The sun’s first light struck the walls of Wedding Canyon in Colorado National Monument as if they’d been splashed with a bucket of orange paint. I smile-squinted as I climbed higher into the desert, enjoying the air’s momentary coolness. It would grow unbearably hot, but in this moment, the temperature was perfect.
Grand Junction, a city of 65,000, is named for the joining of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers, and is growing as a destination for travelers – and not just for hikers and bikers. For example, I’d heard of Mesa County’s many wineries (30 at last count), but I knew nothing of the many craft beer options in town until my last trip west. I’ve spent the night at the Grand Junction KOA, but until this last visit I’d never stayed in one of its newer hotels. I’ve driven part of Rim Rock Drive in Colorado National Monument, but never hiked any deeper in the park than a couple of scenic viewpoints. It was time to change all that.
I’ve always considered Colorado National Monument, near the border with Utah, just south of Interstate 70, to be one of Colorado’s best-kept secrets. It is a veritable “mini-Grand Canyon” that you can see from the highway but which most people don’t give a second and more prolonged glance. It’s time to stop thinking of this area as a pit stop on the way to or from Moab. It’s time to dig a little deeper – in both the national monument and Grand Junction, itself.
This is how I found myself drinking in that dawn sunshine, approaching the top of Wedding Canyon. The Monument Canyon Loop is a 4.7-mile, two-hour tour, which I hiked early to beat the heat and the crowds. I saw signs of the bighorn sheep that live along this loop, but none showed themselves. I saw lizards and bees and red rock spires and other stunning formations. Then I drove 15 minutes to Grand Junction and went straight to Octopus Coffee, locally famous for its breakfast burritos, house-baked pastries, Cuban breves, and a “happy hiker” sticker, which I slapped on my coffee mug.
My options for the rest of the day included a self-guided tour of the city’s 115 art sculptures and murals, tee time at one of three year-round golf courses, or a day of mountain biking or off-road adventures. There is even a botanic garden worth exploring. There are also a few air-conditioned museums in town – a great option if you have kids with you (Museum of the West or Eureka! Science Museum in Grand Junction and the Dinosaur Journey Museum in Fruita). If you have a dinosaur-obsessed kid with you, plan to hike the 1.5-mile Trail Through Time. Or, I could head back to Hotel Maverick, a modern four-story affair on the edge of the Colorado Mesa University campus, where I could soak in the hot tub or enjoy coffee and a slow, post-hike morning. I went for the latter.
Food + Wine Magazine recently pronounced Grand Junction and the surrounding area “the new Sonoma with its charming vineyards and stellar dining.” I would add to that, “and its burgeoning beer scene.” Brewery options include the Handlebar Tap House, especially popular with mountain bikers, with a patio, rooftop seating, full burger menu, and 24 rotating beers on tap (plus Peach Street Distillery cocktails and Colorado canned wines). There’s also Ramblebine Brewery, known for its sours, but also for its God Hammer Red and the Hellyah Blonde. One more backyard beer garden of note is Foam & Folly Brewery & Taproom, also with an ample indoor, art-adorned space.
I landed on the top floor of my hotel at Devil’s Kitchen, the on-site bar and restaurant with a long view south toward Colorado National Monument, whose cliffs turned a peach-blossom pink as the sun drew lower. I couldn’t pass up a stop at the rooftop bar. Devil’s Kitchen was named for a rock feature in the national monument, accessible via a 2-mile, out-and-back hiking trail. It was hidden somewhere in the folds of that pink rock. Maybe that’s where I’d hike the next morning. At sunrise.
If you go: Hotel Maverick (rooms from $139, depending on the season) is modern, with a rooftop restaurant and bar, and some nice common spaces, inside and out.
Editor’s note: This post was updated on Sept. 6 to remove a photo that showed a small dog hiking on a trail on BLM land near Colorado National Monument. Dogs are not allowed on trails in Colorado National Monument. The photo was removed to prevent any confusion.
