COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT Scenic Rim Rock Drive and Overlooks | Colorado
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 พ.ย. 2024
- Between Fruita and Grand Junction, Colorado is a scenic drive in the Colorado Plateau overlooking sandstone beauty. Rim Rock Drive through Colorado National Monument displays some of the best red rock monoliths and canyons in the American West.
The 23-mile Rim Rock Drive in Colorado's Colorado National Monument twists and turns showcasing breathtaking views around every curve. Following the rim of a number of canyons, visitors can stop and check out numerous overlooks with views of sandstone monoliths and red rock canyons dotted with green pinyon pines and juniper trees.
There are 19 viewpoints, 14 hiking trails, and the Saddlehorn Campground all located on the scenic drive for visitors to take advantage of. The drive can be done in half a day (including stops at overlooks), but those wishing to take advantage of any of the trails may want to budget more time.
VIDEO FILMED: 04/11/2023
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.
Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking, day trips, and campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!
I drive the monument at night when i feel low, the night drives are great because you get pretty decent stars, and glipses of the valley as you look down the canyons. Its always pretty to see the city lights twinkle in the distance!
Sounds magnificent! Night drives can sometimes be all that one needs to pull out from a low place. 😊
We live here. The Monument is loved by the locals as well as the tourists. Glad you enjoyed the visit. Come back and stay longer next time, it’s especially beautiful in the winter.
I can imagine it would be beautiful in winter. Maybe one day! 😊
Born and raised here, still here!! The Monument was my play ground...no rails back in the day. Cold shivers used to be called Lovers Leap way back in the day. No traceability to that any more...So many trails, so many views. Trails in the valleys are accessible from the ground floor. :) This will be my home forever!! Love Moab also! Red dirt country!!!
You're very lucky! It's a beautiful playground to have as your backyard. 😄
Tunnellicous! Agree this one has to be a contender for Best Of 2023!
Lots of 2023 left though so we're excited to see if it can be beat. 😅
Thank you for a great video. As a European, visiting Colorado and Utah, Colorado National Monument is normally not on the top of the bucket list, when visiting this area. In August 2018, I drove east to west in similar bright sunny weather and also had a amazing experience. This is a highly recommended beautiful place to visit.
I can imagine! You've got the Big 5 in Utah, the Grand Canyon, etc etc. But this park really is worth the drive at least. Glad that you were able to make the stop! 😄
Just just speechless. Beautiful shots, butt those Cliffssssssss
What... Too high? 😂 They're certainly a little vertigo-inducing.
My voice got a little higher pitched when Glenn held the camera over the edge @@CactusAtlas
What a stunning place! Thank you for introducing us to it!
Our pleasure! Thank you! 😊
Grand Junction is my home town. Grew up hiking in the Colorado National Monument almost every weekend. My great grandfather actually helped build Rim Rock Drive. Lots of my family history in that area.
Oh wow, that's very cool! Thanks for sharing. We're very thankful to have been able to drive that road. 😄
Any insider tips? Will be there April 21st
Thank you for taking and sharing the video. We accidentally found this amazing place when we stopped by Grand Junction on our way from Denver to Moab. I love red rocks and this place has resemblance of miniature version of Grand Canyon and Canyonlands NP combined.
I can see the resemblance! What a fortuitous stop to have found during your trip too! 😊
Thank you for your video. I traveled to the Colorado National Monument varicariously. I appreciate it 😊
Always happy to bring people along! Thanks for watching! 😊
Thank you for another excellent presentation.
Our pleasure! 😊
It's been so gloomy in this area for what seems lie a month, its great seeing these skies and views. That drive looks so amazing. That view has my vote for best of 2023 so far.
All that May Gray and June Gloom, huh? I can imagine it gets old. On the flipside, any time we see clouds here we get excited. 😂
You've got an invite here, Steve.
Wow 🤩 those views are amazing 😎
The best! 😄👍
I ran the marathon one this route through the park. Nice race
Oh, wow! Congrats! I feel like I'd run right off the edge being transfixed by the scenery. 😅
Haven't up there in years and I live here. It is amazing with breath taking views. Use to hike some of the trails but can not anymore.
Really wish we had time for more hiking in the park but alas we didn't. What was one of your favorite trails there?
@@CactusAtlas on the east entrance just past the gate. The Devils Kitchen, at the picnic area there is some trails we went up. And part of the Independent monument trail which is at the bottom of the monument.
Oh nice! We kind of passed up Devil's Kitchen on this visit. Will have to hit it up next time. 👍
😅*H8⁹
Snow, waterfalls, monuments, canyons, cityscape, cold shivers!👍 for 2023 view. Thanks for the drive. I was always the kid that wanted to stop at every overlook but my dad was focused on the destinations (RIP). I’m gonna stop more often and check out the views, I think he would too.
Maybe cold shivers are goosebumps 🤷🏻♀️
I'm guessing you're right about the goosebumps. Thumbs up to stopping at viewpoints. You never know what you will find and it's worth it to stop and just see if it is worth it sometimes. 😅
Late afternoon is the best time of day to see the colors change. The Coke Ovens will look like they are glowing.
I can imagine. Sadly time is never on our side. 😅
I got the Heebee Jeebies when you showed us that drop!!! Wow, straight down scary!
Those drops are no joke! 😅
Amazing trip. Thanks again.
Thanks! It was a fun one. 😄
It’s so special to have access to the monument and the grand Mesa while living in the valley. The western slope is such a great place to live!
I bet it really is. A great way to spend time unwinding I bet. 👍
watching this when i live here is interesting
It's a beautiful area. Well worth the National Monument designation. 👍
Love your Videos
Thank you! 😊
Beautiful monument... skip visiting Grand Junction though.
It's more of a daydream of being ridiculously close to amazing scenery (any place we enjoy) rather than any particular city to be honest. 😅
Glen, I'm hoping to fly into Grand Junction soon to make a big loop of Arches NP and Canyonlands NP - I'll now have to add this! thanks!
Awesome! That's going to be an amazing trip! 👍
Hey Cactus 👋 This is a beautiful in depth presentation of this area! This is another one I ended up skipping due to time. However, after watching this, I can see I would not have planned properly enough to see it. Now, when we get the chance to visit, I can plan to visit, giving it enough time to explore and take it in. Thanks so much for sharing 😊
Also, those may have been condors you saw flying in the distance 😊
Awesome! Thank you! It's hard to really tell what the birds were. Just kinda hoping that they were eagles. 😅
I found your channel last month, and I have to say you make amazing videos. Absolutely amazing❤ Thank you!!
Wow, thank you so much! So glad you are enjoying them. 😊
Glenn, thanks for this beautiful video of the Colorado National Monument. I have many pictures of it. There is one place where my friends and I went called Otto's bathtub. My friend got into the tub and was looking like she was bathing in it, LOL. There was another one where I looked way down in a canyon and there was a lone aspen tree that was golden and I took a picture of it. Snowcapped mountains in the background are the Bookcliffs and there are wild horses there amongst other wild life.. I also saw Mt. Garfield that is along I-70 and, of course, the Grand Mesa which I have heard is the largest plateau in the US. I've been there too. I think at the highest point it is a little over 11,000 ft. There are a lot of lakes there too. This video makes me want to take another look before I move back to Arizona. Thanks to you both for this beautiful video of the Colorado National Monument.
Our pleasure! I hope to do a deep exploration of Colorado next year. There are a lot of beautiful ghost towns we want to seek out.
Nice job. I see the similarities to Zion NP you pointed out. This park is definitely on my bucket list!
Fantastic! If you enjoyed Zion you'll probably love this one too. 😄👍
Thank you for this great video! Living vicariously via your travels. Greetings from Europe.
Thank you very much! Happy to have you along! 😄
I'm headed there tomorrow
Awesome! Hope your visit is a great one! 😄
Thanks for this amazing video. As a GJ born and raised resident. You did this place right. Went up there all the time as a kid and. When my girls was little I would do the drive and give them a nap. They slept amazing haha. Thanks bud you got a new subscriber.
Our pleasure! Thank you so very much! 👍
Wait, that’s the landscape where the astute roadrunner runs freely and the silly coyote falls over surprisingly surviving to fall over again! 😅 beep beep!
So THAT is what those rocks were. Clearly part of their feud. 😂
20 years back; riding my bike back to Phx from a cross country ride, I went thru the CO Nat Monument...really cool. But what was even better, was the cute Ranger at the visitor center I was chatting with, and told her I was driving over to the 191 to go to Moab. She insisted I take the 128 to Moab. My 1st time to Moab; and US 128 may be the most scenic road in the US. I've been to Moab yearly, and side tripped thru the CO Monument several times.
Cross country riding? Wow. I imagine you saw some incredible things on your travels! Biking through Moab seems ideal as you likely get to take in the scenery a bit better than just going by car.
Great channel Glenn, the SW USA is my fav place on earth, so your adventures are so cool to watch! Subscribed.
Awesome, thank you!
Im a native from grand junction the movie that was made some time ago in the 80's they filmed the movie American flyers some of it was filmed on the monument
Love it!
That first place you stopped the wife and I talked to a couple from South Africa. We had a great time discussing Colorado and telling them what not to miss in Utah. I have a lot of memories from watching your travels. Thank you so much!
Awesome! It's always interesting sharing moments with relative strangers, isn't it? Glad we brought up good memories for you! 😄
Love this 👍🏻👍🏻 I’ve camped inside CNM twice and it’s awesome. I’ve also cycled it from top to bottom. I came to know about it after watching the movie “ American Flyers” starring Kevin Costner. The movie is about bicycle racers and the stage CNM is included in is called “ Tour Of The Moon “.
Super cool! Those cyclists going up and down the rim road... man... not sure we'd have the courage to with those curves and traffic going by. I bet it's fun though! 😄
I left my home in Park City at 4 am to drive into the Monument before the Tour of the Moon stage of the Coor’s Classic bicycle race in June of 1987 I believe. I had no idea what I would be visiting that day and I was so impressed and pleased. I followed the Tour on to Aspen, Copper Mountain and the Vail before heading home. Such a wonderful trip and memories that are still fondly with me. I loved that movie and so enjoyed this video! Especially the cyclist appearing a few times as he rode to the top. 😎
Literally my favorite place in the world I miss it so much. :(
It's SUCH a beautiful area.
I rode it on my motorcycle two years ago, definitely worth it. Filmed part of it with my Go Pro.
Absolutely worth it! I imagine that was a fantastic ride! 😄
The time I was there I found myself behind a caravan of early automobiles going about 10 MPH. It caused me to let go of my impatience, pull over now and then to look around and let them move on ahead. It was good for me.
We had a similar experience about learning patience in Yellowstone recently. Sometimes the scenery is just what we need to bring our focus back to where it should be. 😊
I am from Fruita. The red canyon is my favorite overlook. The Village at the top of the canyon is the other canyon
I’m jealous that you have such an amazing landscape so near by!!!
@CactusAtlas I no longer live there and I miss it, but always take that drive when we visit!! My phone turned the v into village
“White knuckle” 😅 that was great.
Thank you for a nice video. The character 黄 is simply the family name Huang. The popular Americanized spelling is Wong. Interestingly, it means "yellow."
Did not know. Thanks for the info! 😄👍
Ha, I have lived her for over 20 years and done every hike up there and driven over the Monument probably more than hundred times and I have never seen that waterfall! 24:00 I'm so jealous! It's because we had a lot more run off this year than usual and I wasn't up there at the right time.
It was a little unexpected to tell the truth! But given the snowfall in the area, not entirely surprising. Kind of felt like a special moment catching it. 😊
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It was interesting to get your take on this location. I was never a big Colorado National Monument fan _because_ of the views north. For me, the hand of man is too prominent. That said, I'm going to have to go back and take a second look. I skipped many of the viewpoints you explored. They looked quite nice.
Totally understand about man creeping in on beautiful views and nature. It kind of kills the moment. 👍
It gave me cold shivers just watching....or maybe it was just the A/C cause its June in Arizona 😂The next time my kid acts up I blame the Cactus Atlas with all your tomfoolery! If he's doing crane kicks off the roof, so help me!!!🤣
The Cactus Atlas accepts no responsibility for children performing crane kicks or other karate moves. 😂
Thumbs up for Iron Maiden.
Planning to do a day trip from Glenwood Springs on vacation middle of May. Any advice appreciated.
Oh, gosh. Unfortunately this video really covers the amount of time we spent there so I'm not sure we have much advice to share outside of what we showed.
The birds soaring are turkey vultures. They are often seen in groups.
Neat! Appreciate the info! 😄👍
I’m here Now, & I’m trying to decide what stops to make with My limited time, 4hrs til sundown
Hope our video helped! 😄
I read that "Canyon in a Canyon" placard more, and im guessing you were looking down the length of a "hanging canyon" poised above the OTHER canyon just beyond its mouth but at a lower elevation but closer to Grand Junction...??
I think the hanging canyon is exactly what it is. 👍 Hadn't really heard of the term before.
Hello. I hope you don't mind me chiming in. I live in Grand Junction and earned by geology degree here. The 'Canyon in a Canyon' that you're referring to is Red Canyon, right?
If you look at Red Canyon, the valley floor is rather flat but then you have this distinct notch, a narrow canyon cut into the valley floor. This is the 'canyon in a canyon' they refer to and it's due to a difference in how easily the rocks erode. The rock of the walls of Red Canyon are sandstones and shales while the rock that makes up the floor of the canyon are much harder metamorphic rocks (gneiss and schist) and some equally hard to erode granites. So the canyon walls erode more easily which widens the canyon; meanwhile, the creek in Red Canyon has a much tougher time with the hard rock of the valley floor so the creek (slowly) cuts a narrow notch (I've hiked up in it).
The "other canyon" beyond the mouth of Red Canyon is actually all of the Grand Valley, which includes Grand Junction and Fruita. It's a very wide (~10 miles or more) valley formed by the Colorado River eroding a very thick but easily erodable geologic formation called the Mancos Shale.
The reason why the floor of the Grand Valley is lower than the floor of Red Canyon is because there's a major fault (the Redlands Fault) roughly perpendicular to Red Canyon right at the mouth of Red Canyon. Colorado National Monument and the surrounding Uncompahgre Plateau was uplifted during the same mountain building episode that built the Rocky Mountains. The Colorado River has had a much easier time eroding out the Grand Valley so it just went around the Uncompahgre Plateau.
While most hanging valleys are due to glaciers, this one is due to a contrast in how easily erodable the rocks are on either side of the Redlands Fault.
By the way, this same situation (wide canyon with a floor of hard to erode metamorphic rocks and a hanging valley due to differential erosion) is found in the other canyons of Colorado National Monument and areas to the northwest and southest. Rattlesnake Canyon, Ute Canyon, Wedding Canyon, Flume Canyon, and many others are all like this. Great hiking!
I hope that made some sense.
You might enjoy perusing this really good geologic map of Colorado National Monument. Click on "Plate 1" for the map itself, click on "Report" for a booklet that explains the map:
pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i2740
Made perfect sense! Really appreciate the thorough explanation and the time you took to provide it. Thank you so so very much!! 😊
@@CactusAtlas Always delighted to talk about geology and geomorphology (study of landform development).
I visited Grand Junction back in 2001. Have never been able to stop thinking about it ever since and is constantly trying to figure out a way to move out there. Apparently there is a curse by the Uta natives. when you visit Grand Junction if you don’t bring a jar of dirt with you, you will return I’ve been back twice.
Hmm. Interesting curse. Unsure how seeing such beautiful land and views is a bad thing. 😅
You call them "reveals", I've been looking for a term for that. What about when it looks like a horizon with clouds above, but it's not clouds it's a whole nother horizon?
Magic? Haha. Not entirely sure what to call that one. 😅
Can an 11-foot high Class C make it through that tunnel? 😮
Edit: never mind, i just found a post that says someone 12'7" made it through by driving down the middle of the road while in all 3 tunnels. 😅
We don't have an RV so these are things we don't typically think of admittedly. However, I found this page which should hopefully help answer.
www.nps.gov/colm/planyourvisit/tunnels.htm
@@CactusAtlas thank you! That web page is exactly what I needed!
Happy to help and hope that Class C can make it through if you go. 😊
TIP: IPhone compass provides elevation when its not posted on info on overlook plaques.
Very cool! Being an Android user myself, I didn't know that and not sure if Glenn noticed that before. I'm sure he'll appreciate the tip! Thank you so much! 😊
Where eagles dare !
They're still relaxing to watch flying around there. 😊
Enjoy your videos! Best photos on TH-cam for exploring the hills and valleys. However, whats with all the freaking commercials? Way too many, and they're annoying. Can you fix? Otherwise, I ll have to unsubscribe.
I'm sorry to hear that you find the ads annoying. As viewers ourselves of TH-cam, we get it. I actually remove about 60% of the ads that TH-cam automatically inserts, however, the ads are how creators get paid for the many many hours they spend making content that is essentially free to watch. 🤷♀️
The rocks are the remnants of giant petrified trees.
Boebert Land