Things To Do
Place to Eat
626 on Rood Suehiro Sushi Bin 707 Foodbar Cafe Sol The Winery Restaurant Devil's Kitchen at the Maverick Hotel - Link provides full list of restaurants in the area -
Grand Mesa National Forest
The Island Lake located here is one of the places we will be hiking on the day of our wedding ceremony. There are many hiking trails and beautiful landscapes to check out here.
Colorado National Monument
Known for the Book Cliffs, Devil's Kitchen, and the Canyon Rim Hiking Trail. Our ceremony will be held here, at the Book Cliffs.
Grand Mesa Observatory
Stargaze with a very expensive telescope.
Lands End Observatory
Although this observatory is no longer in use, it's a popular hiking destination to take in some amazing views of the area.
Riggs Hill
Riggs Hill is a short hike that has a lot to offer in the way of geology, paleontology and views of the surrounding valley.
Dinosaur Hill
The Dinosaur Hill Trailhead is a mile-long looping trail in Fruita, Colorado, near Grand Junction, which takes visitors past wildflowers, dinosaur bones, and excavation sites.
Gateway Canyons Air Tours
Book a flight tour on a helicoptor.
Rimrock Adventures
Whitewater rafting and horseback riding tours. Oh, also a weekly summer rodeo.
Jet Boat Colorado
Jetboat. Is it a jet? Is it a boat? GO FAST.
Museums of Western Colorado
There are three museums in the surrounding area: Dinosaur Journey, Museum of the West, and Cross Orchards.
Horsethief Canyon
Supposedly haunted area.
Bananas Fun Park
Go-Karts, Putt-Putt, Waterpark, Lazer Tag, and more.
Whispers from the Past Tour
Ghost walk tour
Downtown Grand Junction
Great restaurants, boutique stores, and bars. A fun place to hang out. They have a lot of festivals and parades there and in the summer there is a Farmers market on Thursday evenings with local fruits and vegetables and food booths. Check out the Enstrom’s Candy store on 7th street- they are world famous for their almond toffee, and you can see them making it in the store.
Town of Palisade
This is the small town that has a cute main street, and some great breweries. They also have lots of wineries you can visit for tasting. During the summers you can explore the orchards and find farmers to buy fruit from. The peaches are highly recommended. There are also really good plums, pears and nectarines in the summer. It’s also the only place in the Grand Valley that sells marijuana. Or so I'm told.
Town of Fruita
This is the small town on the Western side of the Grand Valley. There is a quaint downtown. It’s the center of our mountain biking community and there is a great mountain bike shop. They also have some festivals throughout the year.
Town of Ouray
"America's Switzerland," pronounced YOU-RAY, it’s named after the Ute Indian Chief. There are lots of great shops, restaurants and quaint hotels on their little main street that still has buildings from the 1800’s when Ouray was booming because of its gold and silver mining. It also has a nice hot springs pool near town. Make sure to visit the Box Canyon waterfall- it has a great hike, and a waterfall that goes deep into the rocks that you can take a staircase down into. Ouray is also famous for its jeeping- you can book several jeep rides from companies in town. Yankee Boy Basin, which is a great jeep ride is one of the most amazing views in Colorado. It’s high in elevation, sitting at the bottom of Mt. Sneffels (one of Colorado’s 52 14,000+ ft. mountains, called “14ers”).
Town of Moab
Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Dead Horse Point. Amazing red rocks, sandstone arches, and on and on. If you’re going, consider taking Highway 128 off of I-70. It adds 30 minutes, but the road sits at the bottom of some of the most amazing red rock cliffs you’ll ever see (many many movies and commercials have been filmed here).
Town of Glenwood Springs
It’s famous for its giant hot springs pool, found in town. There is amazing river rafting in Glenwood Canyon (which is gorgeous), just east of town. You can ride a gondola (close to the hot springs pool) up the hill to the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. It has all kinds of rides (some are pretty scary) and a cool cave you can get a guided tour in. The rides include an alpine slide (tame), a giant motorized swing that goes 50 mph and over the edge of the mountain so that you’re looking 1000 feet down into Glenwood Canyon, and the mine drop- a ride that drops you down into a mine shaft! You can also check out the Hotel Colorado. Teddy Roosevelt stayed there many times to go bear hunting, and legend has it this is where the teddy bear began.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
This is a driving distance away, but it's a cool national park that has a UFO watchtower. Also hot springs.