Often-overlooked ‘Little Rocky Mountain National Park’ a 70,000-acre hidden gem known for moose

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Sometimes referred to as ‘Little Rocky Mountain National Park,’ Colorado’s largest state park spans 70,932 acres. This means that while it’s just over a quarter of the size of its nickname’s namesake (265,807 acres), it’s larger than both Mesa Verde National Park (52,485 acres) and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (30,750 acres). Even more noteworthy is perhaps that many people reading this right now still don’t know what park is being discussed, despite it being one of the largest spots that’s designated for outdoor recreation statewide.

The topic at hand is State Forest State Park, home to 136 miles of trails and 228 campsites. It’s found just northwest of Rocky Mountain National Park and just east of Walden, presenting visitors with a stunning landscape of lakes, peaks, and stretching forests of pine, fir, spruce, and aspens. Plus, the North Park area where it’s located tends to be home to about 600 moose year-round.

While its sheer scale alone makes it noteworthy, its beauty is on par with some of the best to be found in the American West. That said, it’s often overlooked when it comes to tourism — especially a shocker when considering how coveted moose sightings are frequent in this Colorado region, too. According to the park, more than 330,000 visitors stop by each year — this accounts for about 1.8% of all state park traffic (18 million in 2024), and if each of the 43 state parks in Colorado got an equal share of traffic, that would mean around 419,000 visitors at each state park. In other words, despite its size, State Forest State Park is less visited than one might expect.

It’s location is likely a key factor in lower visitation numbers — it’s roughly a three-hour drive from downtown Denver and close to four hours from Colorado...