Is Colorado National Monument worth it?
Colorado National Monument punches well above its designation.
Rim Rock Drive alone justifies the detour from Grand Junction, threading between 500-foot sandstone monoliths with pullouts that rival anything in Utah. The fact that it is free makes it almost absurd value. Add real backcountry camping, road cycling that draws serious athletes, and legitimate rock climbing, and you have a monument that behaves more like a full national park. Summer heat above 100 F is the one honest deterrent, but spring and fall conditions are close to perfect.
Who it is for
Road cyclists, rock climbers, and scenic drive enthusiasts get the most from this place. Families with kids benefit from the Junior Ranger program and easy front-country access. Visitors wanting crowded visitor-center tourism or lush green scenery should look elsewhere.
Highlights
- Rim Rock Drive: a paved route through sheer red-rock canyon walls with frequent wildlife watching stops for bighorn sheep
- Road cycling on Rim Rock Drive, popular with serious cyclists who train on its sustained elevation changes
- Backcountry camping and hiking that puts you inside the canyon system rather than just above it
- Rock climbing on the sandstone monoliths, a less publicized but legitimate draw for climbers
Editor's tipVisit in April, May, or October to avoid triple-digit summer heat and afternoon thunderstorms. If you are driving Rim Rock Road after a winter storm, call the park hotline at (970) 858-3617 ext 35 before heading out, since ice and rockfall cause unannounced closures.
