As part of my visit to Durango, Colorado, last year, I got to explore areas in the western and southern parts of the state. I’m a big national parks fan, and I managed to work in visits to Colorado National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, and Great Sand Dunes National Park, spots that showcased the state’s diverse, beautiful terrain.
Colorado National Monument is home to sculpted gorges and craggy, brightly colored rock formations. Rim Rock Drive took me to a number of overlooks that offered some outstanding vistas out over the vast canyons, which reminded me of what I’d seen at Arches and Canyonlands parks in southwestern Utah. The park, which sits just west of Grand Junction, is home to a number of bighorn sheep, although none made an appearance during my visit.
Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Durango, is known for its well-preserved structures that represent life for the native people hundreds of years ago. It was amazing to contemplate how the Ancestral Puebloans built such detailed and intricate structures into the rocky walls under the rim and far above the canyon floor.
Great Sand Dunes National Park in south-central Colorado lives up to its name, as it offers a desert-like oasis, where visitors can frolic among the acres of sandy mounds. I was short on time, so I didn’t get to do any surfing or tobogganing on the soaring dunes. Walking up and down the hilly mounds offered some excellent views, though, and it also reminded me that I wish I was in better shape.
To learn more about Colorado’s national park sites, go to nps.gov/state/co.
Top photo: Colorado National Monument
Photos by Pat Henderson
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