Rising nearly 75 feet above the Museum of the West, the Sterling T. Smith Observation Tower offers 360-degree views of Grand Junction, the Colorado River and the surrounding canyon landscape. Mesa also offers a variety of ways to discover culture and nature: in exhibits, at fossil sites and along the water.

Rivers, Water and Trails

The Saddlehorn Visitor Center offers a park film, exhibits, maps and Junior Ranger booklets. Volunteers or park rangers can help visitors plan their trips. The Monument Trail offers another way to get oriented in the landscape: this three-mile paved trail connects the Colorado Riverfront with the red rock landscapes at the foot of Colorado National Monument. It also forms the backbone of the ten-mile Redlands Loop.

Trails run alongside the ponds at Connected Lakes, with accessible fishing piers as an added feature. From there, river trips of about ten miles to Fruita are possible. Sections of this part of the Colorado River have Class II rapids. The Fruita section of James M. Robb Colorado River State Park has restrooms, a trail along the Colorado River and a large visitor center. Rafting, tubing and canoeing are popular river activities there; local outfitters offer guided rafting trips, lessons and equipment rentals.

Corn Lake has a launch site for boaters and rafters heading out onto the Colorado River. Warm- and cold-water fishing is also available there. Black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass and trout are stocked in spring and fall.

River Park at Las Colonias features a long, accessible water channel, two standing waves, beach and shallow-water areas, and a boat ramp to the Colorado River. The ponds in Las Colonias Park are open to the public for kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. At Grand Junction Stand Up Paddle (GJ SUP), you can rent equipment for outings in River Park, on the ponds or on the Colorado River.

Museums and History

The historical and archaeological exhibits at the Museum of the West range from the Old Spanish Trail to the art and history of western Colorado and regional history. Highlights include a Native American Gallery and a replica 1880s mud wagon stagecoach. The Sterling T. Smith Observation Tower adds views of Grand Junction, the river and the canyon landscape to a museum visit.

The historic Cross Orchards site preserves the Grand Valley’s agricultural and railroad heritage on the grounds of a former 243-acre apple orchard. Dinosaur Journey displays real dinosaur fossils, and visitors can get a glimpse of an active paleontology lab. Interactive exhibits featuring animatronic dinosaurs add to the experience.

The Rabbit Valley Trail Through Time also brings together landscape and paleontology: the 1.5-mile interpretive loop passes an active fossil quarry containing 140-million-year-old dinosaur fossils.

Canyons, Wilderness and More to Discover

Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness spans more than 75,000 acres and has the second-largest concentration of natural arches in North America. Four major canyon systems, a 2,000-foot-high Book Cliffs escarpment and a herd of wild horses define the landscape of the Little Book Cliffs Wilderness Study Area.

The Old Spanish Trail North Branch offers different ways to explore, whether on foot, by mountain bike or on horseback. Twenty-five miles of the Colorado River run through McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, where boat trips pass through multicolored sandstone canyons. The 142-mile Kokopelli Trail draws mountain bikers and extends all the way to Moab, Utah.

For another kind of discovery, Peachfork Orchards & Vineyard offers wine and fruit tastings. Hours vary by season, so check whether tastings are available before making plans.

Discover More Destinations

Grand Junction, Fruita, De Beque, Palisade, Redlands

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