EXPLORE · ANCIENT SITES
Ancient Sites in Colorado
Colorado's ancient site density concentrates in the Four Corners region and the southeastern grasslands. Mesa Verde National Park is the superlative — 600 cliff dwellings across 80 square miles, the largest archaeological preserve in the US. Cliff Palace alone, with 150 rooms and 23 kivas, is enough to stop a person cold. But Colorado also holds the largest known dinosaur tracksite in North America in a nearly unknown location: Picketwire Canyonlands in Comanche National Grassland, where 1,900 individual dinosaur tracks from at least 100 animals stretch along a quarter mile of Purgatoire River limestone. It requires an 11-mile round-trip hike to reach. Almost nobody goes.
These are curated, verified sites — every one accessible to the public on foot. Check current access conditions and hours before visiting. Explore all ancient sites on the Trek4Free map →
Mesa Verde National Park
The largest archaeological preserve in the US, protecting over 5,000 known archaeological sites including 600 cliff dwellings built by Ancestral Pueblo people between AD 600 and 1300. Cliff Palace — the largest cliff dwelling in North America with 150 rooms and 23 kivas — is accessible only by guided tour. The scale and preservation of Mesa Verde is extraordinary: standing inside these structures, looking out from a cliff face that hasn't changed in 700 years, is one of the genuinely awe-inducing experiences in the American Southwest. Summer tours book out weeks in advance — plan ahead.
Picketwire Canyonlands - Purgatoire Dinosaur Tracksite
The largest known dinosaur tracksite in North America, hidden deep in Comanche National Grassland in SE Colorado. Over 1,900 individual tracks from at least 100 different dinosaurs — Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Allosaurus — are preserved along 0.25 miles of Morrison Formation limestone on the bank of the Purgatoire River. The 11-mile round-trip hike is strenuous and remote — 4WD recommended on the access road. Bring plenty of water; no services. The site is genuine, accessible, and almost nobody knows it exists. One of the most epic paleontology sites in the US.
Trail Through Time - Rabbit Valley
One of the best accessible dinosaur fossil sites in the American West. This 1.5-mile round-trip interpretive trail on BLM land at Rabbit Valley, Colorado winds past actual in-situ sauropod bones — Diplodocus, Camarasaurus, Apatosaurus, and the armored Mymoorapelta, plus the predator Allosaurus. All fossils visible right in the ground, with interpretive signs and shaded kiosks explaining the Jurassic-era Morrison Formation. Day-use only; dispersed BLM camping just south of the trailhead. Located at Exit 2 off I-70 between Grand Junction and Moab. Part of the McInnis Canyons NCA.
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Petroglyphs, ruins, mounds, dinosaur tracks — interactive map with filters, all on public land.
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