Colorado Word Search

Denver, Pikes Peak, Mesa Verde and 13 more Colorado words hide in the first grid, answer key included.

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0 of 16 words found

DABIGHORNSHEEPG

AHSASPENELILOCO

FBOULDERNNWKDGL

LLGEMRDCOTLLVZD

AUCOLORADORIVER

REOREDROCKSELTU

KSTLOBTDALARTES

BPDMESAVERDEHWH

URRHHGCHIRMSDWT

NUFPSTEGOSAURUS

TCPIKESPEAKNTML

IEEESKIINGLOLXE

NROCKYMOUNTAINS

GEYASISCDENVERR

ORWCOLUMBINEHSU

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

DenverDENVER
Rocky MountainsROCKY MOUNTAINS
Pikes PeakPIKES PEAK
Mesa VerdeMESA VERDE
Colorado RiverCOLORADO RIVER
Lark BuntingLARK BUNTING
ColumbineCOLUMBINE
AspenASPEN
Bighorn SheepBIGHORN SHEEP
Gold RushGOLD RUSH
SkiingSKIING
ElkELK
Red RocksRED ROCKS
StegosaurusSTEGOSAURUS
BoulderBOULDER
Blue SpruceBLUE SPRUCE

16 of 30 words from the Colorado Favorites list.

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Answer key: Colorado Word Search

DABIGHORNSHEEPG

AHSASPENELILOCO

FBOULDERNNWKDGL

LLGEMRDCOTLLVZD

AUCOLORADORIVER

REOREDROCKSELTU

KSTLOBTDALARTES

BPDMESAVERDEHWH

URRHHGCHIRMSDWT

NUFPSTEGOSAURUS

TCPIKESPEAKNTML

IEEESKIINGLOLXE

NROCKYMOUNTAINS

GEYASISCDENVERR

ORWCOLUMBINEHSU

DENVER, ROCKY MOUNTAINS, PIKES PEAK, MESA VERDE, COLORADO RIVER, LARK BUNTING, COLUMBINE, ASPEN, BIGHORN SHEEP, GOLD RUSH, SKIING, ELK, RED ROCKS, STEGOSAURUS, BOULDER, BLUE SPRUCE

Next step Make a puzzle from your own Colorado unit words Scramble the Colorado peaks and towns

All 204 words

Colorado Cities and Towns 36

Alamosa Main town of the San Luis Valley, with a Spanish name that speaks of cottonwood trees.
Aspen Ski town that began as a mining camp and is named for a tree with trembling leaves.
Aurora Big city that spreads east from the capital onto the plains.
Boulder College town below the slanted rock slabs called the Flatirons.
Breckenridge Gold camp turned ski town, with old clapboard and log storefronts along Main Street.
Central City Gold town in a steep gulch once called the richest square mile on Earth.
Cortez Town in the southwest corner, a base for trips to Mesa Verde and the Four Corners.
Creede Remote silver town squeezed into a canyon near the start of the Rio Grande.
Crested Butte Former coal town in the Elk Mountains, known for summer wildflowers and winter skiing.
Cripple Creek Gold camp behind Pikes Peak, where a cowboy's find set off a late rush.
Denver State capital and largest city, nicknamed the Mile High City because it sits a mile above sea level.
Durango Southwest town where a steam train still climbs the canyon to Silverton.

Show all 204 words (192 more)

Colorado Cities and Towns, continued

Estes Park Mountain town where elk graze on lawns, at the eastern gateway to Trail Ridge Road.
Fairplay High mountain town that holds a well-known pack burro race each summer.
Fort Collins Northern college city on the Cache la Poudre River that began as an army post.
Fruita Western town near dinosaur quarries and a national monument of red canyons.
Georgetown Silver-era town linked to its neighbor by a looping narrow-gauge railroad.
Golden Mining-camp town at the foot of the mountains, capital of the territory before Denver.
Grand Junction Main city of the Western Slope, where the Gunnison River meets the Colorado.
Greeley Plains city founded as the Union Colony and later renamed for a New York newspaper editor.
Gunnison College town in a high, cold valley, named for an army officer who surveyed a railroad route.
Lakewood Large suburb between Denver and the foothills, in Jefferson County.
Leadville Old silver boomtown high in the mountains, near the tallest peak in the state.
Longmont City north of Denver named for a tall peak that can be seen from its streets.
Loveland City that re-mails valentines each February with a special postmark.
Manitou Springs Town at the foot of Pikes Peak with mineral water fountains along its sidewalks.
Ouray Small town walled in by cliffs, named for a leader of the Ute people.
Palisade Western Slope town known for its peach orchards.
Pueblo Steel-making town on the Arkansas River, in the south of the state.
Rocky Ford Arkansas Valley town known for sweet cantaloupes and watermelons.
Salida Arkansas River town whose Spanish name means exit.
Silverton Old mining town ringed by peaks of the San Juan Mountains.
Sterling Main town of the northeastern plains, on the South Platte River.
Telluride Former mining town at the end of a box canyon, now known for skiing and festivals.
Trinidad Southern town on the old Santa Fe Trail, just north of Raton Pass and New Mexico.
Vail Ski town on Interstate 70 that grew up with its resort, below a pass of the same name.

Colorado Mountains and Passes 24

Elk Mountains High country around Aspen and Crested Butte that holds the Maroon Bells.
Flatirons Slanted slabs of rock that lean against the mountainside above Boulder.
Fourteener Local word for a peak that rises more than 14,000 feet above sea level.
Front Range First wall of mountains west of the plains, with Longs Peak and Pikes Peak in it.
Grand Mesa Huge flat-topped mountain on the Western Slope, dotted with lakes.
Great Divide Line along the mountain crests that splits streams bound for the Pacific from those bound for the Atlantic.
Longs Peak Flat-topped fourteener that towers over Rocky Mountain National Park.
Maroon Bells Twin reddish peaks mirrored in a small lake near Aspen.
Monarch Pass Road crossing of the crest of the continent on U.S. Highway 50, west of Salida.
Mount Blue Sky Summit west of Denver with a new name and a paved road that climbs nearly to its top.
Mount Elbert Highest summit in the state and in the whole Rocky chain.
Mount Massive Broad, many-topped neighbor of Elbert, rising west of Leadville.
Never Summer Mountains on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park whose name comes from the Arapaho.
Pikes Peak Summit above Colorado Springs whose view inspired the song America the Beautiful.
Rocky Mountains Great chain of ranges that runs through the middle of the state from north to south.
San Juans Rugged southwestern mountains full of old mines, where the Rio Grande begins.
Sangre de Cristo Southern chain of peaks whose Spanish name means Blood of Christ.
Sawatch Range Central chain that holds the highest peaks in the state, Elbert among them.
Spanish Peaks Twin mountains that stand apart from the main ranges at the edge of the southern plains.
Summit The very top of a mountain.
Timberline Height on a mountain above which trees no longer grow.
Trail Ridge Road Highway across Rocky Mountain National Park that climbs above 12,000 feet, past the last trees.
Tundra Treeless land of tiny plants on the highest slopes, like the ground of the far north.
Uncompahgre Ute name carried by a peak, a river and a plateau in the west of the state.

Colorado Rivers, Parks and Canyons 26

Animas Stream through Durango whose full Spanish name means River of Lost Souls.
Arkansas River Whitewater stream that starts near Leadville and flows out across the southeastern plains.
Black Canyon Deep, narrow, dark-walled gorge cut by the Gunnison River, now a national park.
Blue Mesa Largest body of water in the state, a reservoir on the Gunnison River.
Cache la Poudre Northern stream whose French name recalls trappers hiding their gunpowder.
Colorado River Great western waterway that begins in Rocky Mountain National Park and later carves the Grand Canyon.
Dinosaur Ridge Hillside west of Denver with fossil bones and footprints in the rock.
Eastern Plains Flat, dry farm and ranch country that covers the sunrise side of the state.
Florissant Valley of fossil insects and petrified redwood stumps, protected as a national monument.
Four Corners Spot in the southwest where this state touches Utah, Arizona and New Mexico at a single point.
Glenwood Canyon Narrow gorge of the Colorado River that Interstate 70 threads on bridges and through tunnels.
Grand Lake Natural body of water with a town of the same name, at the west gate of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Great Sand Dunes National park where the tallest wind-piled hills in North America rise against the mountains.
Hanging Lake Small clear pool on a cliff ledge in Glenwood Canyon, fed by waterfalls.
Hot Springs Naturally heated pools that bubble up in towns such as Glenwood, Pagosa and Ouray.
Mesa Verde National park of cliff dwellings built by the Ancestral Puebloans.
Pawnee Buttes Two lonely flat-topped hills on the northeastern grassland.
Plateau High, level land; the one named for the state covers its western edge.
Prairie Wide grassland of the plains.
Red Rocks Open-air theater between giant sandstone slabs in the hills west of Denver.
Rio Grande Long stream that starts in the San Juan Mountains and later forms the border with Mexico.
Royal Gorge Sheer-walled chasm of the Arkansas River, crossed by a very high footbridge.
San Luis Valley Wide, high, dry basin in the south, ringed by mountains and known for potatoes.
South Platte Stream that flows through Denver and out to the northeastern plains.
Western Slope Everything on the Pacific side of the Great Divide, a land of mesas, orchards and canyons.
Yampa Northwestern stream that joins the Green inside Dinosaur National Monument.

Colorado State Symbols 25

Aquamarine State gemstone, a pale sea-colored crystal found high on Mount Antero.
Bighorn Sheep State animal, a wild climber of crags; the ram's heavy horns curl back and around.
Blue Grama State grass, a prairie plant whose roots hold the soil in place.
Blue Spruce State tree, an evergreen with silvery needles.
Burro Racing State summer heritage sport: runners lead pack donkeys over mountain trails.
Centennial The state's nickname word: it joined the Union 100 years after the Declaration of Independence.
Claret Cup State cactus, with bright red-orange flowers.
Colorful Word paired with the state's name on welcome signs and license plates.
Columbine State flower, white and lavender, chosen in 1899.
Cutthroat Trout State fish: the greenback kind, named for the red slash under its jaw.
Hairstreak State insect, a purple butterfly that lives among scrub oaks.
Lark Bunting State bird; the male is black with white wing patches in summer.
Mushroom The state has an official one since 2025: the emperor, with a scaly brown cap.
Painted Turtle State reptile, a pond dweller with red and yellow markings.
Rhodochrosite State mineral, a rose-red crystal; the best known came from a mine near Alma.
Salamander State amphibian: the western tiger kind, dark with yellow blotches.
Shelter Pets Dogs and cats adopted from the state's animal rescues hold an official title together.
Skiing With snowboarding, the official state winter sport.
Snowboarding Shares the title of official state winter sport, named in 2008.
Square Dance State folk pastime, in which a caller sings out the steps to four couples.
State Flag Blue and white stripes with a red C wrapped around a golden disk.
State Seal Round emblem with a miner's tools, mountains and the Latin motto.
Stegosaurus State fossil, a plated dinosaur chosen after a campaign by fourth graders.
Tartan The state has its own plaid cloth pattern, made official in 1997.
Yule Marble State rock, a pure white stone from a mountain quarry, used for the Lincoln Memorial.

Colorado Wildlife and Plants 30

Bald Eagle White-headed bird of prey seen along rivers and reservoirs in winter.
Beaver Dam-building rodent whose ponds dot mountain valleys.
Bison Shaggy grazer that once roamed the plains in great herds.
Black Bear Forest omnivore whose coat here is often brown or cinnamon in color, despite the name.
Bobcat Short-tailed spotted cat.
Bristlecone Twisted high-country pine that grows very slowly and lives to a great age.
Coyote Wild dog of plains and mountains, known for its yipping howl.
Dipper Small gray bird that walks under water in rushing mountain streams.
Elk Large deer whose males bugle in the fall, seen in herds in mountain meadows.
Gray Wolf Pack hunter brought back to the western mountains after voters approved its return.
Hummingbird Tiny hovering bird; the broad-tailed kind trills through mountain meadows in summer.
Juniper Evergreen with berry-like cones that grows with pinyon pines on dry mesas.
Lynx Tufted-eared cat with huge snowshoe paws, returned to the San Juan forests by wildlife managers.
Magpie Black and white bird with a very long tail, common around towns.
Marmot Chunky rodent of high rock piles that whistles an alarm.
Moose Biggest deer of all, brought into the state by wildlife managers and now at home in willow valleys.
Mountain Goat White-coated climber of the highest cliffs.
Mountain Lion Big tan cat, also called a cougar or puma, that hunts deer.
Mule Deer Common western browser named for its very large ears.
Paintbrush Meadow wildflower whose bright tips look as if they were dipped in color.
Pika Small round-eared relative of rabbits that stores hay among high boulders.
Ponderosa Tall pine whose furrowed bark, some say, smells like vanilla.
Prairie Dog Burrowing plains rodent that lives in towns and barks a warning.
Pronghorn Swift tan and white runner of the open plains, often miscalled an antelope.
Ptarmigan Tundra bird that turns white in winter.
Quaking Aspen Tree with smooth pale bark and leaves that tremble, turning whole hillsides golden in fall.
Rattlesnake Venomous snake of the plains that warns with a buzz of its tail.
Sagebrush Gray-green scented shrub of dry western valleys.
Wildflower Any blooming plant that grows untended; mountain meadows fill with them in summer.
Yucca Spiky plant of the plains with tall stalks of creamy flowers.

Colorado History and Mining 28

Arapaho Plains people whose camps once stood where Denver and Boulder are now.
Bents Fort Adobe trading post of the 1830s and 1840s on the Santa Fe Trail, rebuilt as a historic site.
Boomtown Camp that grows into a busy settlement almost overnight when ore is found.
Capitol Denver building with a dome covered in real gold leaf.
Cheyenne Plains people, allies of the Arapaho, who hunted bison east of the mountains.
Cliff Palace Great stone village under a rock overhang at Mesa Verde.
Dust Bowl Years of drought and dark windstorms that hit the southeastern plains.
Ghost Town Settlement left empty after the mines closed, such as St. Elmo.
Gold Rush Stampede of fortune seekers toward the mountains at the end of the 1850s, named for Pikes Peak.
Homestead Free farm claimed by a settler family on the plains.
Kiva Round room, often sunk in the ground, used for ceremonies and meetings in a Puebloan village.
Miner Worker who digs ore out of the ground.
Mint Factory for coins; Denver has one of the few in the country.
Molly Brown Denver woman remembered as "unsinkable" after she survived the Titanic.
Narrow Gauge Kind of railroad with rails set close together, built to twist up mountain canyons.
Nugget Lump of gold found loose in a stream bed.
Panning Swirling gravel and water in a shallow dish to find flecks of gold.
Prospector Fortune seeker who searches streams and hillsides for precious metal.
Puebloans Ancestral farmers who built stone villages in the cliffs of the southwest corner.
Santa Fe Trail Wagon road of traders that crossed the southeastern corner on its way to New Mexico.
Silver Metal that built Leadville, Aspen and Creede in a later mining boom.
Smelter Works where ore is melted to draw out its metal.
Stagecoach Horse-drawn carriage that carried mail and passengers before the railroads.
Stamp Mill Machine house where heavy hammers crush ore.
Statehood Reached on August 1, 1876, as the 38th member of the Union.
Territory What the land was called from 1861 until it became a state.
Ute People of the mountains for many centuries, with reservations in the southwest corner today.
Zebulon Pike Army explorer who saw the peak that carries his name but never reached its top.

Colorado Ski and Trail Words 25

Altitude Height above sea level.
Avalanche Mass of snow that suddenly slides down a mountainside.
Backpacking Trekking for days with camp gear carried on your shoulders.
Blizzard Snowstorm with strong wind and very poor visibility.
Bugling The high, whistling call of a male elk in autumn.
Campfire Evening blaze at a campsite, used for warmth and cooking.
Chairlift Row of seats on a moving cable that carries skiers uphill.
Chinook Warm, dry wind that sweeps down the east side of the mountains and melts snow fast.
Fly Fishing Casting a feathered lure on a long line for trout.
Gondola Enclosed cabin hung from a moving cable that carries riders up a mountain.
Hiking Walking a trail for pleasure.
Kayak Small narrow boat moved with a double-bladed paddle.
Mogul Bump of packed snow on a steep ski run.
Mountain Bike Sturdy two-wheeler with knobby tires made for dirt trails.
Powder Skiers' word for fresh, dry, fluffy snow.
Rafting Riding whitewater in an inflatable boat, a summer sport on the Arkansas.
Rock Climbing Sport of scaling cliffs with ropes and harness, popular near Boulder.
Rodeo Contest of riding and roping skills.
Ski Patrol Rescue team that keeps a resort's slopes safe.
Slalom Race in which a skier weaves between poles.
Sledding Sliding downhill on a snowy slope for fun.
Snowshoe Wide frame strapped to a boot for walking on deep drifts.
Stock Show Big January fair of cattle, horses and rodeo in Denver.
Switchback Zigzag bend that lets a trail or road climb a steep slope.
Trailhead Place where a path begins, often with a sign and a parking area.

Colorado Farms and Food 10

Cantaloupe Sweet orange melon grown at Rocky Ford.
Cattle Beef animals grazed on the plains and in mountain pastures.
Denver Omelet Egg dish with ham, onion and green pepper that carries the capital's name.
Green Chile Roasted pepper sauce ladled over burritos; Pueblo grows its own kind.
Peach Fruit of the orchards around Palisade.
Pinto Bean Speckled seed crop grown in the southwest around Dove Creek.
Potato Main crop of the San Luis Valley.
Sugar Beet Root crop that built factories in northern plains towns.
Sweet Corn Summer crop that made the town of Olathe known.
Wheat Grain grown on the dry Eastern Plains.

How this list was compiled: Own work. Words and names about the state of Colorado for grades 2 to 8: eight themed lists (cities and towns; mountains and passes; rivers, parks and canyons; state symbols; wildlife and plants; history and mining; ski and trail words; farms and food), Colorado Favorites, an easy list of every word of 3 to 5 letters and a hard list of every word of 8 letters or more. Entries have 3 to 14 letters, and inside one list no word sits inside another, forwards or backwards. The grid keeps only the letters A to Z, so Pikes Peak is hidden as PIKESPEAK and Rio Grande as RIOGRANDE. Clues are our own wording; no clue repeats a word of four letters or more from its own entry. No brand, team, living person, song or drink is listed. The official symbols, the nicknames and the dates of the territory and of statehood follow the Colorado State Archives page Symbols and Emblems (https://archives.colorado.gov/collections/symbols-emblems), read 16 October 2026. Places, people, animals and plants were checked the same day against the English Wikipedia article for each entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado, license CC BY-SA 4.0). Dates, heights and records were checked in a second work: Store norske leksikon (https://snl.no/Colorado_-_delstat_i_USA and its articles on Denver, the Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak) and the National Park Service pages for Great Sand Dunes, Trail Ridge Road, Bent's Old Fort and Curecanti (https://www.nps.gov/grsa, https://www.nps.gov/romo, https://www.nps.gov/beol, https://www.nps.gov/cure). Where no second work gave a date or a record, the clue leaves it out. Unofficial and not affiliated with the State of Colorado or the National Park Service; an educational puzzle, so check an official source before you rely on a fact. Licence: own work

How it works

This Colorado word search opens on 16 favorites, the Rocky Mountains, Columbine, Lark Bunting and Gold Rush among them. Eight lists go further: cities, mountains and passes, rivers and parks, state symbols, wildlife, mining history, ski words and farm crops.

Read the full guide

A symbols list that schoolchildren helped write

Colorado State Symbols holds 25 entries from the State Archives list, and classes campaigned for several of them. Fourth graders won the Stegosaurus its place as state fossil, and students brought in the Painted Turtle and the Salamander. Skiing and Snowboarding share the title of state winter sport, and Burro Racing is the summer heritage sport.

From gold camp to ski town

Colorado History and Mining follows the rush of the late 1850s: Prospector, Panning, Nugget, Stamp Mill, Smelter, Boomtown and Ghost Town. Colorado Cities and Towns shows what came after. Aspen, Breckenridge and Telluride began as mining camps and now live on skiing, which is why Powder, Mogul and Chairlift have a list of their own.

Colorado Springs has 15 letters, one more than an entry may hold, so its neighbors Manitou Springs and Pikes Peak stand in for it.
Easy Colorado has the 19 words of 3 to 5 letters: Vail, Ouray, Pika, Lynx, Yampa, Miner, Kiva, Rodeo and Peach among them.
Fourteener is local slang for a peak over 14,000 feet. Mount Elbert, Longs Peak and Pikes Peak all qualify.

Questions and answers

Is the Colorado word search printable?

Yes. Print or save as PDF puts the puzzle on one page with a Name and Date line and the answer key on the next. Press New puzzle first and each table gets its own draw of 16 from the 30 favorites.

Are the Colorado state flower and state bird in the puzzle?

Yes, both in the first grid: Columbine and Lark Bunting. Colorado State Symbols adds Bighorn Sheep, Blue Spruce, Cutthroat Trout, Aquamarine, Rhodochrosite, Yule Marble, Blue Grama, Hairstreak, Claret Cup and Square Dance, each with a clue that gives its title.

Does it have the Rocky Mountains and the fourteeners?

Colorado Mountains and Passes has 24 entries: the Rocky Mountains, Front Range, Sawatch Range and San Juans, and peaks such as Mount Elbert, the highest in the state, Longs Peak and Maroon Bells.

Can the Colorado word search work as a state history quiz?

Open More options and tick Show clues, not words. A fact then stands in for each word: Statehood becomes "Reached on August 1, 1876, as the 38th member of the Union", and Bents Fort an adobe trading post on the Santa Fe Trail.

All 204 words

Colorado Cities and Towns 36

Colorado Cities and Towns, continued

Colorado Mountains and Passes 24

Colorado Rivers, Parks and Canyons 26

Colorado State Symbols 25

Colorado Wildlife and Plants 30

Colorado History and Mining 28

Colorado Ski and Trail Words 25

Colorado Farms and Food 10

How it works

A symbols list that schoolchildren helped write

From gold camp to ski town

Questions and answers

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