State Park Finder
Step into our state parks and uncover centuries of local history and one-of-a-kind geological formations. Stop by a visitor center for hands-on displays, or join a ranger-led walk or talk on wildlife, native plants, geology, and stargazing. Come solo or bring family and friends. Adventure and discovery are waiting just down the trail.
State Park Finder
Step into our state parks and uncover centuries of local history and one-of-a-kind geological formations. Stop by a visitor center for hands-on displays, or join a ranger-led walk or talk on wildlife, native plants, geology, and stargazing. Come solo or bring family and friends. Adventure and discovery are waiting just down the trail.
Parks with Historical and/or Geological Attractions
Eldorado Canyon
Eldorado Canyon State Park is one of the top climbing destinations in the United States, known for its towering golden sandstone cliffs. More than 500 technical routes draw climbers and onlookers from around the world. The canyon is especially noted for multi-pitch, traditionally protected climbs on near-vertical faces rising up to 700 feet. South Boulder Creek carved these cliffs as the Front Range uplifted.
Lake Pueblo
Lake Pueblo State Park’s rich geologic history draws geologists from around the world, and fossils are common throughout. It’s one of North America’s best places to see the Graneros, Greenhorn, Carlile and Niobrara formations, with their volcanic ash beds and fossils. Its remarkably complete rock layers mark the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary, earning international recognition, a prestigious Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point designation, and more than 200 scientific papers.
North Sterling
Outcrops of Brule Siltstone and interbedded sandstone are present at North Sterling State Park, as are fossils of mostly Cretaceous origin. The fossil jawbone of a Brontothere found in the park can be viewed in a large boulder at the Balanced Rock trailhead near an interpretive sign.
Built in the early 1900s, the reservoir serves as an important irrigation facility along the lower South Platte River Valley.
Rifle Falls
Rifle Falls State Park has been a tourist attraction since 1884. In 1910, the town of Rifle built one of Colorado’s first hydroelectric plants here, reshaping the creek’s single wide waterfall into the three falls seen today. East Rifle Creek tumbles over a travertine dam of calcium carbonate, while narrow canyon sections feature overhanging Leadville limestone cliffs, possibly from a collapsed cavern. Visitors can explore smaller caves.
Roxborough
Roxborough State Park is filled with dramatic red-rock formations tilted at a sixty-degree angle, the result of millions of years of uplift and erosion. While visiting, you can also step back to 1903 and tour the historic stone house, Persse Place, and nearby outbuildings, learning about turn-of-the-century life from expert volunteer historians. Open houses are held Saturday mornings, May through October, weather and volunteers permitting. Find events on the Event Calendar.
Yampa River
A 134-mile stretch of the Yampa River is the heart of Yampa River State Park, with 13 access points from Hayden to Dinosaur National Monument near the Utah border. Beginning in the Flat Tops, the river passes volcanic dikes and exposed Precambrian through Quaternary rocks before flowing into a wide alluvial valley where agricultural lands and riparian habitat co-exist.
Featured Issue
Colorado Outdoors Magazine
2026 Annual State Parks Issue — View the contents.
The annual state park issue is full of recreation ideas: Bird watch at Barr Lake, go into the backcountry at State Forest, experience whitewater thrills at Arkansas Headwater.
A great gift
At Home in Nature - The History of Colorado's State Parks
Order online or stop by your favorite park to pick up a copy!
The story of how Colorado's state parks came to be, featuring breathtaking photography and the voices of the staff and stewards of these magnificent public lands. The book delves into the rich history of Colorado's state parks, from their inception to the present day, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the state's natural and cultural heritage.
Colorado's Ultimate Road Trip
Colorado State Parks Passport
Visit a state park or hatchery and ask for your free passport. Ask any state park or hatchery staff to stamp your passport. Collect all 57 (42 parks, 15 hatcheries) stamps and receive a completion prize.