"Colorado NM - Land of Plateaus & Canyons" Colorado National Monument by annk

Colorado National Monument Travel Guide: 30 reviews and 84 photos

Sharrie & I drove through Colorado NM on the way back to the airport in Grand Junction. The park is very nice with some outstanding vistas but paled in comparison to the dramatic landscapes and canyons of Arches & Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse State Park in Utah. If you intend on visiting the Canyonlands area via Colorado I'd advise stopping by Colorado NM first, not last. It will leave a much greater impact. Essentially, I was canyoned out by day 6 but happy we made the stopover.

Established as a National Monument in 1911

Park Activities: Auto Tours, Biking, Hiking, Camping, Climbing, Horse-back Riding, Wildlife Viewing

Elevation: Average 6000 feet at the rim

Wildlife inhabitants: canyon wren, mule deer, desert cottontails, ground squirrels, chipmunks, coyotes, bighorn sheep, lizards, mountain lions, rattlesnakes.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Lots of hiking trails, canyons, vistas, close to interstate 70
Cons:Not as dramatic as Arches & Canyonlands NP's

Last visit to Colorado National Monument: Oct 2004
Intro Updated Oct 25, 2004
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Reviews (9)

View Points East - Colorado National Monument

View Points East Things to Do (9)

I believe this is the Cold Shivers Point but not 100% certain. We were fortuante as dark, ominous clouds loomed nearby... more travel advice

Coke Ovens Overlook Things to Do (9)

East of the Grand View Lookout are the massive rounded stones named the Coke Ovens. There is also a one mile roundtrip... more travel advice

Grand View Right - Colorado National Monument

Grand View Right Things to Do (9)

The view to the right includes the rock formation in the foreground of the "Kissing Couple" and further back Monument... more travel advice

Grand View Left Things to Do (9)

From Grand View lookout there is a panoramic vista of valley's and ranges including a very distant view of Independence... more travel advice

Comments (7)

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BruceDunning Jul 10, 2011 at 12:46 PM

I agree with you that this is not the biggest attraction of beauty-but not bad. I hiked a bit, but not fully into the canyon, which is steep down/up. Your pictures and comments are very good
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balhannah Aug 9, 2008 at 10:41 PM

Amazing tunnels. Great photo. We saw the Colorado National Monument from Grand Junction.
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blue_sky04 Jun 27, 2007 at 5:01 PM

Nice page on Colorado NM. I like your photos as well. I'm thinking to visit Colorado on my next trip to US. Thank you for sharing the information!
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Bwana_Brown Jul 14, 2005 at 8:17 AM

Some pretty impressive-looking sights here, even if you were disappointed a bit because of your trip itinerary! This whole area of the American west is somewhere I would love to spend some time!
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travelgirl3 Dec 7, 2004 at 1:00 PM

Great photos & information on Colorado NM. You were very lucky not to get rained on, but it makes for great scenery! Thanks for sharing.
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frank_delargy Nov 9, 2004 at 10:38 AM

Thanks for the comment on Great Sand Dunes. Your pages on Colorado Nat'l Monument really show it off well. We went there in August as well and were fortunate to be with the parks geologist, Bill Hood and his wife, a paleontologist.
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mrclay2000 Oct 30, 2004 at 6:25 AM

You had fortunate conditions. Sunlight behind you and slate clouds in the distance. . .great backdrops and information.