4 Spectacular National Parks Near Denver, Colorado | The National Park Experience (2023)

This Denver National Parks post contains affiliate links. You can read more about ourTerms of Use/Disclosure here.

Located at the meeting point of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, Denver is consistently ranked as one of the best cities to live in the United States.

This is due to its sunny climate, excellent public transport system and other services, but also to the city's proximity to beautiful nature. Many locals spend their weekends in the mountains or on the plains, camping, hiking, climbing, fishing, kayaking,…

There are several national parks near Denver. Rocky Mountain National Park, for example, is on the doorstep, while Mesa Verde, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a little further away but still within easy reach.

In this post, I talk about Colorado's four national parks near Denver and share a travel itinerary to Colorado's national parks.

I will also briefly refer to some other national parks near Denver, but in another state, which are within a half day's drive ofthe mile high city.

4 Best National Parks Near Denver, Colorado

Whether you're looking for dramatic mountain scenery, towering sand dunes, deep canyons or ancient Native American sites, you'll find it all and more in Colorado's four national parks.

I've listed them below by distance from Denver, starting with the national park closest to Denver and ending with the most remote.

In italics, you can see the distance and approximate driving time between Denver and each specific national park.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Denver to Rocky Mountain National Park: 67 miles / 1.5 hours

If you want to visit a national park near Denver, the obvious first choice is Rocky Mountain National Park. Less than 70 miles fromDowntown, you can get there in no more than 1.5 hours, making it a great day trip option.

Comprised of 415 square miles of stunning mountain scenery, with alpine lakes and aspen forests (amazing in autumn!), wildflower meadows and wildlife, Rocky Mountain National Park is an outdoor lover's paradise. Here the use of superlatives is justified.

Everyone from hikers and climbers to cyclists, photographers and casual hikers will have a blast at this park. It's easy to see why this is one of the most visited national parks in the United States.

Rocky Mountain National Park is home to the famous Trail Ridge Road, which rises to an elevation of nearly 11,500 feet and is one of the highest paved roads in the United States.

One of theThe best national park roads in the country., encompasses most of the park's different ecosystems and biozones, from valley forests to subalpine forests and lakes to alpine tundra above the tree line.

It's a fantastic road to explore by car, but also extremelypopular with cyclists.

Rocky Mountain National Park also offers phenomenal wildlife viewing opportunities thanks to its varied landscapes. Patient (or lucky) visitors can seeblack bear, moose, bighorn sheep, marmot or elk.

This is easily one of Denver's best national parks. Not only because of its proximity to the city, but also because of its many outstanding attractions.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Denver to Great Sand Dunes National Park: 238 miles / 4 hours

Located in south central Colorado,Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserveprotects the tallest sand dunes in North America.

Exploring these mountains of sand is incredibly fun, especially whenrent a sand board or sled. There are also great hiking trails in the area, while kids anddogs like to playin the bubbling waters of Medano Creek.

Hesand dunesThey are the highlight of this fun park, but there's more to it than that.

It also encompasses a vast expanse of grasslands, swamps, conifer and poplar forests, shimmering lakes and even alpine tundra high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Since Great Sand Dunes National Park, possibly my favorite national park in Colorado, is about 4 hours from Denver, I recommend spending the night there.

You can set up camp in the picturesqueCamp Piñon Apartments, which dominates the dune field and is one of themy favorite camps in national parks. Half of the beauty of this park happens at night.

Great Sand Dunes is an official international dark sky park and one of the United States.best national parks for stargazing. On a moonless night, the Milky Way dominates the night sky.

But the full moon is also incredible and allows for an unforgettable moonlit walk through the dunes.

Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park, Colorado

Denver to Black Canyon from Gunnison National Park: 252 miles / 5 hours

one of the mostUnderrated US National Parks, The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is the best national park in Colorado if you are looking for extraordinary canyon scenery.

Located in western Colorado, about 250 miles west of Denver, this relatively small park encompasses one of America's most notable natural attractions.

It contains 12 miles of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River, the deepest and most dramatic section of the canyon.

While it is by no means the deepest canyon in the US (it is Hells Canyon in Idaho and Oregon), Black Canyonesone of the steepest. In fact, its narrowest point is The Narrows, just40 feet wide on the river, while the canyon walls rise to over 1,500 feet on both sides.

That's exactly how the Black Canyon got its name: It's so steep and narrow that some sections receive less than an hour of sun a day.

Duane Vandenbusche, an authority on western Colorado history, said of the canyon:

Many canyons in the American West are longer and some are deeper, but none match the depth, ruggedness, narrowness, darkness and dread of the Black Canyon.

Things to do in the Gunnison National Park's Black Canyon include everything from hiking and horseback riding to scenic drives, rafting and kayaking, and stargazing.

Like the Great Sand Dunes National Park above, this is also an International Dark Sky Park.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Denver to Mesa Verde National Park: 417 miles / 7.5 hours

Of all Colorado's national parks,Mesa Verde National Parkit is the farthest from Denver. In fact, I almost didn't include it on this list of national parks near Denver because it really isn't that close to the city.

However, as it is one of four national parks in Colorado, and an incredible one, it would be foolish to ignore it.

Located in the extreme southwest of the state, in thecolorado plateauYou'll need almost a day to get there from Denver, but that doesn't have to be a problem.

In fact, it offers the perfect opportunity for a Colorado road trip. No one has ever complained about it!

Along the way, you'll also pass close by Great Sand Dunes National Park, so I definitely recommend stopping there. (See suggested itinerary below.)

At Mesa Verde, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you can see dozens of ancientNative American Heritage, including several impressive cliff dwellings.

The park is home to nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites, including some of the best-preserved Ancestral Pueblo sites in the US andfascinating rock art sites.

This is one of the fewunited states national parksthat were established to protect a historic site rather than a natural landscape or ecosystem.

Naturally, it's these incredibly preserved ruins that steal the show here. You can see many of them on two scenic drives at Chapin Mesa, as well as continuingguided tours of famous cliff dwellingscomo Cliff Palace, Long House ou Balcony House.

Suggested Travel Itinerary for Colorado National Parks

If you want to visit all four of Colorado's national parks at once, you're in luck.

There's a nice loop you can do,starting in denverand circling around southwestern Colorado. The next itinerary is clockwise, going south, west, north and then back east.

• Denver to Great Sand Dunes National Park: 238 miles / 4 hours
• Great Sand Dunes National Park to Mesa Verde National Park: 202 miles / 4 hours
• Mesa Verde National Park to Black Canyon from Gunnison National Park: 154 miles / 3 hours
• Black Canyon do Gunnison National Park ao Rocky Mountain National Park: 290 milhas / 6 horas

I recommend spending at least one day and one night at each park, but preferably more if you have the time.

Rocky Mountain deserves at least two full days, while the other three national parks near Denver can all be explored in one packed day.ynight.

You would have around 9-10 days for this Colorado National Parks trip.

For an overview and map of all National Park Service locations in Colorado, I would like tosee the NPS website.

Other National Parks Accessible from Denver

In addition to Colorado's four national parks, there are two other national parks that can be accessed from Denver in a reasonable amount of time. both are justacross the border into Utah near Moab.

Two Arches National ParkHome to the densest collection of natural rock arches in the world, it's a beautiful park, albeit nearby.canyonlands national parkIt will leave you speechless with its spectacular canyon views.

Both Arches and Canyonlands are best visited together, being just 30 minutes from each other. You can camp there orspend a few nights in Moab.

• Denver to Arches National Park: 351 miles / 6 hours
• Denver to Canyonlands National Park: 363 miles / 6 hours

Other cities near national parks

• 7 National Parks Near Los Angeles, California
• 3 National Parks Near Miami, Florida
• 11 Best State and National Parks Near Las Vegas
• The 9 Best Nature Day Trips from Portland, Oregon
• 11 Incredible National Parks Near San Francisco
• 6 National Parks Near San Diego, California
• 13 Epic National Parks and Monuments Near Salt Lake City, Utah
• 10 National Parks You Must Visit Near Chicago, Illinois
• 7 National Parks Closest to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.