Colorado National Monument is an area not to be missed! One can access the monument either in Fruita or in Grand Junction and travel the scenic 23 mile drive. There is plenty to do and we only scratched the surface. There are plenty of overlooks, hikes, and an informative visitor center. The monument has a campground, but it is much more suited to tents or small campers.
We hiked to the Book Cliffs overlook to enjoy the vast view. The Colorado Plateau’s erosion takes shape so differently depending on the area. All of the park’s we’ve seen this year, including the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Zion, Capitol Reef and the Colorado National Monument are all part of the Colorado Plateau. The Kayenta Sandstone on the top of these formations is harder than the layers beneath. Spires are formed when a portion of the Kayenta layer is thinner or is eroded more and then the softer layers beneath erode away.
There are three tunnels in the monument to travel through. They were originally blasted in the 1930’s by the CCC work crews.
The monument stretches from valley to valley but peaks at 6640 feet elevation. The valley floors had few flowers still in bloom but the higher elevations were blanketed with Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Indian Paintbrush, Perky Sue and more! Without shoulders on the road, however, we had to view from afar.
Caleb completed his 4th Junior Ranger program thus far! Tomorrow is a travel day to another Colorado State Park for the weekend, where more exploring awaits.
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