As we wound our way on the switch-back journey up the mountain face, our mouths began to drop open in awe at the rock monuments rising before us and the canyons suddenly yawning wide around us! This is a truly awe-inspiring place hidden in plain sight, and confirmed our suspicion that National Monuments are just as sensational as National Parks -- without the extreme crowds!
Colorado National Monument is a National Park Service unit near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into sandstone and granite–gneiss–schist rock formations. It is justifiably called “the Heart of the World”!
Saddlehorn Campground has no hookups, but does have restrooms with flush toilets and potable water. There are no showers and the dump station is off-site at the Fruita Welcome Center. No campfires are allowed, but using a generator is only restricted by the normal quiet hours, 8pm to 8am.
RV length is restricted to 40 feet in the A and B loops and 20 feet in the C loop. Reservations can be made through recreation.gov. The A and B loops are reservable mid-March through mid- October, up to 6 months in advance.
The Historic Rim Rock Drive gives you 23 miles of spectacular bird’s-eye views of the canyons, and there are 40 miles of maintained trails, ranging from easy to death-defying!
This is an unforgettable place!
Lee: scs@sonic.net
Susan: This is my FAVORITE! Grapefruit XS energy drink contains no sugar other than natural fruit sugars and delivers a big vitamin B boost! Perfect for all the exquisite but demanding hiking at Colorado National Monument – both to get ready to go and recover after I’ve gone on a good long hike!