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National Park Travels Next planned trips: Group 11
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Trip: 10

(Breathtaking scenery and Pueblo history.)

Visited from Aug 15, 2023 to Aug 28, 2023

(Group 22)

I visited Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado multiple times in the past, and visited a few parks across southern Colorado in 2006. This trip took me through central Colorado and into Utah, ultimately challenging my long-held belief that the Blue Ridge mountains were America's most scenic.

I had great weather as I started the trip in Rocky Mountain, as scenic (and crowded) as usual. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument gave me a short geological and evolutionary history of the area, with an interesting museum of fossils found there. Heading west, I passed along the shore of a manmade lake in Curecanti NRA. The staff member on duty clued me in to a ranger presentation at my next stop - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

The presentation covered the geological history of the canyon and surrounding area. The canyon itself was fascinating and scenic - a hint of what was to come.

Colorado National Monument explained the geology of the uplifted Colorado Plateau on which it sat, along with providing tremendous views. That afternoon, I visited Arches National Park, famed for its red rocks and natural arches and high temperatures (reaching 102F on my visit).

The treat of the trip was Canyonlands National Park. As I stood at the Grandview Overlook, I experienced a "Wow" factor only ever exceeded by Grand Canyon. Fantastic views at every stop. Later that day, at Rainbow Bridges National Monument, I learned the difference between a bridge and arch.

The next several parks protected ancient Pueblo ruins. Yucca House is the least developed - well, not developed at all! Mesa Verde National Park features buildings carved into the sides of cliffs. Hovenweep has several ruins along the edge of a deep ravine, and Aztec Ruins has a full Pueblo village (not Aztec - the area was misnamed by Spanish explorers).

Heading east across southern Colorado, I stopped at Great Sand Dunes National Park (and Preserve) and the trading post at Bent's Old Fort NHS (and there is a Bent's new fort but it is a state park).

The trip ended with two sites that recall black marks on U.S. history. Amache NHS was the site of a concentration camp housing American citizens held without due process during WWII. Sand Creek Massacre NHS recalls the slaughter of peacefully camped Cheyenne and Arapaho people by a rogue Army colonel.

In summary, a great trip where I learned quite a lot and enjoyed some amazing scenery.

Park units visited during this trip

Click on any of the parks listed below to see the page specific to that park.

The park page will have my comments about the site, photos and links to both the NPS official page and my blog entry for the park.

The interactive map in the top right of this page shows the location of each unit. You can zoom in and move around on the map. The rectangle icon in the top right will expand the map to full screen. Clicking on any unit in the map will open a small information window. The map and icons on it are based on the same information found in the Google Earth KML files, which you can create and download from the Home page.

Other parks visited during this trip

The places listed below are not part of the National Park Service's official 431 sites, but were visited during this trip.
Click on a line to see more information about that park along with a link to the park's official web page.

Group Photo
(Curecanti National Recreation Area)

©2023 SKM All text and photos not otherwise credited