Road cyclists call this Colorado plateau the Tour of the Moon, for good reason

Colorado’s canyon country doesn’t get the crowds it deserves

Colorado National Monument sits on the western edge of the state, rising above the towns of Fruita and Grand Junction in canyon country that most people drive past on Interstate 70 without stopping.

More than 20,500 acres of red rock, sandstone towers, and desert terrain wait up on that plateau. Road cyclists who’ve ridden through it started calling it “Tour of the Moon” because it looks like nowhere on Earth.

That nickname stuck for a reason, and once you see the place, you’ll understand why.

One man built the trails and badgered his way to Washington

John Otto showed up in Grand Junction in 1906 and decided the red rock canyons he’d found were “the heart of the world.” He didn’t wait for anyone to agree.

He grabbed a pick and shovel, recruited his horse and some burros, and started cutting trails into the canyon walls by hand.

Then he started writing letters: to politicians, to President William Howard Taft, to anyone who might listen. On May 24, 1911, Taft used the Antiquities Act to make it official.

Otto became the monument’s first superintendent at a salary of one dollar a month. He held that job for about 16 years.

Rim Rock Drive runs 23 miles along the edge of everything

The main road through the monument is Rim Rock Drive, a 23-mile stretch connecting the Fruita and Grand Junction entrances. The Civilian Conservation Corps built it, and crews finished paving it between 1947 and 1951.

The road hugs cliff edges, dips through tunnels cut into the rock, and climbs through tight switchbacks high above the valley floor. You can technically drive the whole thing in an hour, but nobody does.

There are 19 signed overlooks, and once you start pulling over, you won’t stop.

The 450-foot tower Otto climbed with iron pipes and sheer nerve

Independence Monument rises about 450 feet from the canyon floor, the tallest freestanding rock formation in the park. It’s made of Wingate Sandstone laid down roughly 200 million years ago.

On June 8, 1911, Otto made the first known climb of it: drilling holes, hammering iron pipes into the rock, and working his way to the top.

He named the formation himself and gave other features in the park names like Liberty Cap.

You can see Independence Monument from a roadside pullout on Rim Rock Drive or walk out to the end of Otto’s Trail for a longer look.

Every Fourth of July, someone climbs to the top to raise the flag

Otto started the tradition in 1911: climb Independence Monument on the Fourth of July and raise the American flag on top.

Today, volunteers from the Mesa County Search and Rescue Technical Ropes Team carry that on every year.

They hike to the base early in the morning and reach the summit in time to raise the flag between 10 and 11 a.m. The flag stays up there for about a week.

If you want to watch, get to the Independence Monument View Overlook or the end of Otto’s Trail.

Rock layers here go back 1.7 billion years

The canyon floors expose some of the oldest rock you’ll ever stand near: Precambrian basement rock about 1.7 billion years old.

Above that, the sandstone towers and cliffs built up over hundreds of millions of years as wind, water, and ice worked on them.

The Coke Ovens are a row of rounded dome pillars that look exactly like the old beehive ovens coal miners once used. Balanced Rock, estimated at 600 tons, sits perched above the desert like it’s waiting to fall.

Window Rock, Sentinel Spire, Kissing Couple, Praying Hands, and Pipe Organ are all worth finding on the map before you go.

These five overlooks are worth slowing down for

Grand View gives you a sweeping look across Monument Canyon and catches the light well at sunrise and sunset.

Independence Monument View puts the park’s tallest tower front and center, with Grand Junction spread out in the distance.

Cold Shivers Point sits right at the canyon edge, where you can look straight down through layers of rock to the 1.7-billion-year-old Precambrian floor.

Coke Ovens Overlook lets you look down on those dome formations from above. Red Canyon Overlook shows you the canyon walls close enough to read the color bands in the rock.

Short trails the whole family can walk without breaking a sweat

Otto’s Trail covers about a mile round trip and ends at an overlook with views of Independence Monument, Pipe Organ, and Sentinel Spire.

The Coke Ovens Trail, also about a mile round trip, leads to a viewing platform above the dome formations.

Window Rock Trail is a half-mile round trip walk to a natural rock opening that frames Monument Canyon and the Book Cliffs beyond it. The Canyon Rim Trail runs about a mile along the rim near the campground.

The Alcove Nature Trail stretches half a mile one way, with a firm natural surface for the first quarter-mile.

If you want to go deep, these longer trails earn their views

Monument Canyon Trail drops 600 feet over about six miles one way, passing Independence Monument and Kissing Couple along the canyon floor. Serpents Trail follows 16 switchbacks across 1.9 miles one way.

It was once known as “the crookedest road in the world” and served as the main road into the monument until 1950.

Devils Kitchen Trail, about 1.5 miles round trip, winds into a cluster of tall rock columns and stacked boulders.

The monument’s elevation runs from about 4,690 feet at the west entrance to 7,107 feet at the top, so even short hikes feel different if you’re coming from lower ground.

Check the NPS site for current trail conditions on Monument Canyon; repair work running from mid-May through late August may cause short delays along the lower 2.5 miles.

Desert bighorn sheep walk right along the road here

Desert bighorn sheep nearly disappeared from this area, but a reintroduction effort in 1979 brought them back. Now you’ll spot them on Rim Rock Drive and near Balanced Rock often enough that it stops being a surprise.

Mule deer are the largest animals you’re likely to see on a typical visit. Golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, and ravens work the thermals above the canyons.

Down at trail level, keep an eye out for desert cottontails, rock squirrels, and collared lizards moving along the rocks and roadsides.

Cyclists come from across the country to ride this road

The Tour of the Moon cycling event grew out of the 1980s Coors Classic bike race, when this stretch of road became famous on the professional circuit.

The event still runs annually, with registration capped at 2,200 riders.

The round-trip ride covers about 33 miles and climbs roughly 2,300 feet in elevation, with steep grades, switchbacks, and cliff-edge drop-offs the whole way.

Cyclists share the road with cars, so if you’re driving through during an event, slow down and give them room.

Spend the night at the only campground inside the monument

Saddlehorn Campground has 79 sites spread across three loops, sitting about four miles from the Fruita entrance near the visitor center. Some of the sites on the B loop look right out to the canyon rim.

Wood fires aren’t allowed anywhere in the monument, but each site has a charcoal grill. The Saddlehorn Visitor Center sits nearby and is open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Inside, you’ll find exhibits, a park film, and a gift shop run by the Colorado National Monument Association.

Visit Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction, Colorado

To get to Colorado National Monument, take Interstate 70 to either the Fruita exit for the west entrance or the Grand Junction exit for the east entrance. The park is open year-round, 24 hours a day.

The visitor center, about four miles from the Fruita entrance, keeps its own hours and closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Standard vehicle admission currently runs $25, and the pass covers seven days.

The visitor center has maps, ranger information, and Junior Ranger booklets if you’re bringing kids.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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