In January, Travel + Leisure named Palisade among the most beautiful small towns in the U.S. But apparently, it isn’t just a sight for sore eyes.
This week, Trip Advisor also gave a nod to the Western Slope destination as one of the coolest desert towns in the country. In something of a love letter to the American West, writer Nicholas DeRenzo spotlighted eight “fascinating desert hot spots that are anything but dry.”
Trip Advisor gushed about Palisade’s fertile grounds for produce, shouting out Pêche Restaurant and the Palisade Peach Festival, as well as the abundant vineyards in the area.
The best way to check out all the town has to offer, Trip Advisor said, is to travel it by bike. (We’ll add that hiking the desert trails nearby is also a fantastic choice in the spring.)
“There’s also a great little bar at the Spoke and Vine Motel, a converted 1955 motor lodge where you can rent cruiser bikes to explore the wine country and the surrounding farms or fruit stands,” the website wrote. “You’ll need a heavier duty mountain bike–which you can rent from Rapid Creek Cycles and Paddleboards—to tackle the new Palisade Plunge: Opened in 2021, it’s one of the longest downhill trails in North America, comprising 32 miles and 6,000 vertical feet of switchbacks and technical backcountry trails from the top of Grand Mesa down to the valley below.”
