Explorer's Guide Colorado (Third Edition) (Explorer's Complete) by Matt Forster

Author:Matt Forster [Forster, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Countryman Press
Published: 2017-06-13T04:00:00+00:00

COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT

In 1906, a man named John Otto came to Grand Junction and was awed by the beauty of the nearby canyons. Most locals believed the canyon lands to be inaccessible, but Otto settled down there and began building trails. He was convinced that the region should be preserved as a national park and set about making that happen. In 1911, President Taft created Colorado National Monument, and Otto was paid a symbolic $1/month salary to stay as the park’s first caretaker (he remained until 1927).

The beauty of the park is undeniable. The Uncompahgre Plateau rises over 2,000 feet above the Grand Valley, south of Grand Junction and Fruita. It is part of the greater Colorado Plateau, which includes geological wonders such as the Grand Canyon and the Arches (of Arches National Park in Utah). Thousands of years of erosion have dug deep canyons in the plateau and have created numerous rock formations. Independence Monument, for example, was once part of a canyon wall, but now stands alone, 450 feet above the canyon floor. Other rock structures, such as the Coke Ovens and the ever-popular Window Rock, draw more than a quarter of a million visitors a year.

The best introduction to Colorado National Monument is to simply drive the length of Rim Rock Drive from either end of the park, stopping at the overlooks to take in the scenery. Coming from the east, the rock formations get increasingly dramatic. From the west, the visitor center offers a nice orientation to the park. It can give you information on camping and backcountry hikes as well as the geological history of the plateau and canyons.

Once you’ve driven the main road and gazed over a number of overlooks, consider taking a short hike. The hike from the visitor center out to Window Rock, for example, is a level 1.5-mile round-trip. Another trail on the east end of Rim Rock Drive is the Serpents Trail, which follows an older section of the main road. This 1.75-mile hike (one way) has more than 50 switchbacks as it climbs the plateau. Park admission $10/vehicle and individuals (hikers and cyclists and such) $5; good for 7 days.

Dinosaur National Monument (970-374-3000 or 435-781-7700; nps.gov/dino), 4545 E. US 40, Dinosaur. The temporary visitor center near Jensen, Utah, is open daily in the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) 8:30–5:30, and the rest of the year 8:30–4:30. The Canyon Area Visitor Center near Dinosaur, CO, is open daily in the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) from 9–4. In the spring and fall, the center is closed on Monday and Tuesday. It’s also closed in the winter, Nov.–Feb.

The big attraction at Dinosaur National Monument was the chance to see and touch fossils at the Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center. The two-story building surrounded a wall of dinosaur fossils, still embedded in the rock, allowing visitors to see them up close in a sheltered and air-conditioned environment. Built in 1957 on expansive soils, the foundation of the Quarry Visitor Center has deteriorated over the years.

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