Monday, March 13, 2017

2016 Travels, Bicycling the River Front Trail, Grand Juntion, CO.


Grand Junction, CO is a favorite stop on our travels because it's often on our way to where ever we're going. We'll stay at the Saddlehorn Campground in the Colorado National Monument.

The west entry to the Colorado National Monument.
The high mesa of the Colorado National Monument boarders Grand Junction on the southwest with the Colorado River flowing at its base. The road to the top and along the rim of the mesa is breathtaking.
Approaching the tunnel on the west entry road to monument.
The west entry road to the top goes through a tunnel. The tunnel is short but bicyclists have to have lights to ride this road. The east entry has two shorter tunnels and lights are also required. Each has a rather steep grade in places on these 1,500 ft. climbs. We've bicycled the Monument from both the east and west entries in the past couple years and if you're interested you can go to our previous blogs.

Our camp at Saddlehorn Campground in the Colorado National Monument.
The Saddlehorn Campground, on the west end of the Monument, is about half a mile from the Visitor Center. The sites are no-hookup, water is available at tapes and there are modern flush toilets. The cost is $20 per night, $10 with the Senior Pass. The view is outstanding! We chose a site with an unobstructed view of the Book Cliffs north of Grand Junction.

The Book Cliffs at sunset from our site at Saddlehorn Campground.

Colorado National Monument viewpoint on the trail from the campground to the Visitor Center.
From the campground it's an easy half-mile walk to the Visitor Center along the rim. The trail offers views into the canyons and across the mesa.

Jackie stops along the trail to the Visitor Center to catch the view.
The Visitor Center has exhibits and gift shop. We're collecting patches from all the National Monuments and Parks we visit so going to the gift shop is a must. It's also fun to talk to the rangers and get their personal recommendations on trails and other things to do. We're always impressed with the architecture of the Visitor Centers of our Parks and Monuments. The designs are inspired by the landscapes.
Colorado National Monument Visitor Center entrance.

A commemorative sculpture of John Otto.
A sculpture at the Visitor Center entrance honors John Otto who built trails, promoted and became the first custodian of the Monument.

John Otto commemorative plaque.
This year we're going to ride the Riverfront Trail along the river. Notably a very flat ride compared to the Monument.

Along the trail we met a bicyclist wearing a volunteer vest and had the chance to ride with her. She told us that a group of cyclist who rode the trail often became trail volunteers and donned their vest whenever they ride the trail. They give information, directions and helped people with any problems. What a great concept.

Jackie rides the Riverfront Trail along the Colorado River.
The Riverfront Trail is a paved trail from Fruita to Palisade along the Colorado River. It's been 25+ years in the making and the last segments have recently been completed. There are several tailheads and parking areas that provide access and toilet facilities. We started our ride from the trailhead at 7th Street in Grand Junction and rode east to Palisade and back. With plenty of day left we kept on riding to Fruita, almost to the west end of the trail, and back. I don't remember how long the trail is from one end to the other, but we had a nice, easy ride of 37 miles.

The James M. Robb - Colorado River State Park
The Gunnison River flows into the Colorado south of Grand Junction. The convergence of these two great rivers create a wetlands habitat and fishery that's rich in wildlife. The area is preserved as the Colorado River State Park. We saw a Great Blue Heron rookery in the marsh.

Riding through the wetlands at the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers.
The trail has great views of the Colorado National Monument on the horizon.

Jackie on the trail with the Colorado National Monument on the horizon.

Canada Geese sculpture along the trail.

Looking up at the Colorado National Monument. Our camp is up there somewhere.

The trail passes through riverside wildlife habitat.

Racing back to the trailhead after some pleasant hours on the bike.
We race back to the trailhead after several pleasant hours on our bikes and head back up the road to Saddlehorn campground on top of the Monument. Tomorrow we'll be on our way to Moab to spend the beautiful month of October hiking, biking and canyoneering.

Join us for our next post from Moab, UT.
'til then.
Jackie



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