PUBLIC LANDS IN COLORADO

Rally for Our Federal Lands!

Coloradans enjoy wide open spaces, incredible mountains, beautiful canyons, plains and mesas and wildlife. From the Front Range to the Four Corners, endless adventures await our families. As Mountain Mamas, we love to share our joy of the outdoors and our favorite places with our kids.

But climate change and dirty energy development threaten those incredible places. Meanwhile not all families have equitable access to natural places. Colorado Mamas must work together to protect our remaining wild areas so that our kids can introduce them to our grandkids someday.

CURRENT PRIORITIES

CELEBRATING OUR NATIONAL MONUMENTS

What are National Monuments?

National Monuments represent some of the most iconic public lands across our country.

The Antiquities Act, which enables sitting presidents to designate existing federal lands as national monuments, preserves significant natural, cultural, or scientific features. In doing so, those areas and their important contributions are safeguarded so that our children and their children can benefit from them for generations to come.

Each national monument is different and offers its own special features. They are as diverse as Dinosaur National Monument here in Colorado to the Statue of Liberty in New York.

We can learn of ancestors that have shaped who we are today, enjoy recreational opportunities and more equitable access to nature, or study natural phenomena. We are lucky to have eight beautiful and incredible monuments in Colorado that draw nearly 900,000 visitors each year.

In June 2021, the Antiquities Act celebrated its 115th anniversary. When President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law, he paved the way for not only permanent preservation of cultural and historical lands central to our nation’s history, but also ensured surrounding communities a steady revenue stream through tourism spending and investment.

Check out the list below to see what the national monuments in Colorado have to offer. Then get out and explore with your family the beauty, education, recreation and sense of solitude that these natural areas provide.

Browns Canyon

Browns Canyon was given its designation by President Obama in 2015. Browns includes 21,586 acres stretched between Salida and Buena Vista, primarily within the San Isabel National Forest. The Arkansas River flows through the canyon, making this a popular destination for white water rafting and anglers. In fact, the Arkansas has been named a gold medal river for its amazing brown and rainbow trout fishing. Browns is a stunning reminder of how amazing Colorado’s wild country is, allowing for picturesque…

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Photo of Browns Canyon National Monument, Bob Wick, BLM

Camp Hale

Colorado’s most recent National Monument, Camp Hale-Continental Divide, was designated in 2022 by President Biden- the first of his presidency. Camp Hale and the Tenmile Range were used to train the Army’s 10th Mountain Division during World War II in alpine and winter warfare techniques. This elite group of soldiers would return from the war to establish America’s ski industry- veterans of the 10th Mountain Division founded or managed more than 60 ski resorts. Many also became trailblazers in the…

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Canyons of the Ancients

Located near the Four Corners region of southwest Colorado, the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument encompasses 176,000 acres of stunning high desert. This impressive monument contains the highest known archaeological site density in the US, of well-preserved native cultures including villages, great kivas, shrines, petroglyphs, dwellings, sweat lodges and many other amazing elements of human history. In fact, there are more than 6,350 documented sites, but as many as 30,000 total sites throughout the national monument! Needless to say,…

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Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, photo by Bob Wick, BLM

Chimney Rock

Located in Southwest Colorado in the San Juan National Forest, Chimney Rock National Monument covers 7 square miles of archeological structures and artifacts, preserving 200 homes and ceremonial buildings of the Ancestral Puebloans of the Chacon Canyon from 1,000 years ago.

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Chimney Rock National Monument, photo by Brendan Bombaci

Colorado National Monument

The Colorado National Monument is located west of Grand Junction and encompasses 32 square miles of wild country, made up of six distinctive canyons. Tourists from all over the US flock here for the amazing hiking, road and mountain biking, climbing or even to just experience the scenic 23 mile drive between Grand Junction and Fruita. Nicknamed by road bikers as “Tour of the Moon,” Rim Rock Drive reminds us why we live in Colorado, as our unique landscapes can…

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Colorado National Monument, photo by Todd Petrie.

Dinosaur National Monument

Located in the northwestern edge of Colorado, Dinosaur National Monument is a 200,000 acre river corridor. The Yampa and Green rivers flow here, creating some of the most coveted whitewater rafting in the country. (Fun fact: Colorado’s whitewater rafting industry started here.) Come here for incredible recreation, explore over 1,500 dinosaur bones or view 1,000 year old petroglyphs and pictographs left by the Fremont people. There is no shortage of things to do and see here.

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Dinosaur National Monument, photo by Amy Dannwolf

Florissant Fossil Beds

Millions of years ago, a series of volcanic eruptions sent lava and ash coursing through the Florissant Valley, fossilizing insects and petrifying redwoods. This created one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. At Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, you can walk among petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide and see thousands of fossils of insects and plants. This is a true gem that highlights the importance of preserving public spaces for people to…

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Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, photo by Jasperdo.

Hovenweep

Hovenweep National Monument in Southwest Colorado, near Cortez and close to the Four Corners area, protects a twenty-mile stretch of six prehistoric Puebloan villages along mesa tops and canyons. Dating back between 600 AD to 1300 AD, you will find multi-story towers built on canyon rims and boulders that housed thousands of Ancestral Puebloan people. This is truly a marvel of preserved human innovation, that we are fortunate to be able to explore through our national monument structure.

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Hovenweep National Monument, photo by Mobilus In Mobili

Yucca House

Yucca House National Monument is an un-excavated pueblo in Southwestern Colorado, about 8 miles from Cortez. This archeological site preserves an important community center for the Ancestral Puebloan people from AD 1150-1300. It has been protected as a national monument since 1919 and has remained largely untouched.

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Yucca House National Monument, photo by Wayne Hsieh

PROTECT THE DOLORES CANYON

The Dolores River Canyons Country in Western Colorado features incredible high desert ecosystems and is the largest, most biodiverse unprotected area in Colorado.

The stunning landscape is as beautiful as it is inspiring.

Photo courtesy Rig to Flip

Threatened by the climate crisis and development, the area is deserving and in need of protection .

We, and a growing numbers of others across the state, are calling on our elected leaders to protect and support all that is so special in this area-

Critical wildlife habitat and rich biodiversity
Important cultural sites
Ecological resilience
Local economies
Added protection of equal access for everyone
Outdoor recreational opportunities

So many of us are raising our kids in Colorado for the outdoors.

We understand the countless benefits to their physical and mental health, to share with them a sense of awe and a connection to nature, to get them off their screens, teach them about those that came before us, and opportunities to learn skills like creativity and managed risk.

Dolores Canyons is an outdoor classroom that offers all of this and more.

PREVIOUS WINS

CAMP HALE – CONTINENTAL DIVIDE NATIONAL MONUMENT DESIGNATION

Read the press release here.

LAND & WATER CONSERVATION FUND

WE DID IT!

We saved the Land & Water Conservation Fund with the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act on August 4, 2020!

It took the Mountain Mamas seven years to get the Land & Water Conservation Fund over the finish line as part of the Great American Outdoors Act. As Mamas, we forced bi-partisan support, held Senators and Congressmen/women accountable for their voting record, and saw the votes change when it mattered most. Why? Because we fought for something that is good for EVERYONE.

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Mountain Mama’s Colorado staff members work statewide yet are currently based out of Denver, which occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Hinónoʼeitíít (Arapaho), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne), and Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) peoples.

Learn why land acknowledgments are important here and start finding out more about the history of your location here.