Grand Junction, Colorado – The Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau (GJVCB) invites visitors to get in the autumn spirit with fun seasonal activities. Named one of the eight sunniest cities in the U.S. by TourismReview.com, Grand Junction boasts ideal weather year-round on top of a breathtaking landscape – the perfect setting for these five fall pursuits.
Grape Harvesting Season – Fall truly kicks off in Grand Junction with the region’s grape harvest. Visitors can enjoy the best wines Colorado has to offer all season long at now 22 local wineries around Grand Junction. The newest winery with a tasting room that is open year round just opened its doors in late September 2014. Tours, wine tastings and field-to-table experiences amidst the majesty of red rock cliffs and mesas embody the local outdoor way of life and explain why it’s known as Colorado’s wine country.
Leaf Viewing – For nature-lovers with fall leaf viewing in their veins, or visitors seeking a colorful autumn excursion, the golden leaves of Colorado’s iconic Aspen trees gild inviting trails on the top of Grand Mesa. The National Scenic Byway along I-70 from Grand Junction to the Mesa also displays the happy yellow of turning Cottonwoods that fringe the Colorado River. The Crag Crest Trail offers the perfect high alpine hike atop the spine of the world’s largest flattop mountain from which visitors are sure to take in as much fall color as possible.
Red Hot Dirt Days – A new three month-long event, Red Hot Dirt Days combines deals and dirt to celebrate the 2014 fall biking season in a place offering some of the best mountain biking in the country. Trails around Grand Junction make leisurely loops or stretch for dozens of miles of rocky terrain. A single-track favorite, the Kokopelli Trail offers serious bikers 142 miles of thrilling single-track riding. Cyclists can check out the Red Hot Dirt Days website to take advantage of lodging discounts from a number of hotels as well as local deals for merchandise, food and drink.
Golf – Grand Junction offers five courses for visitors to choose from on their list of “fall fives,” including the greens listed #1 public course in Colorado as ranked by golf digest in 2014, The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa. Nearby Tiara Rado invites golfers to swing alongside the animals, including deer and herons, on yards of green set against the grandeur of the Colorado National Monument. Another scenic option: Chipeta Golf Course where flat terrain presents broad vistas of Grand Mesa, Bookcliffs, Uncompahgre Plateau and the Colorado National Monument. There are also a couple of nine-hole courses in the area: the intimate, tree-lined public course of Lincoln Park Golf Course and the three championship courses of Adobe Creek National Golf Course.
Big Game Hunting – Grand Junction welcomes big game hunters to Glade Park and Grand Mesa for the fall hunting season. Archers start tracking earlier in the season for deer, elk, pronghorn and moose while muzzleloader runs September and October with rifle season beginning in October and running through November. Grand Junction has several sporting goods stores for equipment and gear. Some stores also sell licenses over the counter, and they can also be purchased through the Division of Wildlife. A couple game processors in town make dinner after the hunt even easier with quality cutting and packaging of bagged game.
About Grand Junction (www.visitgrandjunction.com)
Nestled near 11,000-foot Grand Mesa and the 7,500-foot Book Cliffs, Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. At an altitude of 4,586 feet, warm summers and moderate spring, fall and winter seasons allow for year-round golf, hiking and biking. Boasting more than 275 days of sunshine annually, Grand Junction recently was named one of the eight sunniest cities in the United States by TourismReview.com. Among Grand Junction's spectacular red cliffs and winding canyons are the Grand Mesa, the world's largest flat-topped mountain, the Colorado National Monument, Bookcliff Wild Horse Area, two national scenic byways and five golf courses. Grand Junction lies in the heart of the Colorado-Utah Dinosaur Diamond. The area also is home to Colorado's wine country, with nearly 30 vineyards and wineries.
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