Nokhu Crags, Mountain summit in State Forest State Park, Colorado, US

Nokhu Crags are a group of rocky spires in the Never Summer Range, located in State Forest State Park in Colorado, reaching about 12,500 feet (3,800 m). The crags rise steeply above the American Lakes basin and are made up of loose, fractured rock.

The rock of Nokhu Crags began as sediment in an ancient ocean basin. At the close of the Mesozoic Era the region was thrust up with the formation of the Medicine Bow Range. Around 24–29 million years ago rising magma fed volcanoes that preceded the Never Summer Mountains; the magma cooled into granite and nearby shale metamorphosed into the hornfels that forms the crags. Erosion and glaciation then exposed the vertical fins, and talus at the base shows erosion continuing.

The name Nokhu comes from an Arapaho word meaning Eagles Nest, a reminder of the long relationship between Indigenous peoples and these peaks. Visitors who look up on a clear day may spot eagles riding the air currents above the rock spires.

Reaching the crags involves hiking through the American Lakes basin, and the loose rock on the upper sections calls for experience with unstable terrain. Setting out early in the morning gives you the best chance of avoiding afternoon storms, which are common at this elevation.

The western rock face is home to a large colony of bats that pour out of the crevices at dusk, which most visitors never see because they leave after the day hike. Staying near the base until evening reveals this unexpected side of the crags.