List of national natural landmarks in Colorado facts for kids

A map of the USA with the State of Colorado highlighted.

Colorado is home to many amazing natural places! These special spots are called National Natural Landmarks. They are like nature's treasures, showing off important parts of Earth's history, plants, and animals.

There are 16 National Natural Landmarks in Colorado. One of them even stretches into Wyoming. These landmarks protect cool things like lakes, mountains, unique rock formations, and many places where fossils have been found. They are located in 14 of Colorado's 64 counties.

The first two landmarks, Slumgullion Earthflow and Summit Lake, were named in 1965. The newest one, Sulphur Cave and Spring, was added in 2021. These natural landmarks vary a lot in size, from small areas to very large ones. They are owned by different groups, including private people, cities, the state, and the federal government.

The National Natural Landmarks Program is run by the National Park Service. This group decides which places are special enough to become landmarks. They work with the owners and then recommend places to the Secretary of the Interior. Being a landmark helps protect these places, sometimes through tax benefits or grants.

Cool Natural Places in Colorado

#	Name	Picture	Year Named	Location	County	Who Owns It	What Makes It Special
1	Big Spring Creek		2012	37°46′00″N 105°37′30″W / 37.7666667°N 105.6250000°W / 37.7666667; -105.6250000 (Big Spring Creek)	Saguache	Federal	This creek is fed by a special underground water source. It creates a rare wetland area in a mostly dry region, supporting many plants and animals. It's part of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
2	Garden of the Gods		1971	38°52′04″N 104°53′28″W / 38.8677690°N 104.8910877°W / 38.8677690; -104.8910877 (Garden of the Gods)	El Paso	City	This site shows off amazing sedimentary rocks. It's also home to North American honey ants and a great place to watch different bird species.
3	Garden Park Fossil Area		1973	38°32′06″N 105°13′18″W / 38.5349959°N 105.2216545°W / 38.5349959; -105.2216545 (Garden Park Fossil Area)	Fremont	Federal	This place is famous around the world for its fossil finds. Scientists have found dinosaur, fish, crocodile, turtle, and mammal fossils here. It's on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
4	Hanging Lake		2011	39°36′05″N 107°11′30″W / 39.6013883°N 107.1917138°W / 39.6013883; -107.1917138 (Hanging Lake)	Garfield	Federal	This unique lake was formed by Travertine deposits. It has beautiful hanging garden plants and has been changed very little by humans. It's part of White River National Forest.
5	Indian Springs Trace Fossil Site		1979	38°22′03″N 105°29′07″W / 38.3674977°N 105.4852759°W / 38.3674977; -105.4852759 (Indian Springs Trace Fossil)	Fremont	Private	This is the best place in North America to find trace fossils from the Ordovician period. Trace fossils are signs of ancient life, like footprints or burrows, not the actual animal.
6	Lost Creek Scenic Area		1966	39°16′07″N 105°28′05″W / 39.268611°N 105.468056°W / 39.268611; -105.468056 (Lost Creek Scenic Area)	Park, Jefferson	Federal	Located in Pike National Forest, this area has amazing rock formations. You can see gorges, ridges, and spires, plus streams that flow both above and below ground.
7	Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas		1973	39°40′52″N 105°11′33″W / 39.68100°N 105.19238°W / 39.68100; -105.19238 (Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas)	Jefferson	County, private	This site is very important for fossil discoveries. It's special because of the fossil footprints of ancient reptiles, birds, and mammals found here.
8	Raton Mesa		1967	37°05′52″N 104°27′46″W / 37.0978686°N 104.4627319°W / 37.0978686; -104.4627319 (Fishers Peak)	Las Animas	State, private	Raton Mesa has a thick layer of lava on top that has protected it from erosion. This makes it look very different from the areas around it.
9	Roxborough State Park		1980	39°25′45″N 105°04′06″E / 39.42907°N 105.06841°E / 39.42907; 105.06841 (Roxborough Park)	Douglas	State	This park shows off the typical rock layers of Colorado's Front Range. You can see how the Fountain Formation sandstone has eroded into unusual shapes. It also has interesting plant groups and many fossils.
10	Russell Lakes		1975	37°56′41″N 106°07′12″W / 37.9448092°N 106.1199637°W / 37.9448092; -106.1199637 (Russell Lakes)	Saguache	Federal, private	This is Colorado's largest remaining bulrush marsh. These marshes are now rare in the southern Rocky Mountains. It provides a home for many plants and animals, especially waterfowl.
11	Sand Creek		1984	40°59′45″N 105°46′05″W / 40.9957404°N 105.7681064°W / 40.9957404; -105.7681064 (Chimney Rock)	Larimer	Federal, state, private	This site is shared with Wyoming. It has some of North America's most impressive examples of cross-bedded sandstone and "topple blocks." It's also important for its fossils and wildlife.
12	Slumgullion Earthflow		1965	37°59′55″N 107°14′42″W / 37.9986086°N 107.2450542°W / 37.9986086; -107.2450542 (Slumgullion Earthflow)	Hinsdale	Federal, private	This is a great example of a landslide process. A huge flow of volcanic rock slid from a mountain into a valley, forming Lake San Cristobal. This process is still happening slowly today. It's on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
13	Spanish Peaks		1976	37°22′32″N 104°59′37″W / 37.3756661°N 104.9936861°W / 37.3756661; -104.9936861 (West Spanish Peak)	Huerfano, Las Animas	Federal, private	Located in San Isabel National Forest, this area shows over 500 amazing igneous dikes. These formed when hot, molten rock was pushed into cracks in the Earth and then hardened.
14	Sulphur Cave and Spring		2021	40°29′01″N 106°50′24″W / 40.4836973°N 106.8401306°W / 40.4836973; -106.8401306 (Sulphur Cave and Spring)	Routt	City	Found in the Howelsen Hill Ski Area in Steamboat Springs, this site is a fantastic example of how bacteria can create caves using sulfuric acid. The cave has many unusual features, like strange formations called biovermiculations and snottites.
15	Summit Lake		1965	39°35′54″N 105°38′40″W / 39.5983532°N 105.6443243°W / 39.5983532; -105.6443243 (Summit Lake)	Clear Creek	City	This site is almost 13,000 feet high! It has a great example of alpine tundra in the United States. Some plants that grow here are usually only found near the Arctic Circle.
16	West Bijou Site		2016	39°40′52″N 104°44′09″W / 39.68100°N 104.73588°W / 39.68100; -104.73588 (West Bijou Site)	Arapahoe	Private	Part of the Plains Conservation Center, this site has fossils and minerals that tell the story of the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. This was the time of Earth's most recent mass extinction event, when many types of life disappeared.

More About Colorado

• List of protected areas of Colorado
• Bibliography of Colorado
• Geography of Colorado
• History of Colorado
• Index of Colorado-related articles
• List of Colorado-related lists
• Outline of Colorado