It’s pretty much always a good time to get out and explore, and what better way to do so than by checking out these ten gorgeous state parks in Colorado? It’s no secret that our state is the most beautiful, enchanting state in the entire country, and our parks are part of what makes that true. Check these out and plan your visit ASAP:
1.) Lory State Park
Flickr/Brett Levin
Flickr/Brendan Bombaci Located just west of Fort Collins, Lory State Park offers “mountain biking, hiking, picnicking and horseback riding amid some fabulous foothills scenery just minutes from Fort Collins and adjacent to Horsetooth Reservoir.” Click here to learn more! Lory State Park, 708 Lodgepole Dr, Bellvue, CO 80512, USA
2.) Eleven Mile State Park
Flickr/bmyeraz Eleven Mile State Park, 4229 Co Rd 92, Lake George, CO 80827, USA
Flickr/Jasen Miller Best fishing in Colorado. Period. Click here to learn more!
3.) Eldorado Canyon State Park
Flickr/Max and Dee Bernt
Flickr/Keith Considered by many to be the gem of Boulder, Eldorado State Park offers a variety of family fun including hiking, climbing, and plenty of wildlife watching opportunities. Click here to learn more! Eldorado Canyon State Park, 9 Kneale Rd, Eldorado Springs, CO 80025, USA
4.) Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Flickr/John B. Kalla
Flickr/nwlynch Located 30 miles from Denver, Golden Gate Canyon is home to 12,000 acres of lush meadows, forests, and rocky ridges. Click here to learn more! Golden Gate Canyon State Park, 92 Crawford Gulch Rd, Golden, CO 80403, USA
5.) Cherry Creek State Park
Flickr/MortAuPat
Flickr/Cathy McCray An oasis in the city, Cherry Creek is a nature lover’s dream with its camping, boating, and horseback riding opportunities. Click here to learn more! Cherry Creek State Park, 4201 S Parker Rd, Aurora, CO 80014, USA
6.) Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Flickr/Cathy McCray
Flickr/Rob Lucas Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Colorado Springs, Cheyenne Mountain State Park is home to 2,701 acres of unique prairie-to-peak ecosystems. Click here to learn more! Cheyenne Mountain State Park, 410 JL Ranch Heights Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80926, USA
7.) Chatfield State Park
Flickr/re_vised
Flickr/Michael Levine-Clark Lovers of water sports unite at Chatfield Reservoir! Wonderful camping, too. Chatfield State Park, Littleton, CO 80125, USA
8.) Mueller State Park
Flickr/Michael Levine-Clark Mueller State Park, 21045 CO-67, Divide, CO 80814, USA
Flickr/Patrick Standish These photos are reason enough for Mueller to be one of our top 10 state parks! Click here to learn more!
9.) Roxbourough State Park
Flickr/Michael Levine-Clark
Flickr/djvass Hike amongst magnificent Fountain, Lyons, and Dakota Hogback rock formations at this gorgeous park! Click here to learn more! Roxborough State Park, 4751 Roxborough Dr, Littleton, CO 80125, USA
10.) Barr Lake State Park
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn Escape the hustle and bustle of city life when you stroll the nearly 9 miles of scenic trail. Once you’re finished, try your hand at the 12-lane archery range! Click here to learn more! Barr Lake, Colorado, USA
Which state park in Colorado is your favorite? Tell us your picks in the comments – we love hearing from you!
Flickr/Brett Levin
Flickr/Brendan Bombaci
Located just west of Fort Collins, Lory State Park offers “mountain biking, hiking, picnicking and horseback riding amid some fabulous foothills scenery just minutes from Fort Collins and adjacent to Horsetooth Reservoir.” Click here to learn more!
Lory State Park, 708 Lodgepole Dr, Bellvue, CO 80512, USA
Flickr/bmyeraz
Eleven Mile State Park, 4229 Co Rd 92, Lake George, CO 80827, USA
Flickr/Jasen Miller
Best fishing in Colorado. Period. Click here to learn more!
Flickr/Max and Dee Bernt
Flickr/Keith
Considered by many to be the gem of Boulder, Eldorado State Park offers a variety of family fun including hiking, climbing, and plenty of wildlife watching opportunities. Click here to learn more!
Eldorado Canyon State Park, 9 Kneale Rd, Eldorado Springs, CO 80025, USA
Flickr/John B. Kalla
Flickr/nwlynch
Located 30 miles from Denver, Golden Gate Canyon is home to 12,000 acres of lush meadows, forests, and rocky ridges. Click here to learn more!
Golden Gate Canyon State Park, 92 Crawford Gulch Rd, Golden, CO 80403, USA
Flickr/MortAuPat
Flickr/Cathy McCray
An oasis in the city, Cherry Creek is a nature lover’s dream with its camping, boating, and horseback riding opportunities. Click here to learn more!
Cherry Creek State Park, 4201 S Parker Rd, Aurora, CO 80014, USA
Flickr/Rob Lucas
Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Colorado Springs, Cheyenne Mountain State Park is home to 2,701 acres of unique prairie-to-peak ecosystems. Click here to learn more!
Cheyenne Mountain State Park, 410 JL Ranch Heights Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80926, USA
Flickr/re_vised
Flickr/Michael Levine-Clark
Lovers of water sports unite at Chatfield Reservoir! Wonderful camping, too.
Chatfield State Park, Littleton, CO 80125, USA
Mueller State Park, 21045 CO-67, Divide, CO 80814, USA
Flickr/Patrick Standish
These photos are reason enough for Mueller to be one of our top 10 state parks! Click here to learn more!
Flickr/djvass
Hike amongst magnificent Fountain, Lyons, and Dakota Hogback rock formations at this gorgeous park! Click here to learn more!
Roxborough State Park, 4751 Roxborough Dr, Littleton, CO 80125, USA
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
Escape the hustle and bustle of city life when you stroll the nearly 9 miles of scenic trail. Once you’re finished, try your hand at the 12-lane archery range! Click here to learn more!
Barr Lake, Colorado, USA
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
The OIYS Visitor Center
State Parks to Visit in Colorado February 13, 2022 Tori Jane What are some of the best state parks in Colorado? The beautiful state of Colorado is home to 42 amazing state parks, each of which seems to be more incredible than the last. Just when you think Colorado couldn’t be more amazing – you visit another state park and get blown away all over again. Of course, which parks the “best” ones are is subjective, but there are definitely ones that seem to come up over and over again when looking into them. Some of our personal favorites include Cherry Creek State Park, which is 4,000 acres of paradise with almost 50 miles of awesome trails to explore. Then, there’s Roxborough State Park, which is also 4,000 acres and also ridiculously incredible. It’s home to 300-million-year-old-plus geological formations and is a must-do for anyone even a little interested in the planet’s natural geological history. We also love Eleven Mile State Park, Rifle Gap State Park, Boyd Lake State Park, and Steamboat Lake State Park. Need more ideas? Take a look at this article. What are the most underrated hiking trails in Colorado? Colorado is home to plenty of hiking trails – hundreds and hundreds of miles of them – and you’re sure to have heard of the big ones. But, with more than 5,000 trails to choose from, it’s only natural that some of the greatest ones slip through the cracks in favor of the more famous ones. Well, we feel like that’s some kind of crime if you ask us. Some of the best, most underrated hiking trails in Colorado include gems like the challenging but amazing Royal Arch Trail within Chautauqua Park. It’s tough, but it leads to some of the most amazing views in the state (and interesting geology, too). Lost Lake Trail, within Indian Peaks Wilderness, is another tragically underappreciated trail waiting to be explored. It’s moderately difficult, but worth the challenging spots. Other underrated faves include Gold Camp Trail, Gem Lake Trail, and many others.
The OIYS Visitor Center
State Parks to Visit in Colorado
February 13, 2022
Tori Jane
What are some of the best state parks in Colorado? The beautiful state of Colorado is home to 42 amazing state parks, each of which seems to be more incredible than the last. Just when you think Colorado couldn’t be more amazing – you visit another state park and get blown away all over again. Of course, which parks the “best” ones are is subjective, but there are definitely ones that seem to come up over and over again when looking into them. Some of our personal favorites include Cherry Creek State Park, which is 4,000 acres of paradise with almost 50 miles of awesome trails to explore. Then, there’s Roxborough State Park, which is also 4,000 acres and also ridiculously incredible. It’s home to 300-million-year-old-plus geological formations and is a must-do for anyone even a little interested in the planet’s natural geological history. We also love Eleven Mile State Park, Rifle Gap State Park, Boyd Lake State Park, and Steamboat Lake State Park. Need more ideas? Take a look at this article. What are the most underrated hiking trails in Colorado? Colorado is home to plenty of hiking trails – hundreds and hundreds of miles of them – and you’re sure to have heard of the big ones. But, with more than 5,000 trails to choose from, it’s only natural that some of the greatest ones slip through the cracks in favor of the more famous ones. Well, we feel like that’s some kind of crime if you ask us. Some of the best, most underrated hiking trails in Colorado include gems like the challenging but amazing Royal Arch Trail within Chautauqua Park. It’s tough, but it leads to some of the most amazing views in the state (and interesting geology, too). Lost Lake Trail, within Indian Peaks Wilderness, is another tragically underappreciated trail waiting to be explored. It’s moderately difficult, but worth the challenging spots. Other underrated faves include Gold Camp Trail, Gem Lake Trail, and many others.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
The beautiful state of Colorado is home to 42 amazing state parks, each of which seems to be more incredible than the last. Just when you think Colorado couldn’t be more amazing – you visit another state park and get blown away all over again. Of course, which parks the “best” ones are is subjective, but there are definitely ones that seem to come up over and over again when looking into them. Some of our personal favorites include Cherry Creek State Park, which is 4,000 acres of paradise with almost 50 miles of awesome trails to explore. Then, there’s Roxborough State Park, which is also 4,000 acres and also ridiculously incredible. It’s home to 300-million-year-old-plus geological formations and is a must-do for anyone even a little interested in the planet’s natural geological history. We also love Eleven Mile State Park, Rifle Gap State Park, Boyd Lake State Park, and Steamboat Lake State Park. Need more ideas? Take a look at this article.
What are the most underrated hiking trails in Colorado?
Colorado is home to plenty of hiking trails – hundreds and hundreds of miles of them – and you’re sure to have heard of the big ones. But, with more than 5,000 trails to choose from, it’s only natural that some of the greatest ones slip through the cracks in favor of the more famous ones. Well, we feel like that’s some kind of crime if you ask us. Some of the best, most underrated hiking trails in Colorado include gems like the challenging but amazing Royal Arch Trail within Chautauqua Park. It’s tough, but it leads to some of the most amazing views in the state (and interesting geology, too). Lost Lake Trail, within Indian Peaks Wilderness, is another tragically underappreciated trail waiting to be explored. It’s moderately difficult, but worth the challenging spots. Other underrated faves include Gold Camp Trail, Gem Lake Trail, and many others.
