Colorado National Monument

Joan Anzelmo, who can trace her National Park Service career from Yellowstone to Washington, D.C., to Grand Teton and finally to Colorado National Monument, which was her last posting before retirement, has been honored by the National Parks Conservation Association for her commitment to the Park Service ideal.

The windshield touring season will see motorists from all over America and the world converging on the scenic drives in our national parks. Here are some traverses, loops, and shuttles in the western parks that belong on anybody's short list.

Holding that a professional bike race is neither "necessary nor appropriate" for a national park, National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis has endorsed a decision by the Colorado National Monument superintendent not to open the monument to such an event.

A pair of nesting golden eagles apparently likes the view overlooking Monument Canyon in Colorado National Monument. Unfortunately, that has forced monument officials to place some climbing and off-trail hiking restrictions in place through September 1.

With supporters of a professional bike race through Colorado National Monument soon to sit down to discuss the matter with the National Park Service, both the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees and the National Parks Conservation Association are united in opposing the race.

Beginning in May it will cost you a little bit more to enter Colorado National Monument.

If a professional bike race charging through Colorado National Monument is the key to the rugged red-rock landscape and its treasures in western Colorado being redesignated as a "national park," then it's time to end the discussion over a name change.

National Park Service officials are being lobbied by U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper to allow a professional bike race to zoom through Colorado National Monument.

If you're still looking for a unique way to ring in 2011, you might consider heading to western Colorado and Colorado National Monument, where a special fireworks display will mark the end of 2010.

Looking for a change of pace for your late autumn schedule? Here's a sampling of upcoming special events in several parks around the country.

With winter bearing down on Colorado National Monument, officials are planning to close the middle stretch of Rim Rock Drive. However, to offset that they're also planning to reduce entrance fees during the winter months.

A set of rare fossilized footprints discovered in Colorado National Monument and unveiled to the public earlier this month will remain on display through year's end, according to Superintendent Joan Anzelmo.

The unveiling of an exhibit displaying three sets of rare fossilized footprints highlighted the celebration of National Fossil Day at Colorado National Monument.

What's in a name? Apparently a lot when the name includes "national park."

If you visit Colorado National Monument this summer and drive the park's scenic Rim Rock Drive, you may encounter a group of masked men along the way. Fear not, Jesse James and his gang haven't been reincarnated, but this bunch certainly deserves the "tough guys" label.

The Ride The Rockies bicycle tour takes several thousand cyclists on a week-long ride through the Colorado Rockies each June. The first stage of this year's RTR showcased one of America's most popular mountain biking routes, the spectacularly scenic Rim Rock Drive in Colorado National Monument .

Three years ago, then-National Park Service Director Mary Bomar placed a freeze on most fees associated with visiting the national parks. Now, though, it appears that freeze might be thawing.

Having gone five years without an increase in entrance fees, officials at Colorado National Monument are proposing a slight boost in the rates for 2011.

A celebration of hiking will be held Saturday, May 1, at Colorado National Monument when visitors are invited to participate in the inaugural "Serpents Trail Centennial Challenge."

One CD-Rom that works with either Mac or PC. Mapping software that let's you zoom in and out, pan right or left, and take a bird's eye 3-D view of the lay of the land. And the ability to load the map onto more than a few GPS units. Has National Geographic hit upon something with its Trails Illustrated Explorer series?

Finicky bears, addled boaters, a cannon that was, a cannonball that wasn’t. In 2009, these and other outside-the-box stories reminded us that you just never know what you’re going to run into – or what might run into you -- in America’s national parks.

A 37-year-old Colorado man was arrested Thursday in connection with the dragging death of a dog at Colorado National Monument.

An adult German shepherd that appeared to be in fine physical condition was dragged to death behind a vehicle at Colorado National Monument early Wednesday, prompting authorities to seek information leading to those responsible.

Mother Nature doesn’t give a hoot about international park exchanges. When a Mongolian delegation recently visited Colorado National Monument, they were greeted by minus-four cold and foot-deep snow. This didn’t deter them, their TNC sponsors, or the park staff.

Like most parks, Colorado National Monument has a lot of trails that can use some work. In 2009 the park had its first trail crew in decades, and visitors can already enjoy the results of some projects that were ready for pick and shovel.

How do you grow the next generation of park supporters? One formula is a cookout, s'mores around a campfire, a ranger-guided hike complete with exciting wildlife sightings, and an overnight camping trip. Colorado National Monument recently used grant funding to make it possible for a group of youngsters to enjoy those classic outdoor experiences.

Experiencing our national parks’ grandeur from the saddle of a road bike is a bit like summiting a high peak. The arduous pedal through the park is rewarded with the scenery and equally thrilling descent from the park roads’ high points. Fall is sublime for cycling in national parks, so with the season quickly approaching, now is the time to experience the Mountain West’s greatest national park road cycling routes.

Last Saturday afternoon, 65-year old Stanley Dodson, an avid cyclist and freshly-retired university professor, became the first person in the 98-year history of Colorado National Monument to be fatally injured while bicycling in the park.

A building at Colorado National Monument constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps crews in 1941 and long popular with visitors to the monument has been vandalized.