One Day at Colorado National Monument

“I came here last year and found these canyons, and they felt like the heart of the world to me. I’m going to stay and promote this place because it should be a National Park.”

- John Otto, 1907

Near the border of Utah outside of Grand Junction, Colorado, is a small National Monument that preserves some iconic “American West” vistas. Located on the northeast side of the Colorado Plateau, it is known for its red rock canyons and 400 foot sandstone spires that seemingly shoot up straight from the canyon floor. From drives along the canyon rim to easy strolls to strenuous hikes, this park offers something for everyone.

I hadn’t originally intended to visit this park on my road trip through Colorado. But after I bailed on a backpacking trip and decided to head into Utah instead, I realized that I would practically pass right through it and so decided to make a day out of it. I mean, it would’ve been foolish to miss the chance to visit a park while I was so close, right?

I started the day off with a hike along the Devil’s Kitchen Trail, a short 1.5 mile round trip trail along the canyon floor to a really cool rock grotto. The first part of the hike took me along the wash of No Thoroughfare Canyon where I passed cool plants such as prickly pear cactus and red paintbrush, all while the canyon walls stood stoically against the sky in the background.

Taking a right, I climbed up stairs that had been carved into the slickrock, craning my neck to see the top of several massive upright boulders that had come together to create an enclosure. Stepping into the rock grotto framed by these giant spires was definitely an Indiana Jones moment.

After climbing around the various rocks and peering out at the rest of the canyon, I decided to have some fun and take a little “photoshoot” among the orange glow of the rocks. Sometimes one has to get a little creative when they travel solo haha

After playing around the boulders like a little kid, I attempted to hike down the No Thoroughfare Canyon Trail to visit one of the pools, but ended up losing the trail and had to turn around due to the increasing heat and decreasing water supply. Win some, lose some.

The Rim Rock Drive is a 23 mile scenic drive up and along the canyon rim that offers a plethora of viewpoints of uniquely-named rock spires such as “Kissing Couple,” “Praying Hands,” and “Organ Pipe.”

There are several trails that start along the drive as well. I chose to combine the 0.5 mile Canyon Rim Trail and the 0.25 mile Window Rock Trail for a nice 1.5 mile round trip hike along the edge of the rim with incredible views of the Wedding and Monument Canyons.

The main attraction of the Window Rock Trail is a rock that has a natural window in it. Shocking, I know. It was a neat feature to see but it was hard to actually get a good look at it. But the trail is so short that it's worth taking a little extra time to check it out.

There are quite a few more trails that I didn’t have the time to do that I would like to come back and explore, but I think I got a pretty good taste of the park that day. With the sun starting to set and me still needing to find a dispersed place to camp that night, I finished the Rim Rock Drive — its terminus conveniently spitting me out right by I-70 — and continued on my way towards my next adventure: Utah and its famous Goblin Valley.

More photos below!

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