The largest city on Colorado's Western Slope, Grand Junction sprawls across the Grand Valley, an area of the state that packs a punch for those seeking adventure and local flavors.
There are special places and unique vistas around nearly every Colorado corner. You can help ensure these places exist for generations to come by staying on roads and trails, keeping speeds in check, leaving campsites and picnic spots just as you found them, and following instructional signs while you’re out and about in our state.
Pack your camera and experience this quintessential Colorado tour on your bicycle. The 23-mile Rim Rock Drive stretches from one end of the monument to the other, and you can start in either Grand Junction or Fruita. Best suited for fit cyclists with some climbing experience (or at least those up for a challenge), the ride involves about 2,300 feet of climbing. From the Grand Junction side, the climb is a little tougher (over about 4 miles), whereas the climb is a bit more gradual (over 6 miles) from the Fruita side.
Test your ORV skills at Grand Valley OHV Area. Create your own path on a 4x4, ATV, or dirt bike. This wide-open space has hundreds of dune-like mesas to explore.
Pack your camera and experience this quintessential Colorado tour on your bicycle.
December through March, visit Powderhorn Mountain to ski, tube or board in view of the world's largest flat top mountain, Grand Mesa. If you're visiting during summer or fall, the Grand Mesa also has a wide array of hiking trails and campsites and more than 300 lakes for fishing.
Experience the majesty of Colorado National Monument on the short Devil's Kitchen hike. Although less than a mile from the road, the shady interior of Devils Kitchen rock formation feels like a remote oasis. This moderate trail ascends a large rock slope and is hard to follow, look for cairns (rock piles) and carved steps.
The Palisade Fruit & Wine Byway, divided into three routes, is a favorite of automobile travelers and bicyclists from around the world. Experience the beautiful orchards, lavender gardens, world class vineyards, premium wineries and fresh farm market fruit stands along the way.
Shaded by the majestic beauty of the red rock cliffs and mesas that surround Grand Junction and Palisade, the Grand Valley is home to more than 20 wineries and vineyards that serve up some of Colorado’s best wines. You don’t need to be an expert to enjoy a summer afternoon wine tasting, winery tour or the annual Colorado Mountain Winefest, which is held every September.
