1. MOUNTAIN RANGES Front Range Park Range
San Juan-Most rugged in the contiguous US
Sangre de Cristo-”Blood of Christ”
Sawatch

2. Park Range
MOUNTAIN RANGES
Front Range
Sawatch
San Juans
Sangre de Christo

3. Front Range
A mountain range of the Rocky Mountains that is located in the north-central portion of Colorado.
The Front Range is so named because, moving west along the 40th parallel north across the Great Plains of North America, it is the first mountain range encountered.
The name "Front Range" is also applied to the Front Range Urban Corridor, the populated region of Colorado and Wyoming just east of the mountain range and extending from Pueblo north to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

4. Park Range
A mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Colorado.
The range forms a relatively isolated part of the continental divide, extending north-to-south for approximately 40 miles along the boundary between Jackson (east) and Routt counties.

5. San Juan A rugged mountain range in southwestern Colorado.
The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado.

6. Sangre de Christo Spanish for "Blood of Christ"
the southernmost sub range of the Rocky Mountains
located in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado
The name is said to come from the red color of the range at some sunrises and sunsets, especially when the mountains are covered with snow, alpenglow.

7. Sawatch In central Colorado
Includes eight of the twenty highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains
Includes Mount Elbert, at 14,440 feet elevation, the highest peak in the Rockies.

8. RIVERS Colorado Arkansas Platte Rio Grande Gunnison
More rivers begin in Colorado than in any other state

9. Platte River
RIVERS
Colorado River
Gunnison River
Arkansas River
Rio Grande River

10. Colorado River a river in the southwestern United States
approximately 1,450 mi long
draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains.
The natural course of the river flows into the Gulf of California

11. Arkansas River A major tributary of the Mississippi River.
traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas
At 1,469 miles (2,364 km) it is the sixth longest river in the United States, the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi-Missouri system
Its origin is in the Rocky Mountains in Lake County, Colorado, near Leadville, and its outlet is at Napoleon, Arkansas.

12. Platte River

13. Rio Grande
Known as the Rio Grande in the United States and as the Río Bravo in Mexico,
1,885 miles long
the fourth longest river system in the United States
serves as a natural boundary along the border between the U.S. and Mexico

14. Gunnison A tributary of the Colorado River approximately 180 mi long
the fifth largest tributary of the Colorado River

15. MOUNTAIN PARKS Were at one time lakes
Elevation between 7,000 and 8,000 feet; too high for tended agriculture so people make a living with grazing
All are centrally located

16. MOUNTAIN PARKS North Park-Walden
Middle Park-Granby, Kremling and Frazier
South Park-Fairplay
San Luis Valley-Alamosa and Monte Vista; has some tended agriculture

17. North Park
Middle Park
MOUNTAIN PARKS
South Park
San Luis Valley

18. San Luis Valley

19. South Park

21. Colorado Piedmont
GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES
Continental Divide

22. Colorado Piedmont
the geologic term for an area along the base of the foothills of the Front Range in north central Colorado.
The region consists of a broad hilly valley, just under 5000 ft in elevation, stretching north and northeast from Denver, as well as southward from Colorado Springs.
The region includes much of the populated and cultivated area of Colorado.

23. Continental Divide
The largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from:
1) those river systems which drain into the Atlantic Ocean
2) along the northernmost reaches of the Divide, those river systems which drain into the Arctic Ocean

25. COLORADO GEOGRAPHY The state divides itself into three parts:
- Eastern Plains
- Mountains
- Western Slope

26. EASTERN PLAINS An extension of the Great Plains
Gradual incline from the Eastern border
Comes to an imaginary line where the cities of Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo are located
Not much rainfall; windy spring, dust storms, heat and summer drought

29. Called “The Great American Desert” by early visitors who were used to the green of the Eastern United States
Native grasses grown here-good for grazing
Native animals would be buffalo and antelope
Colorado Piedmont-Center of population, education and industry

32. MOUNTAINS 54 mountains are over 14,000 feet
79% of the 14ers in the contiguous US are in Colorado
Called the “crest of the continent”
Continental Divide is a ridge of mountains that divide the water flow from east to west; East to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico and west to the Pacific Ocean

33. Some of Colorado’s 14’ers
Pikes Peak
Mt Evans
Some of Colorado’s 14’ers
Longs Peak

34. CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL

35. MOUNTAINS
The continental divide is called “the backbone of the Rockies”
Rockies reach their highest and widest points in Colorado (in the contiguous US)
Most impressive canyon is the Royal Gorge in Canyon City. At one point it is 30 feet wide and has a drop of 1200 feet
Trappers first drawn here by beavers
Other animals include grizzlies, black and brown bear, mule deer, big horn sheep and mountain lions

36. Royal Gorge

37. Beaver
Mule Deer
Mountain Lion

38. Big Horn Sheep
Grizzly
Black Bear

39. WESTERN SLOPE
Contains some mountain towns-Ouray, Silverton, Telluride and Aspen
Last area to be settled in Colorado
Far west is semi-arid and at times almost desert-like
Unique geographic features are mesas and plateaus
Largest mesa is Grand Mesa
Part of Colorado Plateau

40. Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction

41. Mesa Verde is located in the southwestern portion of this area
Black Canyon of the Gunnison is located here (near Montrose). Walls extend to 2425 ft. This was recently made into a national park
Northwest Colorado was the last to be settled
Four Corners located here-Colo., NM, Arizona and Utah

42. Black Canyon
of the
Gunnison

43. Black Canyon of the Gunnison

44. 4 Corners