The sign describes the history of the Ute people, a Native American tribe that traditionally migrated seasonally between the mountains and the valleys of their homelands, which encompassed nearly all of modern-day Colorado and Utah.

It recounts the impact of settlers on the Ute people during Western expansion and how the U.S. government established a reservation system that reduced the tribe’s territory to only a sliver of its ancestral lands.

The sign is among the hundreds of items at national parks across the country that park staff have flagged for review — and possible removal or modification — by President Donald Trump’s administration in response to orders to purge parks of “improper partisan ideology” and accounts that “disparage” Americans.

Read the full story from our partner at .

Rocky saw 4,171,431 visitors in 2025, an increase of 17,082 over 2024. Yosemite National Park took over fifth place with 4,278,413 due to a visitation surge of more than 156,000 over the year before. Yosemite officials reported in September that the park experienced one of its busiest summer seasons in years with visitation tracking 7% ahead of 2024.

The top five on the list in 2025 was typical of recent years except for the absence of Rocky. Great Smoky Mountains National Park was No. 1, as usual, with 11,527,939, accounting for 12% of all visits to national parks. Zion was No. 2 (4,984,525), followed by Yellowstone (4,762,988), Grand Canyon (4,430,653) and Yosemite.

The record attendance for Rocky came in 2019 at 4,670,053, which ranked it third that year. Since then, park officials have enforced a they say is needed to prevent overcrowding and resource damage.

Rocky’s timed-entry period will begin this year on the Friday before Memorial Day, May 22, and will run into October.

Rocky also ranked third in 2015 and 2018. Since the imposition of timed-entry reservations, it ranked fourth or fifth until last year.

Yosemite and Arches National Park have dropped their timed-entry reservation requirement for 2026.

Colorado’s other three national parks saw visitation declines in 2025. Mesa Verde ranked 43rd on the national park list at 463,130, down from 480,165 in 2024. Great Sand Dunes ranked 44th at 432,498, down from 437,661. Black Canyon of the Gunnison was 50th at 250,086, down from 335,862 in 2024.

Black Canyon’s 25% decrease was due to the lightning-caused South Rim Fire, which forced closure of the park in July. The South Rim Campground, East Portal Campground and Rim Rock Trail from South Rim Campground to Tomichi Point remain closed.

State and county governments are helping to fund Utah’s national parks. According to , all five national parks are open, including their visitor centers. In Tennessee, state and county governments are funding operations in Great Smoky National Park, always the busiest national park in the U.S., with more than 12 million visitors annually.

In August. Gov. Jared Polis said the state stood ready to help keep national parks open in the event of a shutdown. The current shutdown began on Oct. 1, but so far, Rocky Mountain National Park has been kept open with previously collected fee revenue that is funding minimal services. The state has provided no funds thus far.

“I have been clear that one of my top priorities amid the Republican controlled government shutdown is to ensure that Colorado’s natural wonders are accessible for Coloradans and visitors, and enjoyed responsibly,” Polis said in a statement. “We will closely monitor if the state needs to partner with the federal government to keep the parks open, which has not yet been necessary. I continue to urge Coloradans to enjoy our beautiful parks responsibly.”

Visitors are entering Rocky Mountain National Park free of charge and without timed-entry reservations. For what it’s worth, the requirement for a reservation to enter all of the park except the Bear Lake corridor has ended for the year. The requirement for a reservation to enter the Bear Lake corridor ends Sunday.

The story is different at Mesa Verde National Park, however, where the ancient cliff dwellings are closed, according to the , a non-profit partner of the park. Also closed are the visitor center, the Mesa Verde Museum, Mesa Top Loop, Cliff Palace Loop and all other trails.

Great Sand Dunes National Park is open and attracting visitors, although the visitor center is closed. Raleigh Burts, a manager at Kristi Mountain Sports in Alamosa, says his shop has been renting sandboards to visitors bound for the tallest dunes in North America.

“The feedback from customers is that they know the visitor center is closed, but the bathrooms are still open and being cleaned,” Burts said. “As long as people are being respectful, not vandalizing, using the trash and toilet services, I think it����ap perfectly fine for people to continue recreating.”

In Utah, like Rocky Mountain National Park, basic park services such as search-and-rescue and sanitary needs have been covered by fee revenue collected by the parks prior to the shutdown. Visitor centers were closed when the shutdown began, but the state stepped in with funds to reopen them last week.

“It����ap been an amazing partnership so far, between the state, the county,” said Brian Martinez, a Grand County (Utah) commissioner in Moab who runs an outfitting business in Arches and Canyonlands national parks. “Everything is moving really smooth. The biggest challenge we’re having is the messaging. If you go on the Arches National Park’s website, it says reservations required. We’re having a hard time getting out the message that there are no reservations needed.”

Colorado has four national parks: Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde. Keep in mind that timed-entry reservations are still required at Rocky Mountain, and it’s likely to be a busy day because of elk bugling season and leaf-peeping travelers.

Reservations are required for all of the park except the Bear Lake Road corridor from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. That reservation includes access to Trail Ridge Road. Reservations for all of the park including Bear Lake Road are required from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reservation requirements will end on Oct. 13 for all of the park except Bear Lake, and on Oct. 19 for all of the park including Bear Lake.

Most reservations are secured weeks in advance, but a few are held back until 7 p.m. the night before the arrival date. These are likely to be snapped up quickly, though.

Reservations are free, except for a $2 processing fee, and must be bought in advance .

Annual free entry days at national parks

• Jan. 20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• April 19: First day of National Park Week
• June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day
• Aug. 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
• Sept. 27: National Public Lands Day
• Nov. 11: Veterans Day

The EPA that it intends to deny Colorado’s plan to shutter coal-fired power plants as part of the state’s strategy to reduce the regional haze that clouds views at and other federal lands. Colorado was previously allowed to list coal-plant closures as an acceptable strategy to reduce haze.

Cyrus Western, director of , which includes Colorado, affirmed to The Denver Post that the denial is part of the Trump administration’s plan to make sure no federal regulations stand in the way of coal-fired power generation.

Western, a Trump appointee from Wyoming, which is the nation’s largest producer of coal, did not say the EPA would override Colorado’s laws that require the coal-burning plants to close, although the Federal Register notice indicates the agency might do so.

“What the legislature does and what the governor does, the laws they pass, that is the state’s business,” Western said. “But from a federal standpoint, we want to be sure there will not be a single shutdown of a coal-fired generation unit because of federal regulation or by the federal government breathing down their necks.”

The EPA’s proposal alarmed environmentalists who have been leery of President Donald Trump’s repeated remarks about and his executive orders that promote the coal industry.

The president this year has used executive orders — citing energy emergencies — to and . And the EPA under Trump’s leadership has proposed repealing Biden administration regulations that would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions from coal power plants and required the power sector to cut mercury and other air toxics.

“It����ap in keeping with the ideology of this administration to do everything possible to prop up the dying coal industry,” said Jeremy Nichols, senior advocate with the . “It����ap absurd.”

The ruling is a pivot from past EPA decisions that allow the closing of coal-fired power plants to count toward clean air goals, Nichols said, and it could pave the way for and other utilities to keep their coal-fired plants running.

“It doesn’t help to have the EPA telling the state it����ap illegal to close coal-fired power plants,” Nichols said. “This is a punch in the face to Colorado’s climate progress.”

But Colorado regulators said the EPA’s proposed denial of Colorado’s plans will not have an impact on the state because the retirement dates for all of the state’s remaining coal plants remain enforceable under state law and the transition already is underway.

“Utilities are moving away from coal because it����ap no longer the most affordable or reliable option,” said Michael Ogletree, senior director of state air quality programs at the . “Many coal plants have already shut down or are on track to retire — driven by economics and cost savings for consumers, not federal mandates. That transition is locked in through utility planning and will continue regardless of this federal decision.”

Gov. Jared Polis’ office reiterated the point that the utility companies operating in the state already have plans to close those plants.

“Colorado utilities have their own ambitious plans to reduce costs, including retiring costly coal plants to transition to more stable clean energy, and lower costs,” Ally Sullivan, a governor’s spokesperson, said in an email. “The EPA’s proposed denial has no meaningful impact on utilities’ plans to move away from coal because it����ap no longer the most affordable or reliable option.”

Utilty wants to keep plant open

However, the EPA’s notice in the Federal Register stated that told the agency in April that it wants to exclude its in Fountain from the state’s closure plans. The utility also met with state regulators on April 23 to ask that Nixon be allowed to remain open, according to the Federal Register notice.

Danielle Nieves, a Colorado Springs Utilities spokesperson, said the company is still scheduled to shutter Nixon in 2029, but that date is causing reliability challenges and the utility is having difficulties finding resources for the transition to renewable energy.

“The market for renewable energy resources across the country is tremendously challenging with ongoing supply chain congestion and regulatory uncertainty — resulting in renewable energy resources being three to five times more expensive than originally forecasted,” she said in an email.

Nieves said the utility is supportive of the EPA’s recommendation to exclude Nixon from the regional haze plan “because Colorado doesn’t need the Nixon closure to achieve its reasonable progress targets, and that choosing to include Nixon could present serious reliability challenges for Colorado Springs Utilities.”

Spokeswoman Michelle Aguayo said Xcel remains committed to retiring its coal units — including the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo — by the end of 2030.

“Nothing in this action from the Environmental Protection Agency directly changes our Colorado resource plans,” she said in an emailed statement.

Although Western said that “what Colorado does is Colorado’s business,” the EPA’s notification argued that the Clean Air Act does not give states the ability to order coal power plants to close, citing the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment, which prohibits the government from taking private property without just compensation.

The EPA also argues — although without specific evidence — that forcing the closures would violate Colorado state law.

Coal is one of the dirtiest forms of electricity generation, annually releasing millions of tons of pollutants into the air that contribute to global warming and harm human health. Those emissions include carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, sulfur dioxide and fine particulate matter. Those power plants also create a coal ash byproduct that leaches contaminants such as lithium and selenium into groundwater.

‘Turning that progress backwards’

Coal emissions help create a haze in the skies, and that haze has become a problem at national parks across the country, including Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, said Tracy Copolla, the Colorado program manager.

“We are still in a situation where there is significant regional haze in Colorado,” Copolla said. “It goes for miles and miles and miles.”

Ulla Reeves, the National Park Conservation Association’s clean air program director, said the EPA’s proposal is undercutting Colorado’s progress to clean its air.

“Colorado had one of the strongest plans that we’ve seen in the entire country,” Reeves said. “This is really turning that progress backwards. It����ap extremely concerning what the EPA is doing here and undercutting the state’s authority.”

The EPA opened a 60-day public comment period on the proposed rule and multiple environmental groups said they plan to weigh in. They hope Colorado does as well.

“The state really needs to flex its muscles and try to stymie the feds,” Nichols said.

During her tenure as the group’s executive director, there have been two government shutdowns, including one of 35 days in 2019 that was the longest in U.S. history. There was a global pandemic in 2020. That same year, two wildfires burned simultaneously in the park, Cameron Peak and East Troublesome, the two largest in state history.

And so, when describing her level of concern over the way Trump administration staff reductions and potential budget cuts affect the 415-square-mile park, most of which is wilderness, she puts the confusion emanating from Washington into historical context.

“I can say with confidence that we’re in unprecedented times, but I’ve been saying that for quite some time,” Murdock said. “I have been worried for a very long time due to the pressures of visitation increases and low budgets. Budgets are stressed at this time, but the present moment is a continuation of a long trajectory of the park needing more resources, and our organization being flexible to help meet those needs.”

The is one of in the , many of them “official partners,” which exist to support the mission of their local parks through fundraising, volunteer work and advocacy. Among them are Yellowstone Forever, the Zion Forever Project, Friends of Arches and Canyonlands, the Grant Teton Association and the Mesa Verde Foundation.

They have existed for decades, but given the current uncertainty over federal funding, they are looking for more ways to help through increased lobbying efforts, additional fundraising, increasing volunteer support and other strategies.

“We’re all meeting on a very regular basis,” said Stephani Lyon, chief of staff at the . “All the parks have such different needs, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. But, what are some creative ways, and how can we share these resources, to come together and work on that?”

Founded in 1931, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy is one of the oldest organizations of its kind. It has an annual budget of $8.7 million with about 50 full-time employees and approximately 100 seasonal employees. It works through the park’s volunteer system and provides direct funding to hire seasonal employees. Some of the jobs it hires for include retail clerks, naturalists, custodians, back office support and many more.

The so-called “friends groups” also lobby in Congress, helping their delegations understand the increasing stress on national parks. Murdock recently returned from Washington, D.C., where she met with Colorado Reps. Joe Neguse and Jeff Hurd, as well as congressional staff, explaining where the park stands heading into the busy summer season.

“My comment to members of Congress was, ‘This summer is going to feel normal-ish in Rocky to the visitor, because those gaps and holes have largely been plugged for the front-end visitor experience,” Murdock said. “But on the back end, senior and mid-level year-round positions are sitting vacant for a very long time.”

Park service officials have deflected or ignored questions from The Denver Post about staffing levels and other matters this year. Asked on May 14 for specific numbers comparing current staffing at Rocky to what it was for Memorial Day last year, the park’s public information officer and the National Park Service media office provided no answers.

Murdock has some insight, though. She acknowledges national parks got a small increase in the number of seasonal employees in the wake of a federal hiring freeze, but problems remain.

“The hiring freeze has a huge cumulative effect,” Murdock said. “Yeah, there are more seasonals, but they are temporary short-term positions, and they don’t necessarily have the same level of expertise and education and experience that the year-round core staff and management-level staff have. There’s this backlog of positions that haven’t been filled, so you’re seeing more and more people functionally doing two or three senior positions.”

Increasing pressure on national parks did not begin with the current administration. stood at more than $23 billion through the 2023 fiscal year, according to the National Park Service, after increasing nearly $12 billion over the previous decade. which includes $97 million in road maintenance needs and $57 million in trail maintenance.

“That number is real,” Murdock said. “That number is growing every day.”

The Great American Outdoors Act, passed by Congress in 2020, provided $1.3 billion annually for five years to alleviate the problem. It expires this year, but Congress is considering an extension that has bipartisan support, called the . It proposes $2 billion annually through 2033. Murdock attended the bill’s introduction.

“The Great Outdoors Act has made some great progress and was very bipartisan, passed and signed by President Trump in the previous administration,” Murdock said. “The issue is, why do we have over $200 million in backlogged maintenance (at Rocky) in the first place? What do we need to do to make sure we’re not needing to pass these bailout projects every couple of years to dig out of these holes? How do we keep the holes from being dug in the first place, making sure these places are being well-stewarded consistently?”

Rocky Mountain National Park is consistently among the busiest of the nation’s 63 national parks. Last year it placed No. 5 with 4.15 million visitors.

was No. 2 at 4.95 million, but Lyon said it has remained at roughly the same staffing it had 20 years ago when annual visitation was half that. Zion has a deferred maintenance backlog of $79 million.

“We’ve seen some reductions in force in the park, and those create new challenges,” Lyon said. “We’re going to have to be creative. That����ap why these friends groups matter now more than ever.”

In southwestern Colorado, Mesa Verde has an estimated $148 million in deferred maintenance needs, including $81 million needed for road maintenance, according to the park service.

“I cannot speak to any of the politics surrounding funding,” said Shannon Clifford, executive director of the . “I can tell you that the national parks have always needed additional funding. The fundraising that we do, we use to support projects and programs that are specifically requested by Mesa Verde National Park. I feel like we’re making a little dent, but we’re certainly not raising millions of dollars.

“We’re a small organization with just one and a half employees,” Clifford added. “We do a lot of grant writing and some fundraising events.”

Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy and other national park friends groups have seen an increase in people inquiring about opportunities to volunteer in the parks or help in other ways.

“It����ap not the role of the private sector to jump in and fill these gaps, but we’re really focused on going deeper into our mission rather than lighter,” Murdock said. “We’re not going to start cleaning bathrooms in the campgrounds, but we’re going to step in and make sure there’s enough staff on the ground to work with students when they come up for their field trip that they’ve been waiting for their entire life.”

Current Rocky Mountain Conservancy efforts include funding support staff for the Rocky’s volunteer office, funding seasonal staff for search and rescue operations, buying firefighting equipment, funding the park’s junior ranger program, providing staff at visitor centers and funding an oral history project.

“That����ap in addition to boots-on-the-ground trail maintenance, fire rehabilitation and restoration on the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome (burn scars) and raptor monitoring,” said Kaci Yoh, the conservancy’s communications director.

At Zion, Lyon said she’s not worried, but she is concerned.

“We’re pulling tools from our tool belt from the COVID era,” Lyon said. “We learned a lot then that can be replicated. It takes all of us to care for these spaces. These challenges that are being presented by the new administration — it is concerning, of course. But it gives us an opportunity.

“We have to step outside of the box,” she continued. “We also have to keep pushing on our (congressional) delegation to fund these places. This is America’s greatest idea, the National Park Service. We need the American people to be able to push back on the delegation in a very educated way and say, ‘Hey, these places are worth funding.'”

, a website and app that helps campers book campsites, has a few local suggestions. On Tuesday, the company announced the winners of its fourth , which recognize campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada that offer “unforgettable outdoor experiences,” according to a statement.

Three Colorado camping destinations earned recognition in 2025, including an RV park on the Front Range, a new campground near the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, and a Western Slope orchard that allows guests to camp among the fruit trees. The award winners were chosen based on data like Campspot����ap user ratings and park features, among other criteria.

The in Granby ranked No. 4 among North America’s top RV campgrounds. In 2023, Campspot named it one of the best glamping destinations and, in 2022, the website touted it as one of the best campgrounds for first-time campers.

Further west, in Hotchkiss nabbed the No. 5 spot on the list of unique campgrounds. The venue has campsites for tents, RVs and trailers in the shade of its peach, apple and apricot trees. In the summer, the orchard regularly hosts live music.

, which opened near the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Alamosa in 2023, also earned a shout-out as the No. 5 tent camping spot in North America. The company has since opened a second campground near Mesa Verde National Park and plans to expand significantly in the coming years.

Looking to explore beyond Colorado? Check out the .

Thomas Irwin went missing early last year while hiking the Petroglyph Point Trail in the park in the Four Corners region of southwest Colorado, according to a . He was last seen Jan. 15, 2024, and was reported missing by his family the following day.

Park officials conducted an initial 10-day search but did not find Irwin, according to the release.

Over the past year, officials continued to search for Irwin and managed to locate his body with a human remains detection canine, according to the release. Irwin was found in the original search area during an off-trail grid search.

Visitors to America’s most beloved public lands could find dirty bathrooms, unmaintained trails and closure signs on visitor centers and campgrounds if a federal hiring freeze does not thaw before hundreds of millions of people flock to national parks for the summer.

The by President Donald Trump‘s new administration resulted in the rescinding thousands of job offers to the seasonal employees who serve as the backbone of the parks system during its busiest months. Typically, the service hires more than 6,000 seasonal employees across the 433 sites it manages, .

The freeze caused panic among parks advocates, though on Friday indicated the Trump administration could reinstate some seasonal jobs even as it fired thousands of full-time probationary employees. Plans for reinstating seasonal employees had not been publicly announced by the federal government as of Monday afternoon.

The freeze came at a critical point in the agency’s monthslong hiring process for seasonal employees, said Tracy Coppola, the program manager for Colorado. The agency generally sends job offers in January and February, which gives new hires time to line up travel and housing for the busy season, which begins in the spring.

Even if hiring resumes, Coppola said, the delay could impact how many employees the agency can attract.

“They were supposed to be starting that process already,” she said. “It takes a while to onboard people and find housing — it����ap been a mess. There has been no guidance.”

, the National Park Service manages four national parks covering 713 square miles: Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde. The service also manages three historic sites, five national monuments and a national recreation area.

Rocky Mountain was the fifth most-visited national park in 2023 — the most recent year for which numbers were available — when it welcomed more than .

“The seasonal employees, that����ap where the rubber meets the road,” said Sheridan Steele, a former deputy superintendent of the park and a former superintendent of Black Canyon and Curecanti National Recreation Area. “They’re the ones making the emergency search and rescue, doing the trail work.”

“If you don’t have seasonal employees, you’re not cleaning restrooms and you’ll end up closing restrooms,” he said. “Or reducing the hours of a visitor center or closing one. And what about the campgrounds? And on and on.”

Spokespeople for the National Park Service and Rocky Mountain National Park declined interview requests about the impact of hiring and staffing uncertainties. Representatives at the national level did not answer questions about whether the agency is hiring seasonal employees for summer; how it plans to roll out the hiring process, should it begin; whether there will be cuts to the number of seasonal positions; and how many permanent employees , in September.

The agency instead emailed a statement that said it is implementing Trump’s hiring freeze, while noting that the order does . The park service did not say which positions those exemptions might cover.

“The NPS is assessing our most critical staffing needs for park operations for the coming season and is working to hire key positions,” the agency said in the emailed statement. “The NPS is committed to protecting public lands, infrastructure and communities while ensuring public access.”

Fearing broad impacts

Seasonal employees at Rocky Mountain National Park work mid-April to mid-October and “provide essential visitor services and carry out critical park operations,” a 2023 news release from park officials states. The positions include park rangers, park guides, fee takers, campground staff, trail crew members, and building and utilities staff and custodians, .

If the park service does not hire seasonal staff — or hires fewer — the impacts could be broad, lawmakers and parks advocates said.

Broken infrastructure will go unrepaired longer. Response times for emergency calls will grow longer. Fewer staff will be available to keep visitors safe and help guide them to activities and hikes appropriate for their skill levels. Restrooms, visitor centers and campgrounds will close if there are not enough employees to maintain them.

Gutting staffing at national parks will devastate local gateway communities — many in rural areas — that rely economically on tourism from the parks, the senators wrote. Park visitors spent $26.4 billion in gateway communities in 2023 and supported an estimated 415,000 jobs, according to the letter.

“Americans showing up to national parks this summer and for years to come don’t deserve to have their vacations ruined by a completely preventable — and completely irresponsible — staffing shortage,” the senators wrote in the letter. “And local economies don’t deserve to have their livelihoods destroyed for political gain.”

Parks system faces other challenges

Advocates for the parks said the staffing uncertainty comes as the national parks system already faces a trifecta of problems: a reduced workforce, , and finding employee housing in remote and expensive resort areas.

Between 2010 and 2023, the staffing in the agency declined 20% — by about 3,500 full-time jobs, according to federal data reviewed by the National Parks Conservation Association. Visitation surged 16% in that same period.

“The National Park Service, the men and women who make up that organization, are under tremendous stress and they have been for some time — it����ap only growing,” said Steele, who retired from the parks system in 2015 after 38 years with the agency. “It����ap just kind of this vicious circle, as more and more people come to the parks and you have fewer resources to serve them and protect the resources they’re there to see — it just makes it really stressful.”

Layoffs, early retirement and deferred resignations from permanent staff members could impact the long-term resilience of the parks as the climate changes, Coppola said. Scientists at the park service who study climate change, wildfire risk and mitigation are crucial, but those are positions that could be at risk, she said.

“It����ap extremely demoralizing and obviously the essence of disrespect to people who have dedicated their careers to protecting these landscapes we love,” Coppola said of in the federal workforce.

Dismantling parks staffing will do little to fix the national debt and will instead weaken institutions that are a net gain for the economy, Coppola said.

In Colorado alone, she said, national parks hosted 7 million visitors, supported 11,000 jobs and funneled $796 million to local communities in 2023.

“I really think parks have always been a bridge for so many people, no matter how they identify,” Coppola said. “So we’re continuing to fight for that vision because it’s more important now than ever.”

Colorado’s quadrant of the Four Corners is filled with secrets of the past in its rugged and sometimes desolate desert landscape.

Here’s what to do when you’re ready to ditch the snow and head for the desert in Southwest Colorado.

Go on an ancient adventure

was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 as the first national park to “preserve the works of man.” It����ap home to Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America.

Winter is the perfect time to explore 700 years of Ancestral Pueblo history without crowds. Witnessing snowfall on the cliff dwellings is almost surreal.

Weather permitting, Mesa Top Loop Road is open for viewing Cliff Palace, Sun Temple, and other stops along the 6-mile drive. If you plan to hike, taking traction devices for any icy spots you might encounter is a good idea.

In winter, you can cross-country ski or snowshoe some trails. The visitor center and museum offer free snowshoe rentals.

Hike into the past

has the highest known density of archaeological sites in the United States. The monument spans 176,000 acres and has more than 6,000 known ancient sites.

Must-see sites include Lowry, Painted Hand, and San Canyon Pueblos. Book a guided tour with Durango Rivertrippers & Adventure Tours. If you want to hike on your own, head to the Sand Canyon South Trailhead in McElmo Canyon.

There are many unmarked dwellings and ruins along the trails. Part of the fun is searching for them.

Sip wine in McElmo Canyon

After a hike or bike ride, head to for a wine tasting.

The winery, started by John Sutcliffe, is a mini oasis in the ruggedness of McElmo Canyon. Producing 4,000 cases of wine a year, Sutcliffe has garnered more awards than any other vineyards in Colorado.

From chardonnay to grenache, it offers a variety of wines to taste and pair with a charcuterie board or light bites. It����ap incredibly cozy in winter as you sip wine and stay warm sitting by a chiminea.

Stay at a ranch or nature preserve

If you seek non-traditional accommodations, some great options exist in southwest Colorado.

Waking up to the sounds of music piped through speakers for the Navajo-Churro sheep and feeding apples to a longhorn are part of what makes a ranch stay at in McElmo Canyon unique. The cabins look like something straight out of a Ralph Lauren ad.

If you prefer a serene setting overlooking a lake, is a quiet retreat close to downtown Mancos and Mesa Verde National Park.

You can explore the 60 acres of high desert while staying in one of their three artsy cabins. You might meet an artist in residence working on a piece while on a one-to-three-week retreat.

Solitude at Yucca House

In Montezuma Valley, an expansive, mainly unexcavated pueblo surrounded by private ranches makes up .

It����ap one of nine national monuments in the state and one of the largest Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in Southwest Colorado. Because it’s unexcavated and has no facilities, it����ap one of the least visited sites in the National Park Service.

As you explore the pueblo, imagining what life was like in A.D. 1150-1300 is fun. This pueblo is estimated to have 600 rooms, over 100 kivas, and a great kiva.

The tallest structure in the “Upper House” rises 15-20 feet above surrounding architecture and offers an incredible view of the valley.

You can also see some of the walls of the “Lower House,” an L-shaped pueblo with at least eight first-story rooms, and part of the low wall that would have enclosed the plaza.

Sample the cuisine scene

One of the biggest surprises of Southwest Colorado is its growing culinary scene.

Stop at Silver Bean Coffee, housed in a vintage airstream, for a latte or bagel sandwich.

Known for their unique burgers, including their Mesa Verde Ranch yak burger, sources as much as possible from Montezuma County’s agricultural community.

has an eclectic menu ranging from elk shepherd’s pie to pork belly tacos.

In nearby Mancos, , , and are all worth a stop.

Ride at Phil’s World

If you’re itching for a bike instead of a snowboard, Cortez might be Colorado’s best-kept secret for mountain biking.

, a trail system on a desert mesa, is excellent for beginner to intermediate riders. It has 27 miles of trails open for year-round riding, including easy rollers through pinon and juniper forests, short and steep drops, and moderately challenging obstacles.

If you have more time, straddling the Utah/Colorado line is fascinating.

in Dolores is the premier archaeological museum in Southwest Colorado. It includes two ancient pueblos outside the building.

From ancient sites to outdoor adventures, Southwest Colorado is a great place to go when you want to ditch the snow for the desert.