sandstone spire hundreds of feet tall stands above sparsely vegetated canyon bottom and cliffs
Independence Monument as seen from Rim Rock Drive is an icon of the larger national monument. NPS Photo

Colorado National Monument

National Monument · Colorado · National Park Service

Colorado National Monument preserves one of the grand landscapes of the American West. But this treasure is much more than a monument. Towering monoliths exist within a vast plateau and canyon panorama. You can experience sheer-walled, red rock canyons along the twists and turns of Rim Rock Drive, where you may spy bighorn sheep and soaring eagles.

Plan your visit

Trails & hiking

Biking · Hiking

Camping

Camping · Backcountry Camping

Site types & reservations: see the official site.

Know before you go

Phone
9708582800
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

Things to do

Highlights: Schools and Education · Transportation · Roads, Routes and Highways · Animals · Canyons and Canyonlands · Geology · Scenic Views · Trails

Activities & features: Auto and ATV · Scenic Driving · Road Biking · Car or Front Country Camping · Climbing · Rock Climbing · Food · Picnicking · Backcountry Hiking · Front-Country Hiking · Junior Ranger Program · Wildlife Watching · Park Film · Shopping · Bookstore and Park Store

Photos

  • Two female desert bighorn sheep look to the right among rusty sandstones
    NPS Photo / VIP C DeKalb
  • a wide sandstone monolith stands next to cliffs on a misty, cloudy day with green shrubs below
    NPS Photo / N Scarborough
  • Rock spire with large boulder balancing on top, blue skies above, green shrubs below.
    NPS Photo
  • lizard with turquoise body and yellow head lounges on sandstone with canyon cliffs in distance
    NPS Photo / VIP C DeKalb
  • Silhouette of twisted juniper tree as starry clusters of Milky Way rise vertically in dark night sky
    Photo Courtesy of Rick Ahern
  • two people stand together at canyon cliff edge pointing to tree covered hills across the canyon
    NPS Photo / N Scarborough
  • Looking down from canyon rim at a U shaped portion of road entering and exiting the canyon
    NPS Photo

Nearby parks

Parks of Colorado

Cheyenne Mountain State ParkNavajo State ParkHighline Lake State ParkLathrop State ParkJohn Martin Reservoir State ParkDinosaur National MonumentPaonia State ParkCastlewood Canyon State ParkRifle Gap State ParkFlorissant Fossil Beds National MonumentNorth Sterling State ParkYucca House National MonumentYampa River State ParkTrinidad Lake State ParkState Forest State ParkBarr Lake State ParkJackson Lake State ParkSweitzer Lake State ParkSpinney Mountain State ParkPearl Lake State ParkStagecoach State ParkSand Creek Massacre National Historic SiteRocky Mountain National ParkSanta Fe National Historic TrailSteamboat Lake State ParkHarvey Gap State ParkCurecanti National Recreation AreaLake Pueblo State ParkRoxborough State ParkElkhead Reservoir State ParkStaunton State ParkEleven Mile State ParkGolden Gate Canyon State ParkVega State ParkMancos State ParkMesa Verde National ParkBent's Old Fort National Historic SiteRifle Falls State ParkSylvan Lake State ParkAmache National Historic SiteLory State ParkChatfield State ParkHovenweep National MonumentGreat Sand Dunes National Park & PreserveBoyd Lake State ParkFishers Peak State ParkCrawford State ParkBlack Canyon Of The Gunnison National ParkRidgway State ParkLone Mesa State ParkCherry Creek State ParkEldorado Canyon State ParkMueller State Park

54 parks mapped in Colorado

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Guides for the trip

All guides →

Sources: National Park Service, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12