and rock scouring down through hard Proterozoic crystalline rock. The Black Canyon extends almost 50 miles, 12 of which are in the national park. Painted Wall, a cliff on the north side of the canyon that is 2,250 feet tall, making it the tallest sheer cliff in all of Colorado.
To get to this national park, from Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim, travel Highway 64 for 53 miles, to Highway 89, at which point, head north for about 15 miles, before taking a right on Navajo Trail U. S. Highway 160 to Durango, CO., then head north on Highway 550 to Montrose, at which point you'll continue to Colorado Hwy 347.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
This is another stretch and may not make sense to include on your Grand Canyon vacation itinerary given it's 482 miles away – certainly a long day on the road. But for people with a lot of time to explore or who are traveling from the Midwest or North of Grand Canyon to visit, it's a worthwhile stop.
For starters, explore the tallest sand dunes in North America. Visitors to Great Sand Dunes National Park will take in sights of alpine tundra, forests, massive dunes, grasslands, and wetlands. Contrary to what many might think, water is the lifeblood of the Great Sand Dunes system. Because the dunes and surrounding mountains are designated wilderness, this is a great place to enjoy unspoiled natural beauty in a variety of ways. Whether you play in Medano Creek, build a sand castle, slide down the dunes, go birdwatching in wetlands, or ascend a 13,000' peak, you will discover plenty of kinds of outdoor recreation for all ages.
For the most memorable experience, head to the Visitor Center, and then explore any part of the 30-square-mile dunefield you wish; there are no designated trails in the sand. In summer months, plan to hike the dunes in morning or evening to avoid hot sand.
To get to this national park, from Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim, travel Highway 64 for 53 miles, to Highway 89, at which point, head north for about 15 miles, before taking a right on Navajo Trail U. S. Highway for about 410 miles.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Not to be out-done by the aforementioned outlying Colorado national parks, Rocky Mountain National Park is a whopping 730 miles away. So this national park is recommended only to those who are flying into Denver to start a Western U. S. vacation, or who are traveling by car from the Midwest or the North. Only one to one-and-a-half hours north of Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park's gateway is Estes Park, CO., a destination in its own right.
Rocky Mountain National Park is awe-striking. There's no other way to describe it. More than 60 mountains stand taller than 12,000 feet, topping off at 14,259 feet on the football field-sized summit of Longs Peak. Names such as Cirrus, Chiefs Head, Isolation, Mummy, and Storm evoke the grandeur of this high landscape.
Although the great peaks comprise the essence of the park, the delicate alpine flowers, clear lakes, rushing mountain waters, and impressive forests appeal to all the senses. An array of wildlife - bighorn sheep, ptarmigan, coyote, elk - adds life to the landscape.
The wide variety of elevations and habitats create a choice of activities for visitors. From scenic drives and short strolls along a gentle trail to more ambitious daylong hikes to vertical mountain climbs, Rocky Mountain National Park offers many ways to experience nature in all of its splendor.
Tour Rocky Mountain National Park via the Trail Ridge Road. This is not for the faint of heart. (BTW, the author of this article knows someone who had an anxiety attack while driving this road. It was so "high" and exposed, he had to pull over several times to get his bearings!) That said, the sights one is provided while traveling this 48-mile drive between Estes Park, CO and the national park's east side, the Trail Ridge Road is something to behold. Reaching 12,180 feet in elevation, driving this road provides truly a birds eye view of Mother Nature at her most rugged, including eleven miles of the above treeline.
Rocky Mountain National Park is a phenomenal natural wonder and national park. If you don't catch it on your Grand Canyon itinerary, be sure to visit it sometime in your future.
To get to this national park, head northwest of Denver approximately 65 miles to Estes Park, CO. (Denver is about 680 miles southwest of Denver)
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