Grand Junction, CO Road Trips

Grand Junction might aptly be described as a "suburb without a city." This does not mean that the area lacks a vibrant downtown; rather Grand Junction offers the outlet stores and conveniences of a suburb, but without the big city problems of traffic jams, pollution and high crime. Grand Junction is the only major commercial and transportation hub between Denver and Salt Lake City. Yet it derives its name not from the railroads, but from the Colorado River, formerly named the Grand. The city sits at the confluence, or junction, of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. Grand Junction is an ideal spot to plan a series of day trips to the surrounding natural beauty of Southwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah. But the city should not be overlooked for its own attractions. There are a variety of things to do in Grand Junction. Dinosaur museums, wine tasting, fine dining, excellent shopping, arts and theater, pedestrian malls and outdoor recreation combine to make this a location worth enjoying. Surrounded by mesas, the Grand Valley is an area of high desert beauty. To the north are the austere tan bluffs of the Bookcliffs, which culminates in Mount Garfield, an icon of the area. To the east lie the evergreen slopes of the Grand Mesa, largest flattop mountain in the world, and home to many great activities such as skiing, hiking, fishing and horse back riding. (No fall trip to the mesa would be complete without a drive to see the changing aspen leaves.) To the south are the red sandstone formations of the Colorado National Monument.

Art on the Corner (along Main Street in downtown), ☏ +1 970-245-9697. Local artists display sculptures. They are bolted down to the sidewalks. The art is changed every 6 months or so. Some of the work is absolutely incredible, but some of it is not. The Cross Orchards Historic Farm, Dinosaur Journey Museum and Museum of the West are part of Museums of Western Colorado. 1 Cross Orchards Historic Farm, 3073 F Rd, ☏ +1 970-434-9814. Living history museum featuring historic buildings and agricultural equipment from the early 1900s. 2 Dinosaur Journey Museum, 550 Jurassic Ct, Fruita, toll-free: +1-888-488-DINO (3466). Real fossils, cast skeletons and robotic reconstructions of dinosaurs. The hands-on, interactive museum includes paleontology displays, a working laboratory where dinosaur bones are prepared for display, a collections room where scientists study dinosaurs and other animals, a simulated earthquake ride, a dinosaur library reading area, a sandbox for making your own dinosaur tracks and a “quarry site” where kids can uncover actual Jurassic dinosaur bones. 3 Museum of the West, 462 Ute Ave, ☏ +1 970-242-0971. Navajo art and rugs as well as artifacts from 19th century Grand Junction. Go “underground” into full size uranium mine and examine a miner hard at work and learn about the area's uranium boom 4 Western Colorado Botanical Garden & Butterfly House, 641 Struthers Ave, ☏ +1 970-245-9030. Tu-F 9AM-4PM. Butterfly house, greenhouse and outdoor gardens featuring the plants of Western Colorado.

Dinosaur Digs, 462 Ute Ave, ☏ +1 970-858-7282, [email protected]. Unearth your own apatosaurus! The Museum of Western Colorado offers a variety of paleontology expeditions in which you will help museum scientists excavate Jurassic dinosaur fossils from quarries, search for new sites, and locate dinosaur tracks in Colorado and Utah. 6 Grand Junction Jackalopes, 1315 North Ave, ☏ +1 970 255-7625. See website for current season schedule. Enjoy a Pioneer League baseball game at Suplizio Field. (updated Aug 2023) Adobe Creek National Golf Course, 876 - 18½ Rd Fruita, ☏ +1 970-858-0521, [email protected]. Framed against the backdrop of the scenic Colorado National Monument, this course offers 27 holes. With three separate nine holes for all skill levels and ages. Chipeta Golf Course, 229 - 29 Rd, ☏ +1 970-245-7177, [email protected]. 18 holes with views of the Grand Mesa, Bookcliffs, Uncompahgre Plateau and the Colorado National Monument. Club house, driving range. The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa, 2325 W Ridges Blvd, ☏ +1 970-263-9270, [email protected]. 18-hole course surrounded by pink sandstone buttes next to the Colorado National Monument. 11 elevated tees, 41 bunkers, deluxe, elegant clubhouse. Lincoln Park Golf Course, 800 Mantlo Cir, ☏ +1 970-242-6394. This 9-hole course, 36-par public golf course is located in one of Grand Junction's fine old municipal parks in a Victorian neighborhood. Tiara Rado Golf Course, 2057 S Broadway, ☏ +1 970-254-3830, [email protected].

If you stick to the hotel/motel row along I-70, or only venture along the I-70 business loop by the Mesa Mall, you will find many fast food and chain restaurants. But food in Grand Junction does not have to be generic Americana. Restaurants in the Grand Valley have matured in the last 30 years. From a handful of mom and pop diners in the 1980s, Grand Junction's dining scene now embraces many great sidewalk cafes, bistros, espresso bars, bakeries and high-end eateries. A small influx of immigrants have also opened up a variety of ethnic restaurants. Choose from sushi to burritos to Pad Thai and Vietnamese egg rolls. Most of the best places to eat are clustered along the Main Street pedestrian mall downtown. Good Pastures Buffet, 733 Horizon Dr, ☏ +1 970-243-3058. Old fashioned family style restaurant. Attached to the Quality Inn on the main drag into town, this understated restaurant has solid, well prepared food. It started life as a health food restaurant 30 years ago, and still serves up homemade granola, fresh squeezed apple, orange and carrot juice, as well as homemade desserts. Breakfast is when Goodpastures shines. Try the French toast, Belgian waffle or a breakfast burrito. Main Street Bagels, 559 Main St, ☏ +1 970-241-2740. The best bagel place. Awesome atmosphere. Sometimes you will go in for lunch to find local musicians playing banjos and guitars. It is usually very entertaining. It is like something you would have seen on the old TV show "The Waltons" Remember the DO Drop In? It is like stepping back in time.

Wine tasting in the small farming town of Palisade (10 mi east of Grand Junction). There are over a dozen wineries to visit in the Grand Valley, as well as meaderies, microbreweries and distillers. 1 The Ale House, 2531 North 12th St. Produces small batch India Pale Ale and Scottish Ale. Crab dip, pastas, sandwiches, burgers, burritos, BBQ, pizzas and calorie-laden desserts. Blue Moon Bar & Grille, 120 N 7th St, ☏ +1 970-242-4506. A favorite lunch spot for downtown's office workers. Sandwiches, burgers, artichoke dip, Greek food. Kannah Creek Brewing Company, 1960 North 12th St, ☏ +1 970-263-0112. Stout, Hefeweizen, Pilzner, Irish Red, porter, Stout and other hand-crafted beers. Brewpub grub of grilled burgers and paninis, plus pasta. pizza and calzones. 2 Quincy Bar, 609 Main St, ☏ +1 970-243-1044. Small bar on Main st frequented by many of the Grand Junction's HBTQ-community. 3 Rockslide Brew Pub & Restaurant, 401 Main St, ☏ +1 970-245-2111. Located in an old brick storefront, the Rockslide serves pizzas, pasta, burgers and micro-brewed beer in the middle of the downtown pedestrian district.

Grand Junction offers most of the national chains when it comes to hotels. They are mostly clustered along I-70 (Exit 31) on Horizon Drive between Walker Field and 7th Ave. There are additional hotels downtown, as well as in surrounding Fruita, Clifton and Palisade. 1 Motel 6, 776 Horizon Dr, ☏ +1 970-243-2628, fax: +1 970-243-0213. 2 Clarion Inn, 755 Horizon Dr (I-70 and Horizon), ☏ +1 970-243-6790, fax: +1 970-254-3130, [email protected]. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. 3 Courtyard Grand Junction, 765 Horizon Dr, ☏ +1 970-263-4414, fax: +1 970-263-4424. 4 Fairfield Inn & Suites Grand Junction, 225 Main St, ☏ +1 970-242-2525. 5 Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Grand Junction, 625 Rae Lynn St (Off Us Hwy 6), ☏ +1 970-245-8164. 6 Quality Inn, 733 Horizon Dr, ☏ +1 970-245-7200, toll-free: +1-800-790-2661, fax: +1 970-243-6709, [email protected]. 7 Ramada Inn Grand Junction, 752 Horizon Dr, ☏ +1 970-243-5150. 8 Residence Inn Grand Junction, 767 Horizon Dr, ☏ +1 970-263-4004, fax: +1 970-263-4114. 9 Two Rivers Winery, 2087 Broadway, ☏ +1 970-255-1471. French chateau-style stone mansion located in its own vineyards with views of the Bookcliffs, Grand Mesa and Colorado National Monument. Tasting room, small bed and breakfast of eight rooms. 10 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Grand Junction, 743 Horizon Dr, ☏ +1-970-241-8888. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. $150-200. (updated Apr 2023)

1 Grand Junction Regional Airport (otherwise known as Walker Field GJT IATA). Served by Allegiant Air, American Eagle, Delta Connection, Denver Air Connection, and United Express, with nonstop service from Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City. Some service is seasonal. For private pilots, it is also possible to fly your small plane into the airport and leave it while you tour the area. Most hotels on Horizon Drive offer shuttle service from the airport. (updated Apr 2020) Taxi service is also available at the airport: Sunshine Taxi, ☏ +1 970-245-8294. Rental car agencies at Walker Field include: Advantage Rent-A-Car, 2828 Walker Field Dr, ☏ +1 970-243-4469. Alamo, ☏ +1 970-243-6626. Daily 7AM-11:15PM. Avis, ☏ +1 970-244-9170. Su-F 8AM-10:30PM, Sa 8AM-8:30PM. Hertz, ☏ +1 970-243-0747. Daily 7:30AM-11PM. A larger airport nearby: Denver International Airport, (DEN IATA). Commonly referred to as DIA. It is about 20 miles to the east of downtown Denver. Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines all maintain hubs at the airport in Concourses A, B, and C respectively. Most other major domestic carriers also have service here. Interstate 70 runs east-west just north of town. Grand Junction is about 30 minutes east of the Utah border and 4 hours west of Denver. US 50 runs north-south beginning in downtown, running south to Delta and Montrose, then turning east towards Gunnison and Pueblo. US 6 runs east-west parallel to Interstate 70.

The Grand Valley's roads were used to be designated by how many miles they were from the Utah border to the West. This "grid" was further defined by a north-south axis of roads demarcated by letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, etc. Unfortunately, the map collided with reality; the roads had to skirt a patchwork of fields and orchards. No one was willing to relinquish valuable arable land for orderly roads. The results are a bewildering amalgam of added fractions and decimals. Travelers may find themselves at F 3/4 Rd or D.50 Rd. The best answer is to grab a free map at one of the local Visitor's Centers or Chambers of Commerce. Travel by car, bike, or rent a limo or shuttle service. There is a local bus system called Grand Valley Transit. ☏ +1 970 256-7433 (RIDE). The downtown transfer station is at 6th St. & South Ave. Fare for one ride is $1.50. An all day pass costs $3. A pass good for 11 rides is $15. Downtown Grand Junction is a pedestrian mall, and easily navigated on foot. For the rest of the area, however, you will need a car or bike.