Top Ten Alternative National and State Parks

7. Colorado State Forest State Park, Colorado
(Instead of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado)
Compared to heavily tread areas of Rocky Mountain National Park, the (redundantly-named) Colorado State Forest State Park is 71,000 acres of pure solitude. The park borders the Medicine Bow Mountains to the east and the Never Summer Range to the south, making it the perfect pocket for wilderness exploration and wildlife observation. Wander the pine forests with elk, black bears, and Colorado's largest concentration of moose (with more than 600 moose to be viewed year-round), or set out for one of the park's many turquoise-tinted alpine lakes where bighorn sheep roam. Trek to the top of North Rawah Peak (12,473 feet) or along the Lake Agnes Trail to see the jagged Nokhu Crags, 2,000-foot-high shale towers that are remnants of a long-gone sea. Paddle the Canadian and Michigan rivers where otters cut through the current, or fish for trout in clear lakes where golden eagles perch nearby.

Colorado Parks & Outdoors Travel Guide