Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2008 - (Page 26) Road Trips and Natural Attractions Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve ©T. “Haji” Mahmood/Classic Visions Photography National Parks Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Home to: Badgers, bobcats, peregrine falcon, blue grouse, golden eagles, canyon wren Number of campsites: South Rim, 88; North Rim, 13 Directions: South Rim: From Montrose, travel 15 miles east on U.S. Hwy. 50; North Rim: From Crawford, travel 11 miles south on CO Hwy. 92 to the unpaved North Rim Road. Contact: 970-641-2337, www.nps.gov/blca Miles of trails: 19.5 ©Denise Chambers/Weaver Colorado’s four national parks encompass some of the most outstanding natural and cultural attractions in North America. ✽ Be captivated by the mysteries of nature and indulge your hunger for history by visiting and camping at these national treasures. Home to: Mountain lion, porcupine, coyote, red and gray fox, northern saw-whet owl Number of campsites: 435 Directions: From Cortez, travel east on U.S. Hwy. 160. From Durango, travel west on U.S. Hwy. 160. Contact: 970-529-4465, www.nps.gov/meve Grab tight to the railing and look down the mouth of a canyon whose deepest point is a skyscraper-swallowing 2,722 feet. Trails along the rims are well kept, while those below the rim plunge into a raw and serene wilderness area. Take the winding East Portal Road for river access and a sublime setting for trout fishing. Miles of trails: 17.5 (rim trails), 9.5 (established inner-canyon trails) Mesa Verde National Park The Ancestral Puebloans — formerly referred to as the Anasazi — once thrived here, gathering water from seep springs and food from the valley floors found hundreds of feet below their cliff dwelling homes. In winter, watch a light snow dust the dwellings, or observe the shadows of a summer day seep into windows and across the centuries-old facades. Like the Pyramids of Giza and Machu Picchu, Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ©Scott S. Warren/Aurora Photos 26 1-800-Colorado | www.colorado.com http://www.nps.gov/meve http://www.nps.gov/blca http://www.colorado.com
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