Even if you’re coming to Grand Junction for a taste of our world-class fruits and wines, diverse cultural attractions or just to hang out for a long weekend, there are still three outdoor adventures you simply must experience:

 

1.      Colorado National Monument

2.      Grand Mesa, the largest flat-top mountain in the world

3.      Colorado Riverfront Trail

 

And the weather is always beautiful here (we enjoy about 310 days of sunshine each year) so you can easily tackle all three on almost any given weekend you’re here.

 

DAY ONE 

 

The Colorado National Monument preserves one of the most unique landscapes in America. As part of our national parks system, its 20,000 acres of sheer-walled, red-rock canyons dominate the western horizon of Grand Junction. They're filled with towering monoliths and tiny desert wildflowers, colorful rock formations and equally colorful collard lizards, rugged yet nimble desert bighorn sheep and graceful, soaring peregrine falcons.

 

This spectacular red-rock country forms the eastern edge of the Colorado Plateau, extending from here all the way to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, hundreds of miles downstream.

 

A 23-mile trip along Rim Rock Drive, a spectacular two-lane paved road, reflects the environment and history of the plateau-and-canyon country – and it's only minutes from downtown Grand Junction. Plenty of marked trails and a great Visitor Center and bookstore await guests up at the top. Follow signs through Grand Junction to the east entrance, or through Fruita to the west entrance.

 

 

The largest mesa (or flat-top mountain) in the world, Grand Mesa has more than 220 lakes, 25 streams and tens of thousands of elk, deer and other wildlife spread across 500 square miles of the Grand Mesa National Forest. It stretches for approximately 40 miles east of the Grand Valley and is situated between the Colorado River (originally called the Grand River) and its world-famous tributary, the Gunnison River. The Gunnison eventually spills into the Colorado River at Grand Junction, thus the city’s name.

 

The Grand Mesa rises 5,000 feet above the Gunnison and Colorado river valleys, with deep dark timber and drop-dead gorgeous aspen forests extending for miles. With an average elevation of 10,000 feet, it's maximum elevation tops out at 11,327 feet.

 

The Grand Mesa may look flat from afar but, make no mistake, you're still in the Rocky Mountains. You won't be disappointed by taking I-70 east from Grand Junction for 20 miles to the Grand Mesa/Powderhorn Ski Area exit (#49). That’s Colorado Highway 65, a National Scenic and Historic Byway. It leads directly to the top of the Grand Mesa. Camping, trout fishing, nordic and alpine skiing, quaint cabin rentals, rustic mountain lodges ... you name it, you’ll find it!

 

 

The Colorado River is the lifeblood of Grand Junction and, in fact, it's the lifeblood of the arid west – from here through Utah and into Nevada, Arizona, California and even Mexico. The river's diverse riparian environment here in the valley is home to more than 200 different species of birds, three endangered species of fish and an abundance of small animals.

 

Nearly 25 miles of paved trails have been built through Grand Junction, following the course of the sixth-largest river system in the United States.

 

So where's the best place to hop onto the riverfront trail? At 7^th Street and Riverside Parkway at the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens. It's a cool botanical garden, and a cool place to stage up for a bicycle ride or easy handicap-accessible walk through the Grand Valley and along the powerful river that formed it.

 

The monument, mesa and riverfront trail are well worth a visit alone, but while you're here you might as well enjoy some of our excellent wines and world-class fruit, too. You won't be disappointed!