Visiting Grand Junction Colorado

Colorado has been on my list for awhile but I had never looked into staying in Grand Junction. We had the opportunity to visit while San Jacinto Junior College was playing in the JUCO World Series and decided to make a family vacation out of it. I’m so thrilled we did because we had the most amazing time visiting and exploring all the Grand Junction area has to offer! I’m sharing a little of our trip today and hope it gives you a little inspiration for why this is a great Colorado destination.

First off, Grand Junction has a sweet little downtown area that is hopping. Lots of darling little restaurants, boutiques and art displays. I’m always a sucker for a mural and they had several lovely ones but there were also beautiful flower beds and art displays all along the sidewalks.

After a 17 hour drive the day before, we were up early and ready for a hearty breakfast. The Dream Cafe was amazing! We tried the avocado toast, cinammon french toast and banana bread french toast. There were zero leftovers and we loved it so much we came back a second time!

Until this trip I had never heard of The Colorado National Monument. Apparently I’m not the only one because it was not crowded at all and is so easy to get in and out. It is part of the national park system (get the Amerca the Beautiful pass) with beautiful views and lots of great hiking trails for all levels. It sits literally on the edge of Grand Junction which made it so easy to drive out to explore but still be close to all the amenties of town.

The historic Rock Rim drive through the park is 23 miles long and also offers plenty of views with 19 scenic turnouts throughout. I would definitely say even if you are not hiking you can experience the beauty of this national park by just making the drive through.

We drove a little over halfway through the park making several stops along the way before our first stop at Coke Ovens Overlook. There was a short .5 mile hike out and back to a viewing location that was super easy.

We headed back down to the Devils Kitchen area and decided to hike No Thoroughfare Canyon to see the waterfall. The entire hike is about 8 miles but we only hiked in a couple of miles to the first waterfall. After that the trail is unmaintained and a little more difficult. While we did find running water it was little more than a drip! We did see lots of beautiful flowers along the way!

It was then time for the first game of the week and San Jac won! Dillon’s roomate pitched this game and we just love him to pieces. The JUCO World Series is held here every year so if you love baseball it’s a fun time to visit.

Our second day visiting the Colorado National Monument, we took Rim Rock road the full 23 miles. Independence Monument was probably my favorite because it just amazed me. This was once one continuous formation that over time eroded to leave this one piece separate. In the far distance on the left of the above picture, you can see a tiny hole in the rock. We took a closer look which you will see in a few pics forward.

The tallest formation in this picture is the “kissing couple”. It’s harder to see from this angle and, truth be told, I didn’t realize I ever saw it until googling it later! The park maps identify all the sites to look for but sometimes it helps to google ahead of time so you have a better idea what you are looking for!

This is the hole in the rock that looked like a tiny peephole from a distance. At the far west entrance of Rim Rock road, you can take the Canyon Rim Overlook and walk out to view this close up.

As you drive out the west entrance it takes you past Balanced Rock. Isn’t it just amazing how this rock has balanced here for so many years?

We decided to hike monument trail from the trailhead off Broadway. If you do not want to pay to enter the national park, this trailhead is free. In the background just to the right of Keith is the Independence Monument which is where we headed. We were trying really hard to beat a storm that was coming through and if you saw my Instagram Story you know we failed! We were caught in not one but two little storms passing over us that both produced small hail. Thank goodness for big rocks that made the perfect shelter!

This hike is labled as moderate and I would say this is mostly due to the need to climb over a few rocks her and there. It was not strenous and the rock climbing was not difficult. It is just amazing to look at up close and think about what it might have been like when these big rocks broke loose.

We did not make it all the way to our destination and I failed to take any still shots when we were so close. After being hailed on for the second time we decided to call it a day and headed back to the car!

One thing that is for sure true, hiking makes you hungry! We found the Fiesty Pint in downtown Grand Junction and it was another favorite for us. We ate here twice and both times the food was so good and they rotate Colorado brewed beer on tap.

Back to the ballpark for more snowcones and baseball! San Jac lost their second game in the series and headed to the losers bracket.

Last day to hike in Colorado National Monument and we headed back to hike Devils Kitchen. This hike is not strenuous but there is some rock climbing to get all the way to the top.

We climbed up through this area to get to a great viewpoint of the canyon. I have a video of the view but again failed to take a still shot. In the picture below you can see that tallest part is also the tallest part in the top picture. At the base of that tall section you can spy a tiny hole and that is where we were standing after we climbed through. I am definitely a little afraid of heights but for some reason this didn’t scare me.

It truly was a picture perfect day for this hike and it ended up being our favorite of the trip probably for that reason! Carly also isn’t really a fan of anything over a couple of miles!

San Jac lost their third game as well and just like that baseball season and our time in Grand Junction came to a close. We also visited Grand Mesa National Park and made a drive into Utah to visit Arches National Park on this trip.

If you have a trip to Colorado in your sites, I would highly recommend a stop in Grand Junction. The Colorado National Monument was truly worth a visit not only for the scenery but also for a more peaceful, less crowded vacation! Compared to our trips last year to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park or even our trip to Glacier National Park, there was no stress about parking or reserving times for entry.

We stayed in an AirBNB this trip and it was perfect to give us a little space and convenient to downtown for meals and only about 5 miles from the park entrance. We loved the food at Dream Cafe, the Feisty Pint (I before e except at the Feisty Pint :)), and Pablo’s Pizza all located downtown and also at Ale House which was just a few miles further.

On to planning a visit to another national park! Which should we try next?