PhotosLocation


List_of_National_Natural_Landmarks_in_Colorado Latitude and Longitude:

38°59′50″N 105°32′52″W / 38.9972°N 105.5478°W / 38.9972; -105.5478 (State of Colorado)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A map of the United States of America with the State of Colorado highlighted.

This is a list of National Natural Landmarks in the U.S. state of Colorado.

There are 16 National Natural Landmarks in Colorado, one of which extends into Wyoming. They cover areas of geological, biological and historical importance, and include lakes, mountains, rock formations and numerous fossil sites. The landmarks are located in 14 of the state's 64 counties. Four counties each contain all or part of two NNLs, while two landmarks are split between two counties. The first two designations, Slumgullion Earthflow and Summit Lake, were made in 1965, while the most recent designation, Sulphur Cave and Spring, was made in 2021. [1] [2] [3] Natural Landmarks in Colorado range from 60 to 380,000 acres (24.3 to 153,780.5 ha; 0.1 to 593.8 sq mi) in size. Owners include private individuals and several municipal, state and federal agencies. [4]

The National Natural Landmarks Program is administered by the National Park Service, a branch of the Department of the Interior. The National Park Service determines which properties meet NNL criteria and, after notifying the owners, makes nomination recommendations. The Secretary of the Interior reviews nominations and, based on a set of predetermined criteria, makes a decision on NNL designation or a determination of eligibility for designation. Both public and privately owned properties can be designated as NNLs. Owners may object to the nomination of the property as a NNL. [5] This designation provides indirect, partial protection of the historic integrity of the properties via tax incentives, grants, monitoring of threats, and other means. [6]

National Natural Landmarks

# Name Image Year Location County Ownership Description
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 Unique spring-fed creek fed by an unconfined aquifer, creating a rare animal- and plant-supporting wetlands in a generally arid area. Part of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. [7]
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 Municipal The site showcases the lithologic character of sedimentary rocks, as well as providing a habitat for North American honey ants and excellent viewing opportunities for several bird species. [8]
3 Garden Park Fossil Area Felch Quarry 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 Internationally recognized paleontological site renowned for finds of dinosaur, fish, crocodile, turtle and mammal fossils. Located on Bureau of Land Management land. [9]
4 Hanging Lake 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 Travertine deposition-formed lake with substantial hanging garden plant life and minimal human alteration, unique in the region. A part of White River National Forest. [10]
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 Best North American location for animal trace fossils from the Ordovician period. [11]
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, with extensive rock formations, including gorges, ridges and spires, and stream channels that meander between above- and under-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 Site of major paleontological importance, unique for fossil footprints of reptiles, birds, and mammals. The site was expanded in 2011 to include the 19-acre (7.69 ha; 0.03 sq mi) Parfet Prehistoric Preserve in the city of Golden. [12]
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 Protected by a thick lava cap, Raton Mesa has resisted the extensive erosion and weathering that has affected surrounding areas, providing an extreme contrast in geography.
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 Site showcases typical Colorado Front Range sedimentary strata, as well as erosion of Fountain Formation sandstone in unusual patterns, extensive fossil remains and unusual plant populations.
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 Colorado's largest remaining bulrush marsh, now rare in the southern Rocky Mountains. Provides habitat for extensive flora and fauna, 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 Shared with Wyoming, the site is one of North America's most impressive occurrences of cross-bedded sandstone and "topple blocks". Also a site of paleontological and biological significance.
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 A major example of the geologic process of mass wasting, a large flow of volcanic rock traveled from mountainside to valley to form Lake San Cristobal. The same process is occurring again, slowly covering the existing flow. Located on Bureau of Land Management land.
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, the site is an exceptional illustration of over 500 igneous dikes, many exposed, formed when molten igneous rock is forced into a fault before hardening.
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 Municipal Located in the Howelsen Hill Ski Area of Steamboat Springs, the site is a superb example of bacterially-mediated sulfuric acid speleogenesis. The cave contains many uncommon cave features, such as 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 Municipal At almost 13,000 feet (4,000 m), the site contains an excellent example of alpine tundra in the contiguous US. Some of the plants that survive in this microclimate are usually found only in 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, the site contains fossil and mineral evidence detailing the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, the Earth's most recent mass extinction event. [2]

See also

References

General
  • "National Registry of Natural Landmarks" (PDF). National Park Service. June 2009. pp. Introduction, 15–17. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
Specific
  1. ^ "National Registry of Natural Landmarks" (PDF). National Park Service. June 2009. pp. Introduction, 15–17. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
  2. ^ a b "Interior Secretary Jewell Designates New National Natural Landmark" (PDF). National Park Service. November 17, 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  3. ^ "High Plateaus, Smelly Caverns, and Coastal Dunes, Meet the Nation's Newest Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  4. ^ "Colorado". National Park Service. June 28, 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  5. ^ "36 CFR Part 62: National Natural Landmarks Program, Final Rule" (PDF). Federal Register. May 12, 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-17. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
  6. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
  7. ^ "Big Spring Creek". National Park Service. June 28, 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  8. ^ "Garden of the Gods". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  9. ^ "Spring 2013 Buds Two New NNLs and Expands an Existing Site". National Park Service. June 10, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  10. ^ "Hanging Lake". National Park Service. June 28, 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  11. ^ "Indian Springs Trace Fossil Site". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  12. ^ "Secretary Salazar Designates New National Natural Landmarks". National Park Service. June 15, 2011. Retrieved 2014-01-07.

External links

38°59′50″N 105°32′52″W / 38.9972°N 105.5478°W / 38.9972; -105.5478 (State of Colorado)