COME TO LIFE / Colorado Wine Country The area around Grand Junction is the heart of Colorado’s wine country, home to 20 wine-tasting rooms and a handful of spirits distillers and breweries. But delicious adult beverages are just one of the region’s great assets. COLORADO WINE COUNTRY: GRAND JUNCTION, PALISADE & FRUITA COLORADO SIDETRIPS 1 DAY 1 Family-friendly Powder-horn Mountain Resort is located on the Grand Mesa near Grand Junc-tion, where skiers, riders and snowtubers see something more like the Grand Canyon than the typical alpine view. Pow-derhorn recently added an amazing new service: Ski Patrol Ski Along, your own personal guide to the mountain! Pick up a map at the en-trance to town to discover all that’s within reach of Palisade (1) , where recreation is top of the line. The river is accessible to kayaks, canoes, rafters and paddleboards. There’s also the Riverfront Trail ’s Monument View section, which runs 28 miles along the Colorado River from Fruita to Grand Junction. The Palisade Fruit & Wine Byway is another way to see For dinner, Inari’s offers seasonal American fare and many local wines. Peach Street Distillers , a manufacturer of locally made spirits, is a great place to taste some truly original spirits. Or have dinner at Grand Junction’s wildly popular Bin 707 Foodbar , where chef Josh Niernberg serves up a menu crafted from the Grand Valley’s best farmers, winemakers and brewers. On the way, stop in Rangely . Once the site of a Ute trading post, see prehistoric rock art from the Ute and Fremont tribes in Canyon Pintado . Maps and information are available at the Rangely Museum , just east of town. The museum itself is a unique stopover, with a collection of one-of-a-kind and classic automobiles and motorcycles. The town is also a hub for hunters, fishers, golfers, OHV riders and rock crawlers. Bring your telescope — you can the see spectacular night skies all year long. QUICK TIP 154 / Grand Junction is on the California Zephyr Amtrak line that runs from Chicago to San Francisco, and the depot is a short walk from downtown. The train runs west and east daily. COLORADO.COM FROM LEFT: GATEWAY CANYONS RESORT & SPA; DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT, ERIC WUNROW. 7 WINTER FUN The largest flat-topped moun-tain in the world, Grand Mesa is a 10,000-foot-high plateau topped by forest and more than 300 lakes. Mountain-bike trails, ranging from mild to intense, lace the area. the area, routing through orchards, lavender gardens, vineyards, fruit stands and river views. Along the way, you’ll spy the Bookcliff Mountains , named for their shape and one of the only east–west ranges in the U.S. With its craggy hills and unparalleled collection of prehistoric artifacts, Dinosaur National Monument is worth the additional four-hour trek north along the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic & Historic Byway. There are thousands of fossil types in the monument, and it’s still an active research area. Be sure to visit the Gates of Lodore , spectacular red canyon walls that tower over the Green River, which popular with rafters and campers.
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2018: Page 154
