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By Jacob
By Jacob
Colorado National Monument is located in western Colorado near the town of Grand Junction, Colorado. The monument is administered by the National Parks Service. Colorado National Monument features many canyons, vistas of the surrounding landscapes and pinnacles of red rock. There are many things to do in this park and this article will go into what some of the best things are to do with you time here.
1. Saddlehorn Visitor Center
Any visit to a unit of a national park service site should include a stop at the visitor center. Like the 62 national parks the visitor center at Colorado NM features information on the park, hiking trails and other events going on in the park. At the visitor center you will find multiple exhibits about the park and its history. There are park rangers available for questions and any information that you might need. The visitor center is located in the northern part of the park along the Rim Rock Drive. There are also beautiful hiking trails that start at the visitor center and go along the canyon to the Book Cliffs View.
2. Rim Rock Drive
The Rim Rock Drive is the only road that goes through the entire park. The road travels from the west entrance to the east entrance 23 miles through the park. Stop at the many visitas along the road to take in the canyons and red rock at the gateway to southern Utah and the southwest. Get sweeping views of Grand Junction, the Colorado River and Colorado Plateau. Staring in the south, the road winds up to the high plateau and through a tunnel to the sweeping upper views of canyons. As you get further north the vistas and road increase its beauty. Be alert for any wildlife like mountain goats that may be on the road or the surrounding canyons. Finally, you reach the Grand View, this is a not to be missed vista. As the name suggests it is the best view in the whole park. Before you is a sweeping canyon with towers of red rock and islands in the sky. Further north is the Otto’s trail as well as the park visitor center and Canyon Rim Trail. Past the visitor center you begin to drive back down the canyon through two tunnels and past the balanced rock to the west entrance.
Rim Rock Drive from Upper View
3. Hiking Trails
Even if you have just a couple of hours in Colorado National Monument be sure to walk some of the short trails off the Rim Rock Drive. When we visited the park we parked at the visitor center and took the Canyon Rim Trail and the Window Rock. I would recommend this trail as a nice place to get out and stretch your legs along a canyon. This trail does not have any guard rails along the canyon but stays a far enough distance away from the rim so you can still see the views but not having to worry about the heights. The trail is one mile long, the further you get up the trail the more spectacular the trails get. Another great trail is Otto’s Trail. It is a mile long and leads to another great perspective similar to the Grand View on the Rim Rock Drive.
There are so many things to do in Colorado National Monument and these are just a few of the highlights. For more information click the link to the park website for more information.
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