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 in .
| Address | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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.