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. I' ~ covered water system to the public will play an important part in the interpretive story of Mesa Verde. Other Park Service developments in Colorado include: a new Visitor Center at Great Sand Dunes National Monument; a campsite develop- ment at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison; a new Visitor Center and observation shelter at Colorado National Monument; picnic develop- ment at Dinosaur; new visitor facilities at Rocky Mountain National Park; ruins repair and stabilization at Hovenweep; and stabiliza- tion of Cliff Palace and Free-Standing Arch above Little Long House in Mesa Verde Na- tional Park. National Park Areas In total, areas administered by the National Park Service in Colorado include two National Parks; six National Monuments; and one National Recreation Area, representing a total area of 526,412 acres with visitors totaling nearly 3 million a year. Mesa Verde National Park contains hundreds of prehistoric ruins ranging from small excavated pit houses and large surface pueblos to mag- nificent cliff dwellings in canyon walls. The Park can be reached by U.S. Highway 160, midway between Cortez and Mancos, Colo. Rocky Mountain National Park is the spectacu- lar part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, with 65 named peaks from 10,000 to 14,255 feet elevation with outstanding dis- plays of glaciation. The Hidden Valley section of the Park is a wonderful winter outdoor recreation area. The Park can be easily reached from the East and West by a number of routes. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monu- ment, spectacular gorge of the Gunnison River, is notable for its narrowness, depth, ruggedness, and great expanses of sheer walls, its depth accentuating the darkness of ancient rocks of obscure origin. Both rims of the Canyon are accessible by car from early spring to late autumn via U.S. Route 50 from Montrose or U.S. Route 92 from Crawford, Colo. Colorado National Monument has colorful and spectacular erosional forms consisting of mas- sive ramparts, sheer-walled canyons, and delicately sculptured spires and columns. The 16 Monument is easily ac.cessible on U.S. Routei 6 or U.S. Route 50 through Grand Junction.! Dinosaur National Monument consists of ai semiarid wilderness plateau cut by great gorges;1 smooth water and rapids, tilted strata that! represent millions of years of geologic processes,1 with rich deposits of skeletal remains of pre.1 historic reptiles. The Monument is located 21 miles from Vernal, Utah. 1 Great Sand Dunes National Monument, a 36,740.' I acre area, contains the largest and highest dunes! in the United States. It can be reached by Statel Route 150 which leaves State Route 17 one milell north of Mosca. Hovenweep National Monument includes fou~ groups of remarkable prehistoric towers, pue!J.i los, and cliff dwellings, located about 35 mileJ from Pleasant View, Colo. I Shadow Mountain National Recreation Area includes Shadow Mountain Lake and LakJ Granby, two units of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, lying adjacent to the wes! entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park I The area contains 48 miles of shoreline. I Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site Projec, contains Bent's Old Fort, which was constructed about 1833. The Fort served as a frontier supplj house, a fortress for protection from the Indians) a hostelry, a trading post, a trappers' rendezvous: a storehouse and hospital during the war wit~ Mexico, a stage station, and a stopping placl for practically all caravans which passed ov~ the mountain route of the Sante Fe Trail Land acquisition has not been completed., Water Recreation I In Eastern Colorado, there are 13 Bureau Q Reclamation reservoir areas, most of whiq offer a wide variety of excellent recreation~ opportunities-boat and shore fishing, wat~ skiing, power and sailboating, picnicking an camping. The State has a total of some 125,7~ surface acres of lakes and reservoirs of whid ! (Right) Roughing it in the Rockies-some areas are ~ yet developed to preserve their scenic resources or pi vide picnic and camp sites, but still attract many '/isit'