National Parks of the Rocky Mountains

Created by the forces of water, carving amazing pinnacles and gullies, The Badlands and it's cliffs have been transformed for the past half million years. The Badlands Wall may not be the typical attraction for some tourists, but the landscape of Badlands is a sight to behold.

This 27,705-acre Colorado park draws fewer than 180,000 visitors per year, making it one of the least visited national parks in the U.S. national park system. No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths visible here.

With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a hiker's paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness and solitude. Relive the days of old through historic chalets, lodges, transportation, and stories of Native Americans.

With the magnificent Teton Range as a backdrop, this park is one of the most uniquely beautiful spots in the United States. Towering more than a mile above the valley known as Jackson Hole, the Grand Teton rises to 13,770 feet above sea level.

In this high mountain valley are the tallest dunes in North America, flanked by some of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains. The park and preserve protects much of the Great Sand Dunes' natural system, including alpine tundra and lakes, forests, streams, dunes, grasslands, and wetlands. The dunes were deposited over thousands of years by southwesterly winds blowing through the passes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Depending on the time of day, the dunes turn different shades of rust, brown, pink, cream, gray, and gold.

Peaks towering more than 14,000 feet shadow wildlife, wildflowers, lakes, and forests in these 415 square miles of the Rockies. This park is most well known for its large animals, particularly elk and bighorn sheep, but also offers opportunities to view a variety of other wildlife as well.

Situated in the North Dakota badlands, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is home to a variety of plants and animals, including prairie dogs, bison, and elk.

This park features one of the world's longest and most complex caves, with an outstanding display of boxwork, an unusual cave formation composed of thin calcite fins resembling honeycombs. The park also includes one of the few remaining mixed-grass prairies, home to native wildlife such as bison, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, and prairie dogs.