Colorado National Monument
The Colorado National Monument is a national park located near Grand Junction, Colorado. It was established in 1911 to preserve and protect the unique natural features of the area, which include canyons, mesas, and rock formations.
The park covers over 32 square miles and features a scenic drive along Rim Rock Drive, which offers stunning views of the surrounding landscape. Visitors can also explore the park on foot by hiking along the many trails that wind through the canyons and mesas.
The Colorado National Monument is home to a variety of wildlife, including bighorn sheep, mule deer, and eagles. It also contains numerous geological formations, such as the monoliths of Independence Monument and Sentinel Spire.
VISIT Colorado National Monument:
Park Details
Colorado National Monument was established on May 24, 1911.
| Address | 1750 Rim Rock Drive, Fruita, CO, 81521 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 970 858-2800 |
| Hours | Open 24 hours a day year-round. Rim Rock Road is only closed for poor road conditions. |
| Entrance Fee | $25 per vehicle, or $15 per person, good for 7 days |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Colorado National Monument. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Colorado National Monument is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Colorado National Monument are May, June, July & August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 26,657 | 26,984 | 39,487 | 45,111 | 50,354 | 50,020 | 46,565 | 46,710 | 48,970 | 43,808 | 31,872 | 23,904 |
| Precipitation | 25 | 25 | 32 | 34 | 21 | 13 | 19 | 23 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 26 |
| Avg Temp | 37 | 41 | 51 | 61 | 72 | 83 | 89 | 86 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 39 |
| Max Temp | 47 | 53 | 65 | 75 | 84 | 92 | 95 | 92 | 87 | 77 | 64 | 51 |
| Avg Temp | 23 | 26 | 30 | 34 | 42 | 48 | 57 | 56 | 46 | 36 | 28 | 24 |
| Min Temp | 10 | 13 | 19 | 24 | 29 | 36 | 47 | 46 | 32 | 24 | 17 | 7 |
Colorado National Monument Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Colorado National Monument is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| Spending One Day at the Colorado National Monument | 23 | 1 |
| Rockies, Colorado Monument, Black Canyon & Mesa Verde | 636 | 8 |
| Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway Road Trip | 700 | 8 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Colorado National Monument.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Arches National Park | 53 mi |
| Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park | 62 mi |
| Curecanti National Recreation Area | 84 mi |
| Canyonlands National Park | 84 mi |
| White River National Forest | 100 mi |
| Dinosaur National Monument | 104 mi |
| Hovenweep National Monument | 116 mi |
| Natural Bridges National Monument | 123 mi |
| Yucca House National Monument | 124 mi |
| Mesa Verde National Park | 129 mi |
Nearby Campsites & RV Parks
If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near Colorado National Monument, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.
| Name | Details | Miles Away |
|---|---|---|
| Saddlehorn - Colorado National Monument | Fruita, CO more | 6 miles |
| Fruita - Colorado River State Park | Fruita, CO more | 8 miles |
| Mud Springs | Glade Park, CO more | 10 miles |
| Miracle Rock | Glade Park, CO more | 11 miles |
| Highline Lake State Park | Loma, CO more | 18 miles |
| North Fruita Desert | De Beque, CO more | 20 miles |
| Rabbit Valley | Grand Junction, CO more | 20 miles |
| Big Dominguez | Whitewater, CO more | 22 miles |
| Island Acres - James M. Robb - Colorado River State Park | Palisade, CO more | 22 miles |
| Divide Fork | Grand Junction, CO more | 25 miles |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Colorado National Monument:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunlight Mountain | Glenwood Springs, CO | 9,895 ft | 66% | 76 mi |
| Telluride | Telluride, CO | 13,150 ft | 90% | 89 mi |
| Lee's Ski Hill | Ouray, CO | 0 ft | 0% | 90 mi |
| Crested Butte | Crested Butte, CO | 12,162 ft | 77% | 92 mi |
| Aspen Ski Resorts | Snowmass Village, CO | 12,510 ft | 70% | 94 mi |
| Aspen Snowmass | Snowmass Village, CO | 12,510 ft | 68% | 94 mi |
| Aspen Highlands Ski Resort | Aspen, CO | 11,675 ft | 78% | 99 mi |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into Colorado National Monument, we've listed the closest airports in the area.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Colorado National Monument.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City International Airport | SLC | Salt Lake City, UT | 212 mi |
| Denver International Airport | DEN | Denver, CO | 221 mi |
| Harry Reid International Airport | LAS | Las Vegas, NV | 409 mi |
| Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | PHX | Phoenix, AZ | 429 mi |
| Lake Havasu City International Airport | LHS | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 441 mi |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Colorado National Monument.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Junction Regional Airport | GJT | Grand Junction, CO | 10 mi |
| Aspen-Pitkin Co/Sardy Field | ASE | Aspen, CO | 98 mi |
| Eagle County Regional Airport | EGE | Eagle, CO | 103 mi |
| Durango-La Plata County Airport | DRO | Durango, CO | 140 mi |
| Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport | RKS | Rock Springs, WY | 177 mi |
| Provo-Utah Lake International Airport | PVU | Provo, UT | 181 mi |
| San Luis Valley Regional Airport/Bergman Field | ALS | Alamosa, CO | 189 mi |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.