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Natural Spectacles of Colorado National Monument

Sometimes, it’s worth approaching a place without any preconceived notions or expectations and being pleasantly surprised. I didn’t know very much about Colorado National Monument and glad to have experienced its beauty during our visit. Here are things to do at Colorado National Monument.

Colorado national Monument sign

Getting from Grand Junction to Colorado National Monument

We flew into Grand Junction, Colorado for the sole purpose of visiting Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. A late flight home allowed us a few hours to explore the lesser known Colorado National Monument. There were many things that made this park a fun and fascinating visit with the family.

Colorado National Monument is about 30 minutes (15 miles) from Grand Junction. It makes for an easy visit when exploring the city. The park isn’t very big so you would only need at least a couple of hours to explore it.

History of Colorado National Monument

The monuments here weren’t buildings or structures to honor former presidents or fallen heroes. But, they are geologic structures of enormous monoliths and towering red rock formations.

Its founder, John Otto, was an early resident whose efforts enabled this place to become a National Monument. The President establishes a National Monument with a declaration, while an Act of Congress establishes a National Park.

Colorado National Monument grand view

Otto’s vision of this place’s potential led to building a road that later became the monument’s main thoroughfare. He wanted to make visitors feel as if they were in a place “where only birds could fly” and he accomplished it.

Colorado National Monument red cliff

Colorado National Monument Rim Rock Drive

We entered the park through the Fruita entrance off of the I-70 Highway. It was a bit surprising not to see other cars for miles even though it was still summer season. Sheer, red rock cliff walls and rugged landscape surrounded us.

There is only one winding road in the park that goes from one end to the other. Many describe Rim Rock Drive as one of America’s best scenic roads. It is 23 miles (37 km) of paved road with 19 scenic overlooks – many worth a stop.

Colorado national Monument rim rock drive

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built most of the road between 1933 and 1942. It was an extraordinary feat using native building materials and without the aid of bulldozers. Workers removed blasted rocks by hand or through small carts on rails pulled by horses.

Knowing the back-breaking and intense labor used to build this road made us appreciate the beauty that surrounded us even more. The CCC also built three tunnels along Rim Rock Drive. We passed through two of the short ones enough to marvel at how they carved it through the rocks and mountains.

Colorado national Monument rock tunnel

Balanced Rock

As we drove up from the valley floor to the monument’s plateau, we encountered one of the natural wonders, Balanced Rock. It precariously perched on a towering formation that seemed ready to tip over with the next jolt. Balanced Rock weighs 600 tons which equals to 120 African elephants.

Colorado national Monument Balanced Rock

Red Canyon Overlook

While Rim Rock Drive will take you eastward to the Grand Junction entrance, we drove two-thirds of the way to the Red Canyon overlook. We wanted some time for short hikes and also needed to return to the Visitors Center (near the west entrance where we entered) for my kids’ Junior Ranger badges.

Formed by flowing water, Red Canyon was a wonderful turning point. The scenery framing the city of Grand Junction was very picturesque. Boulders and colorful cliff walls,dotted by plenty of vegetation, surrounded us.

Colorado national Monument red Canyon

Rock layers represented their different ages found throughout the monument. The oldest rocks were found at the canyon bottoms and youngest are located at the top of the canyons.

Colorado national Monument cliff

The reddish orange cliffs here were incredibly stunning. Some of them looked so smooth and looked like a painting.

Colorado national Monument red canyon cliff

Fallen Rock Lookout

Many of the lookouts presented majestic views of canyons with numerous Utah juniper trees and layers of rocks surrounding it. One of the more interesting lookouts was Fallen Rock

Fallen Rock slid from the cliff face behind it more than 100 feet (30 m) and now rests on the nearby slope. The gradual geologic process of water, temperature and wind over many centuries contributed to its downfall.

Colorado national Monument Fallen Rock

Weathering and erosion forces carve canyons and create rock formations. Colorado National Monument is known for its cliffs, monoliths and rock formations mostly made of 200 million year old sandstones.

Colorado national Monument Coke Ovens

The Coke Ovens

The most remarkable formations we found were these groups of oddly shaped rocks. We weren’t quite sure what they looked like but they were known as the Coke Ovens

The dome shapes were thought to resemble the beehive ovens used to transform coal into a type of fuel called coke. The easiest trail we did was the half-mile Coke Oven Trails which was fairly easy to do on a warm day with kids.

Colorado national Monument Grand View

Other rocks formations were strangely or appropriately named which included Kissing Couple, Praying Hands, Needles Eye and Pipe Organ. Whoever named these rocks surely had some creative juices flowing.

Colorado national Monument rock formations

The Independence Monument

The park’s symbol was a 450-feet tall monolith and the canyon’s tallest formation was known as Independence Monument.

Independence Monument
Independence Monument

It’s only fitting that traditions happen here with such an impressive formation. Every Independence Day (July 4), park rangers and a group of rock climbers climb to the top to fly the American flag here.

Colorado national Monument Independence Monument

During our visit, we saw some of the climbers high on top of the rock tower. Can you spot them? I don’t know how long it took them to get up there but a lot of us only stared in amazement and admired their dedication and skills.

Independence Monument rock climbers

We really liked the solitude of Colorado National Monument offered. Many of the National Parks in the summer tend to be very crowded.

The lack of visitors and not having to deal with traffic on Rim Rock Drive was a welcome relief. It’s an overlooked gem in America’s National Park system. The impressive canyons, panoramic views and fantastic rock formations were just some of the reasons we were happy to have spent a few hours here.

Colorado national Monument cliffs

Tips for Visiting Colorado National Monument 

  • How long does it It takes a little over an hour to drive all 23 miles of Rim Rock Drive with minimal stops at the overlooks.
  • There are 14 hiking trails that range from .5 mile to 14 miles roundtrip. Stop by the Visitor’s Center for maps and current conditions and to get information from park rangers.
  • Gas up and bring water and food.  There are no services available in the park.
  • Restroom facilities available at the Visitor’s Center and two campgrounds but not in any of the viewpoints.
  • Fees: $25 per car and good for 7 days;  Free with National Park Pass.
  • Visit the Colorado National Monument Calendar to see any events happening during your visit.
  • Traveling with kids? Grab a Junior Ranger booklet to earn their badge at the Visitor’s Center.  Families can also borrow the Junior Ranger Explorer Backpack for free for up to four hours.  It includes binoculars, colored pencils, microscope, bird, plant and wildlife guides.
Colorado national Monument Junior Ranger Explorer Backpack

*Have you explored Colorado National Monument? 

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Colorado National Monument

27 thoughts on “Natural Spectacles of Colorado National Monument”

  1. I can’t tell you how many times I drove past the turn-off for the Colorado Monument but I have never been. Your photos make me regret that decision and the next time I’m in the area I’ll have to remedy it. I have heard that the park doesn’t get a lot of traffic – which is a lovely change from the more well known ones in Utah.

    1. The park was like a ghost town even though it was summer but we liked it that way. You’d love this place, Leigh. The trails are great and it’s also popular with bikers. we came out saying..”who knew this was here?” Absolutely breathtaking!

  2. I had never heard of the Colorado National Monument – it looks absolutely stunning! I can’t imagine climbing to the top of that rock tower – it looks like a terrifying climb!

    1. It was an amazing place. Those climbers were hard core and just blows my mind with what they were able to accomplish. It was too bad we didn’t have enough time to stick around and watch them reppel down.

  3. Over the last few days I’ve been reading and looking at rocks and canyons. Not that I’m complaining as they all are absolutely beautiful. These photos are stunning! Love the amazing views.

    1. This was like a mini Grand Canyon and totally unexpected from Colorado. I’ve seen pictures of the red rocks covered in snow and the contrasts were absolutely beautiful. The drive along the twisted road was well worth it.

  4. Those Oven Cokes look like caricature versions of short, pot-bellied men! In fact many of the rock formations in your pictures remind me of people in a social gathering! This place looks awesome, and it’s another place to add on my to-do-list. I must say by having you are a mother, I bet your kids are some of the most well travel kids in America!

  5. Debbie @ European Travelista

    I love the colors of the desert in Colorado. The rock striations are pretty amazing too! This is an area I need to spend more time in.

  6. This park is just beautiful! I am definitely putting this on my list of must-visit places. I honestly have not heard of or read about this park before, so thank you so much to your post. I love all the pictures, but I especially love the one with the tiny climbers! So amazing!

  7. A huge place and so beautiful. I like that you can do it easy and drive around or hike as well. The fees are so cheap and valid for 7 days. Great value for the budget minded.

  8. I will admit that I have never heard of Colorado National Monument. Thanks for the introduction as well as explaining the difference between a National Monument and a National Park. I don’t think I understood the scale of these formations until I finally spied the tiny rock climbers in the picture. Wow!

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