Avoid Crowds at These Outdoor Attractions in Colorado
Planning a trip out west for the summer? Colorado's Rocky Mountains and scenic natural areas are a popular choice for travelers. If you're looking to avoid big crowds, plan to make a trip to Grand Junction, Colorado—an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. Recently named to The New York Times’ list of “52 Places To Go in 2023” and located just a few hours west of Denver, visitors find themselves surrounded by more than 1 million acres of public lands providing access to rivers, canyons, mesas and mountains. And, with so much space to roam, Grand Junction offers a welcome respite from summer crowds.
From road cycling and mountain bike trails galore, to epic watersports and action-packed ATV experiences, this vibrant Colorado town packs a big punch and provides the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable adventure. Here a few hidden gems near the Colorado town.
The Colorado National Monument
The perfect place for canyoneering, rock climbing, and hiking is Colorado's "unofficial national park." The Colorado National Monument is a breathtaking must-see while visiting the area and a lesser-known gem in the park system. At 7,000 feet, the Monument offers incredible hiking trails and inspires photographers with panoramic views of towering red rock spires. Visitors can drive or bike across the National Monument’s Rim Rock Drive to enjoy 20,000 acres of vibrant red sandstone canyons and mesas rising above the Colorado River.
- Start the day with exciting terrain and breathtaking views of Colorado National Monument through a new guided climbing trip from Grand Junction Adventures. Climbers will have the option to experience the western desert sandstone rock slabs or red sandstone towers with the safety and navigational skills of a certified guide.
Rattlesnake Canyon

Outside of Grand Junction, there is a collection of 35 natural arches tucked away in Rattlesnake Canyon. These soaring spans, protected in the 123,400-acre McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, form the second largest concentration of arches in the world. The Rattlesnake Canyon Arches are one of Colorado’s most spectacular wonders, but also one of its best-kept secrets.
- Adrenaline Driven Adventures is now offering Jeep and RZR Tours that take guests to the arches making them more accessible than ever before. Grand Junction Adventures is also offering new guided day trips to view the arches that include a 13-mile off road drive as well as a guided hike and lunch.
The Colorado Riverfront Trail

Easily accessible from Downtown Grand Junction, the Colorado Riverfront Trail is a 30-mile flat, mostly paved trail that connects Palisade in the east to Fruita in the west with Grand Junction, which makes it incredibly easy to bike ride to all of the towns. There are over 200 species of birds that visit the Audubon Section of the Colorado Riverfront Trail including bald eagles, blue heron, osprey, several varieties of hawks and ducks.
- Order gourmet deli sandwiches and yummy snacks to-go from The Hog & The Hen, or Kulina Lani Organic Sourdough Bakery and enjoy a scenic picnic along the trail.
- The confluence of two of the largest rivers - the Colorado and the Gunnison - makes Grand Junction a paradise for those seeking water-based activities. With multiple parks along the rivers and adjacent lakes like the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park and Highline Lake State Park, jet boating, wakeboarding, paddle boarding, windsurfing, and more are all available to visitors. Paddleboarding, kayaking, tubing and wading are available along the Colorado River at the newly opened Riverfront at Las Colonias Park. The 130 acre park is the latest development in the “string of pearls,” connecting points of the Colorado River with parks in the Grand Junction area along the Colorado Riverfront Trail.
- Getting out on the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers is easy with many put-in areas, as well as guides to take guests on rafting, canoeing or kayaking trips. Float along the Colorado River in Ruby-Horsethief Canyon or take on class III rapids in Westwater Canyon with the help of Rimrock Adventures. Grand Junction Adventures offers guided standup paddleboarding down the Gunnison River. Jet Boat Colorado offers tours on the Colorado River in custom New Zealand-style jet boats.
Grand Junction's Mountain Bike Trails

- Boneshaker Adventures offers mountain bike camps. Their experienced and passionate coaches can help those new to the sport build a solid foundation, or help experienced riders step up their skills to the next level.
Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Reserve

The Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Reserve encompasses more than 30,000 acres of rugged canyons and plateaus, and is home to roughly 100 wild mustangs. It is one of only three ranges in the U.S. set aside specifically to protect wild and free roaming horses. Wild horses have lived for more than a century in the rugged maze of canyons, buttes, sage-dotted meadows and pinyon-juniper forests atop the Little Book Cliffs.
Ask Marty Felix about any of the wild horses and she probably can tell you the horse's name, it's lineage and where on the range it can be found at various times of the year. Known as "The Wild Horse Lady" because of her long history working with the area's horses, Felix first set eyes on a band of wild horses in the Book Cliffs on March 18, 1973. "I was hooked just like that," she says. She's been at it since then. Felix visits the range at least once a week as a volunteer for the federal agencies that manage the land and monitor the herd. She and other members of Friends of the Mustangs photograph the horses, help count horses and foals and assist in fertility-control so the herd doesn't outgrow the available forage.
Visitors are treated to marvelous silence, solitude, wide-open vistas and even a few geologic oddities. But of course the main attraction is the range's 124 horses, which Felix says tend to run in small bands of four or five. Summer days can be hot, and visitors to the remote area at any time of year should take plenty of water, food, clothing and supplies in case of unexpected storms or a vehicle breakdown. Felix discourages travel when rain is in the forecast.
- Late spring and early summer are the perfect times to visit the wild horses. During this time of year, many mares descend to lower elevations near the trailhead with their young foals to graze. The best viewing times are early morning and evening, according to Felix. "To see the horses, you have to look with your binoculars in the far, open fields," she says. "You might only get to see them from a distance. They're not going to be standing by the road."
- Felix suggests Indian Park as the best place for viewing horses. It's accessible from the Winter Flats and Dry Fork roads, which begin near De Beque about 30 miles east of Grand Junction on Interstate 70. Another good access point is Coal Canyon Road, which begins at the Cameo exit from I-70 about 15 miles east of Grand Junction. (Note that Coal Canyon Road is closed from Dec. 1 to May 30 to protect foaling areas.) All routes require high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles.