Road Trip! Grandest Of All
Hiking, Wildlife And Spectacular Scenery At Colorado National Monument
Story and photos by Reid Neureiter
For the GPHN
Colorado has some great driving roads: Trail Ridge Road, the Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway, the Pikes Peak Highway scenic drive and the Million Dollar Highway in the San Juans.
But near the top of any such list must be Rim Rock Drive in the Colorado National Monument, just south of Grand Junction and Fruita on the Western Slope. Described by the National Park Service as “one of the grandest scenic drives in the American West,” the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive ascends 2,475 vertical feet from the Colorado River valley floor, switch-backing up the side of the red-rock walls to showcase the spectacular canyons and towering monoliths.
The drive provides access to 19 signed viewpoints throughout the Monument, as well as 14 hiking trails that vary from one-half to 14 miles round trip. Short hikes provide access to spectacular cliffside views while longer hikes take the visitor down into the canyons toward more remote backcountry.
The Antiquities Act allows a President in his discretion to declare a monument. As such, the Colorado National Monument was established in 1911 by President William Howard Taft to preserve “extraordinary examples of erosion [that] are of great scientific interest, and it appears that the public interest would be promoted by preserving these natural formations as a National Monument…”
Although the Colorado National Monument is managed by the National Park Service, it is not officially a “National Park,” which requires an act of Congress. The Civilian Conservation Corps began building Rim Rock Drive, the main means of accessing the Monument, in the 1930s. The road was finally completed in 1950.
It is recommended that visitors to Colorado National Monument allow at least an hour of driving time to go from one end of the Monument to the other. Visitors should allow at least another hour or more for stopping at pullouts, walking and taking in the breathtaking views down to Grand Junction and across the valley to Grand Mesa to the north. Keep an eye out for desert bighorn sheep known to inhabit the steep canyon walls.
Colorado National Monument is open year-round. It is 262 miles west of Park Hill, just south of Interstate 70. The entry fee per vehicle is $25. For more information check out the Park Service’s webpage at nps.gov/colm/index.htm
