"Go West Young Man"
So we had been to Denver/Colorado Springs many times and decided that we wanted to venture a little further west in the state to see what we could find. What we did find was very interesting!
We decided to drive from Denver to Grand Junction, Colorado where we stayed for a few days while we explored the Western Colorado/Eastern Utah areas. It is almost a 4 hour drive to get to Grand Junction and the terrain makes several changes as you go west.
Rocky Mountains
When you think of Colorado (or at least when I do) images of the Rocky Mountains probably come to mind. The mountains, while visible from Denver along the skyline of the city, are actually about an hour and a half drive west of the city itself. Of course if you are an avid skier you know this fact well! So the first hour and a half of our drive took us directly into the mountains. I-70 is dotted with numerous well known skiing venues such as Copper Mountain and Vail. Even if you are traveling during the off season, it is fun to make a stop and look around these famous venues.
Beyond the Rockies
Once you get past the Rocky Mountains, the terrain changes dramatically. Yes there are still mountains but they are a totally different type. They are folded mountains and look totally different. You will also notice that the distance between towns gets much further! You can travel past many exits that have little to no services before you actually get to Grand Junction. Towns are small, scenery is not quite as interesting as the Rockies in my opinion although there is a nice river that flows along I-70 for some time.
There are a couple scenic routes that branch off of I-70 as you get close to Grand Junction. They are well marked along the roadway. I would highly recommend that if you chose to take the detour onto the scenic by-way that you do it when you know there is enough light left in the day. The roads are winding, long, add quite a bit of time to the drive, and are a little frightening after dark! Also, there isn't a whole lot of scenic anything that you can see once the sun goes down. The only thing we saw were the headlights gleaming off the eyes of the wildlife that came near the roadway after dark! My opinion of the scenic drive may be skewed by this fact....so check it out if you are in the area and have a desire to do so!
Grand Junction
Once you arrive in Grand Junction you will be happy to see civilization again. This is a fairly large city (huge compared to the ones you have seen for the past several hours) with real services, restaurants, hotels and even a Sam's Club! The downtown area is really cool and a must see if you are in town. It's very "old fashioned" looking and has numerous shops that are just fun to walk by or to stop in and browse.
Just outside of town to the west is a beautiful canyon. The area is called Colorado National Monument and has many different types of terrains within it's boundaries. There is a canyon, towering monoliths, and even a plateau. There is a $10.00 fee/vehicle to enter the "park" and a paved roadway with pull off areas where you can stop and take photos. There are 12 trails throughout the monument area if you would like to hike. Again I would caution that you should start out (even if you are just driving through) before it is dark. It took us about an hour and a half with stops to get through the area. Here is a link to the website for further information http://alltrails.com/parks/us/colorado/colorado-national-monumentEastern Utah
When we were scoping out our trip to the western part of Colorado, we discovered that Grand Junction is only about an hour and 40 min drive from Arches National Park. This was definitely on our bucket list to visit and Grand Junction made a great place to establish our base as there are few lodging options once you get near Arches. You will also notice a big change in terrain once again as you get into Utah.
Arches National Park ($5.00/individual $10.00/vehicle)
This is is a MUST DO if you can find a way to get to this park! It is so different than anything you will see elsewhere. Yes there are red rocks in other places but the arches here are absolutely stunning! The park itself isn't really close to anything (as most National Parks tend to be) so finding a base is an important thing. Moab, UT is the closest town and there are services there. You can also
Once you get to the park, there is a paved roadway that will take you through the park as well as several trails that you can take to get up close and personal with the arches. These trails range in difficulty. We only had the day so we chose a few of the easy trails and it was well worth the time spent.
Parking is limited at popular trailheads so you may want to check out alternative transportation such as bikes, shuttles, etc. There are several ATV rental facilities in Moab if you would like to rent a vehicle and take it on the trails. Remember to hold onto your pass as it is good for 7 days!
It really is an amazing park and words just don't do it justice. Take a look at some of the photos of the area!
Canyonlands National Park ($5.00/individual $10.00/vehicle)
Canyonlands National Park is only a few miles from Arches. As good as Arches is....that's how bad we found Canyonlands to be. I have to say this is my least favorite National Park that I have visited in my travels (followed closely by Great Basin National Park). I feel badly saying that I didn't care for this park, but I have talked to others that have visited Arches and Canyonlands and have had the same reaction. It is quite possible that Arches is so stunning that anything would pale in comparison but the park just seemed underwhelming to me.
However, the parks are so close in proximity and if you want to see as many National Parks as you can, go ahead and make a stop. I would not plan on a large amount of time to view this. If you have a short time and can only choose one......go to Arches and skip Canyonlands.
In Summary:
My last few blogs have given you many options for visiting various areas of Colorado that will not break your budget. Other than the cost to travel to the state itself, there are many things to do that are so economical. Very few places that I have visited offer so many different things to do and see at such a great price. I would recommend taking a look at Colorado and see all there is to do!
