File:My Public Lands Roadtrip- McInnis Canyon National Conservation Area in Colorado (19595967319).jpg

Located in the magnificent red rock country near Grand Junction, Colorado, the McInnis Canyons NCA offers dinosaur buffs an opportunity to explore sites of significant historic excavations. Step-back 140 million years and hike the 1.5-mile Trail Through Time, an interpretive trail adjacent to an active dinosaur quarry. In addition to learning about past excavations, you can occasionally see paleontologists working onsite between May-August.

You’ll also find endless outdoor activities in the 123,000-acre NCA. The area includes a hiking trail to the second-largest concentration of natural arches in North America. World-class mountain biking can be found on Mack Ridge and along the 142-mile Kokopelli trail, which extends to Moab, Utah. Twenty-five miles of the Colorado River wind their way through the NCA, offering a flat-water float through spectacular red-rock canyons. Pictograph and petroglyph sites abound, and the Old Spanish Trail - once referred to as the “longest, crookedest, most arduous mule route in the history of America” - runs through the NCA.