Summer/Fall 2023, Nine State Tour, 8.20.23 - 9.25.23, Part 4 of 9: Colorado National Monument
Once we left Dillon, we were excited to be transitioning into a different environment. Looking forward to the desert heat and the red rock of Utah, we first made a one night stop outside of Grand Junction at Colorado National Monument. It was about a three hour drive on I-70 from Dillon to Grand Junction. Along the way we drove through the incredibly scenic Glenwood Canyon. I had been through Grand Junction numerous times but had never stopped long enough to visit Colorado National Monument. The Monument consists of a long stretch of cliffs along the Colorado Plateau, carved by wind, water and erosion leaving massive rock pillars and hoodoos all along the escarpment. There are numerous trails both up on the rim and down below at the base of the wall, however, the main way most people see this place is by driving a twenty-three mile road called Rimrock Drive. On both ends it starts at the bottom and climbs up steeply along the edge of cliffs to the rim of the plateau. There it winds its way along the rim, often with long dropoffs right next to the road with few guardrails for protection. It is not a road for those uncomfortable with exposure. There are nineteen signed viewpoints along the way and access to fourteen hiking trails of various lengths.
We entered the Monument on the west end and drove the Navibahn up the windy road to Saddlehorn Campground which is the only campground within the Monument. It sits at about seven thousand feet and the sites are surrounded by pinyon pine and Utah juniper. There are no hookups but we were only there for one night so that didn’t matter at all.
We settled in and relaxed for a few hours, waiting for the sun to start to sink for better light. Around four in the afternoon we stopped into the visitor center before driving the road. We had planned to drop back down, drive around and do the road from east to west so we could end up closer to our campsite but we ended up choosing to simply drive from west to east and then just turned around and came back the other way. That proved to be a good idea. We stopped at all the viewpoints and determined which ones were the best for photos and then took our time coming back as the light continued to improve. Some of the viewpoints had short trails that went out to points on the rim. I think our two favorites, which were both only half mile round trips were the trail to Otto’s Point and the Windows Rock Trail. The entire monument truly exceeded my expectations and even though it was a Friday evening, there was hardly anyone driving the road that night. I think that the scenery improves the further west you go on the Rimrock Drive so I would say the best way to do it is from east to west, ending up with the Windows Rock Trail off the campground loop.
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
After our wonderful sunset cruise along Rimrock Drive we got back just in time to see the walls of the mighty Book Cliffs across the valley turn pink just after the sun dropped below the horizon for the night.
The Book Cliffs
One night was perfect for seeing the views of Rimrock Drove. I think you could spend another day or two exploring the trails down below for a full Colorado National Monument experience. But Utah was calling and more adventures were waiting for us.