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Colorado's Western Slope
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The flat, western part of Colorado from the Continental Divide through the Utah border is known as the Western Slope. Its capital, sort of, is Grand Junction, flat and quiet, with far more churches than nightclubs. Grand Junction is part of the Grand Valley, a rich outdoor area of massive mesas, gnarled sandstone formations, tall, natural arches, dry canyons, and scenic lakes. The Grand Valley is at the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers, near the flat, steep Little Bookcliff mountains, the 10,000-foot-tall Grand Mesa and its surrounding national forest, and the 23,000-acre Colorado National Monument. Few visitors come to this region for the nightlife - or even the hotels, which skew plain and modest - but the cycling, cross-country skiing, and accompanying mountaineering outfits are world-class. Most of this area is made up of conservative ranching and farming towns, such as Craig and Rifle, but Palisade is famous for its vineyards and Dinosaur National Monument is a scenic hiking area at the northwest tip of the state. (On the Utah side, it turns into a museum and playground for amateur paleontologists.)
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Steve Knopper is the Denver-based author of Moon Handbooks Colorado as well as a contributor to numerous Fodor's city guides.
Steve Knopper is the Denver-based author of Moon Handbooks Colorado as well as a contributor to numerous Fodor's city guides.
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Colorado's Western Slope Facts
- Location:
- The Western Slope of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado west of the rocky mountains. The Colorado River and its tributaries divide the region into north and south atGrand Junction, Colorado
- Wikipedia:
- Colorado's Western Slope
- Wikitravel:
- Colorado's Western Slope
Colorado's Western Slope Must See/Do
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Colorado's Western Slope See It Next Time
- Grand Junction hotels
- Restaurants outside Grand Junction (and even inside except for a few)
- Dinosaur (the town not the monument)
- Summer weather (far too hot)
- Kokopelli's Trail (if you're not a hardcore mountain-biker)
When to Visit Colorado's Western Slope
Spring or fall - it's very hot in summer and windy and cold in winter
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Colorado's Western Slope Events
- September-October: Harvest Weekend, Mountain Harvest Festival, AppleFest, Masked Ball
- July-August: Telluride Jazz Festival
- March-April: Mardi Gras, Crested Butte Wildflower Festival
- May-June: Telluride Wine Festival
- November-December: Telluride Mountain Film, Cedaredge Parade of Lights, New Year's Eve
- January-February: Crested Butte Winter Carnival
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