3 Minute Read When President Taft signed the bill designating Colorado National Monument over 100 years ago in 1911, John Otto made the first ascent of Independence Monument. Once John summited, he committed to continue this feat every 4th of July. Otto would make the trek up the 450-foot fin to…
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3 Minute Read Within just 20 minutes from Downtown Grand Junction, two pristine canyon trails can be found in the Bangs Canyon Recreation Area. The Mica Mine Trail and the Rough Canyon Trail start from the same trailhead and share the first little section of the trail before separating and offering…
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3 Minute Read The northern end of Western Colorado’s Uncompahgre Plateau comes alive with remote canyons that slice through colorful sandstone layers to form cliffs, pinnacles, alcoves, and - most impressively - arches. In fact, you can find a collection of 35 natural arches, including eight major…
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5 Minute Read I had no idea what to expect the first time I went through Colorado National Monument. As far as National Parks go, I was pretty familiar with Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde, but I hadn’t really even heard of Colorado National Monument before. But when I saw the signs for it when…
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6 Minute Read No visit to Grand Junction would be complete without a trip to its biggest (literally) attraction: Grand Mesa. This distinctive formation, with its flat top and steep cliff sides, covers hundreds of square miles. It’s the largest flat-top mountain in the world — and, consequently, is…
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