Over 1,700 plant and animal fossils have been discovered in the rich deposits that cover this monument. From giant Sequoias to delicate leaves, fish, birds, insects and spiders, these fossils give scientists an idea of what North America was like 34 million years ago.

The large Ancestral Puebloan village hidden beneath the earth mounds at Yucca House National Monument has yet to be excavated.

Rocky Mountain National park offers breathtaking views of the spectacular Rocky Mountain range, with 60 peaks over 12,000 feet, small permanent glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, and historic and cultural treasures including ancient trails, game drives, cattle ranches and lodges. This park’s rugged landscapes harbor hundreds of high-elevation plant and animal species — some that are increasingly rare outside the park or are found nowhere else. Some of the park’s human-made structures speak to the boom-and-bust cycles and neverending search for adequate water supplies that characterized the nation’s westward expansion.