An Often Overlooked Treasure - the Colorado National Monument!
Ahhh RV travel life - some days you have to schedule downtime for required vehicle maintenance, procuring provisions, and all of the little pesky routines of living life as a human. One down day in Colorado lead to an unexpected exploration of a national monument so quiet, we thought maybe the area was closed!
Park Update by the NPS: Resurfacing Rim Rock Drive
“Date Posted: 3/23/2024 Project work runs from 4/2- 8/5. There will be delays of up to 15 minutes and occasional road closures between DS Rd and Independence Monument View. Visit the project page for a full work schedule.”
GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO
We began our 2023 road trip leaving Washington State in late July, and traveled through Idaho, Montana, back into Idaho, and then wound our way south thru Utah before landing for an extended period in Grand Junction, Colorado. After a week of travel, we were in dire need of a place to set up shop for a bit to stretch our legs and explore, as we were itching to get in some hikes! Grand Junction proved the perfect base camp to explore south into Telluride, Ouray, and Silverton, and the perfect opportunity to escape the stifling, over 100 degree heat that Colorado was enduring. We set up shop at the Grand Junction KOA and happily enjoyed the mountain communities, but unfortunately the realities of life on the road set in, and we needed to stop our daily explorations for vehicle maintenance and a run for provisions. Surprisingly, we were able to sneak in laundry, an oil change on the truck, and grocery procurement all in the morning hours of a midweek day. Left with an entire afternoon, I hopped online to find something to do and located the Colorado National Monument which is literally a 25 minute trip from the KOA. All reviews said to enter the monument via the west entrance station near Fruita for better views, hence the 25 minute drive.
Even though temps were nearing 100 and the sun was high in the noon sky which makes for terrible photography - we enthusiastically hopped in the truck with plenty of water and sunscreen. After entering the park and visiting with the lonely Ranger attending the booth (we were the only car to arrive in the past hour), we started to climb out of the valley on breathtaking Rim Rock Drive. Our first vantage point was Redland View which gave a sneak peak of stunning views that were yet to come. We were truly in for a treat!
COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT
This park is PACKED with things to see and NOT PACKED with people! Make sure you drive slow, pull over often to explore every nook and cranny, and consult the visitor’s guide the ranger provides. The scenery is stunning, just as magnificent as crowded Arches and Zion, and there’s a lot to take in. 600 ton boulder perched on a rock pedestal anyone? Take a look at Balanced Rock! The trails in this area are short, yet pack an extraordinary punch, each has a unique topography and the twists and turns of the drive provide the perfect backdrop to view the best this park has to offer. Yes, I’m calling it a park because it is SO underrated its crazy! Check out the highlights below….this isn’t even 10% of what this area has to offer.
HIGHLIGHTS…
Take a look at Rim Rock Drive….see hoards of people? Nope!!! As a photographer this adds to the excitement as the potential for wildlife encounters intensifies and with it, the high probability of stunning photography. I wished we could return during the early morning hours of sunset or the late golden hours instead of high noon as I’ve read reports of encounters with big horn sheep, countless raptors, lizards, reptiles, and the only venomous snake that exists in the area….the slithery midget-faded rattlesnake. Eek.
You will fall in love with this park like John Otto, the first park custodian and advocate of inclusion of the region as a national park, and as you explore the area, you’ll appreciate his efforts of conservationism. Otto arrived in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1906 and as he settled the area he noted the unparalleled beauty of the region and thought it should be designated a national park. Unfortunately the 23,000 acres of plunging canyons, sculpted red rock monoliths and massive towers didn’t make the grade and CNM remains a monument to this day. That’s OKAY as it leaves an area minimally trafficked for those seeking an escape from crowded parks.
Otto’s past is certainly unique. As the first custodian he earned one dollar PER MONTH until leaving his post in 1929. After reading historical accounts online, Otto seems like a adventurer after my own heart - someone at home in nature and solitude. In 1911 he married Beatrice Farham at the base of Independence Monument (a towering rock which made him even more famous)….yet sadly the marriage lasted only a few weeks as Otto insisted in living in a tent near his beloved animals.
Why is Independence Monument so infamous? Otto started a yearly tradition of climbing the treacherous rock structure on July 4th to fly an American flag. Gimmicky? Perhaps, yet to this day countless rock climbers follow his insane ascent to the top in his honor, so at the end of the day, a passionate Otto has left his mark on those of us motivated by his early efforts.
We highly recommend you take the short stroll to the end of Grand View to take in the sights. IF you are like me and don’t exactly appreciate heights, check out our video below for a few tips on how to make the trip to the end! I stayed on the ‘other side’ until Aaron checked it out and deemed it something I could navigate!
Make sure you check out the visitor’s center as you navigate Rim Rock Drive. It’s small, yet mighty and packs lots of historical information and interesting facts about the park. Again, we literally stopped at EVERY hike and outlook we found and explored extensively, and we recommend doing the same. You won’t be disappointed!! The hikes are quaint and easy to navigate - I wouldn’t even call them ‘hikes’ - more like casual strolls to award winning views!!! Can you truly hike this area? Of course….but if you’re half day tripping like we were, you’ll see plenty. Just be aware that you CAN deep dive into this area if you prefer! Next up for award winning views….the Coke Ovens…
Where else on earth can you see coke ovens? Plenty of areas, yet the information on what they were used for is varied. Coke is undeniably a hot burning fuel created by using the beehive ovens to “coke” or produce a low-Sulphur bituminous coal. The output results in a fuel which produces little to not gas when burned. SO when you gaze upon the naturally forming rock structures at the Coke Oven Overlook, you can envision a coal transformation even if they are simply created by earth, wind, and erosion. Either way……cool!
Okay - last photo I’m going to tease you with! We spent the entire afternoon in the park but you could easily extend or shrink the amount of time depending on your itinerary. I took 100’s of photos and enjoyed dancing with the clouds as they transformed the landscape by shadowing rock structures below. I could easily have spent 8 hours photographing this area!!! The actual drive can take an hour or so if you just need to do a quick preview. With the early evening quickly approaching, storms beginning to brew (fun to watch) and stomachs grumbling, I knew it was time to call it a wonderful day and wander back to the KOA to relax. Will we be back? Without a doubt!
