Back to Grand Junction + Hiking Colorado National Monument

From Dinosaur we headed south, with some reluctance, to the destination for our last week in Colorado.  Twenty-one weeks ago we entered Colorado and spent virtually the entire time since then in this beautiful  state.  We have thoroughly loved it here and hope to come back before too many years have passed.

For our last week we stayed in Grand Junction and planned to explore the Colorado National Monument.  This NM is the polar opposite of Dinosaur NM as far as proximity to civilization is concerned. Less than 20 minutes from Grand Junction's modest downtown, this stunning canyon landscape is a hidden-in-plain-site gem.

We did the supposedly best hike in the park, Monument Canyon, as well as the short Devils Kitchen trail and we spent considerable time at all the dozen overlooks along 23-mile Rimrock Road through the park. Check out more pictures and descriptions on the Outdoor Project:

Colorado National  Monument
Monument Canyon
Devils Kitchen


If you are ever passing through Grand Junction, it is literally a 15-mile detour  to go through Colorado NM instead, but it will take hours because it is so breathtaking. Here are some highlights of our week.