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Important Fee Info!
Important Fee Info!
Starting January 1, 2019, Colorado State Parks instituted a new fee for their northwest region parks that affect those of us who cycle or walk into Colorado State Parks: In order to enter a Colorado State Park in the northwest region of Colorado, a cyclist or walker must either purchase a day use pass for $4.00 PER PERSON or have a Colorado State Parks annual pass. This fee applies even if you want to just fill your water bottles or use the restroom. Probably the most significant impact on road cyclists will be that we can no longer stop at Highline Lake State Park to get water or use the restroom without paying their hefty fee (see the new Fruita Farms Grand Tour map for the alternative water and restroom stop in Loma).
This fee does not apply to the Riverfront Trail. While there isn't any charge to ride on the Riverfront Trail in a state park, you cannot use any other trails, get water, or use the restrooms at any of the state park units along the Riverfront Trail without paying a fee or having an annual pass. See my Colorado Riverfront Trail page for more information.
Second Note: Colorado National Monument (a federal, not state, park, so this is totally separate thing) increased the price of a seven day pass for a cyclist to $15, and the cost of an annual pass has increased $45. However, the annual pass admits up to four bicyclists at one time and it's good for a whole year, so if there's three or four of you in your group the annual pass is the better way to go.
Grand Junction Area Route Maps
Grand Junction Area Route Maps
Colorado National Monument Loop - Option 1: Start/Finish in Fruita at the Fruita Welcome Center, going counter-clockwise
Distance: 38 miles / 61 kilometers
Climbing: 2,350 feet / 715 meters
Difficulty: Moderate
Front and rear 'get you seen' type lights are required while riding in the tunnels.
A national parks pass or $15 is required to get into the park.
Tip: An annual pass costs $45 and admits up to four bicyclists at a time and it's good for a whole year. So if there's three or more in your group, this would be the way to go.
Colorado National Monument Loop - Option 2: Start/Finish in Grand Junction at the Lunch Loops Trailhead, going clockwise
Distance: 35 miles / 56 kilometers
Climbing: about 2,350 feet / 715 meters
Difficulty: Moderate. The four mile climb up the east side is fairly steep, though, at 6-8%
Front and rear 'get you seen' type lights are required while riding in the tunnels.
A national parks pass or $15 is required to get into the park.
Tip: An annual pass costs $45 and admits up to four bicyclists at a time and it's good for a whole year. So if there's three or more in your group, this would be the way to go.
Colorado National Monument East Side - Glade Park Loop
Distance: 34.2 miles / 55.0 kilometers
Climbing: 3,590 ft / 1,095 meters
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Colorado National Monument pass or money required
Lots of UP. Lots of DOWN too. Not much in between.
Colorado National Monument West Side - Glade Park Loop
Distance: 42.7 miles / 68.7 kilometers (feels a lot longer)
Climbing: 3,690 ft / 1,125 meters
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Colorado National Monument pass or money required
Starts out mellow then goes up. And keeps going up. And more up. Then a whole lotta down!
Distance: 23 miles / 37 kilometers
Difficulty: Easy and scenic
Orchard Mesa - Palisade - East Orchard Mesa Loop
Distance: 41 miles / 66 kilometers
Climbing: 731 feet / 223 meters
Difficulty: Easy for the most part, but one really good hill
Distance: 37 miles / 60 kilometers
Climbing: 742 feet / 226 meters
Difficulty: Easy....except on a windy day
Distance: 64 miles / 103 kilometers
Climbing: 1,330 feet / 405 meters
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 55 miles / 86 kilometers
Difficulty: Easy, but with a couple hills that'll get your attention
Reeder Mesa - Purdy Mesa - Kannah Creek Route
Distance: 33 miles / 53 kilometers
Climbing: 1,810 feet / 552 meters
Difficulty: Moderate, but with about half a mile at 9%. Ooof.
Ride starts in Whitewater. To ride from Grand Junction to the start of this ride, see "Grand Junction to Whitewater" route below.
Little Park Road - Monument Loop
Distance: 29 miles / 47 kilometers
Climbing: 2,840 feet / 866 meters
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
You must have a Colorado National Monument pass, a National Parks Service pass, or be willing to pay the $15 entrance fee in order to complete the loop.
Distance: 71.0 miles / 114.3 kilometers; Alternate Start/Finish (DS Road only): 40.5 miles / 65.2 kilometers
Climbing: 4,760 feet / 1,451 meters; Alternate Start/Finish (DS Road only): 1,749 feet / 533 meters
Difficulty: Moderate to difficult. Difficult climb at the beginning, delightfully mellow after that. With the use of one of those gasoline burning things you can start from the Alternate Start/Finish, skip the difficult climb and just do the delightful part.
Can be a good winter ride when the valley is socked in with a wretched inversion.
Distance: 86 miles / 138 kilometers
Climbing: 4,900 feet / 1,494 meters
Difficulty: Moderate to difficult. Route map includes a shorter, easier alternative.
This route enables you to ride from Grand Junction to Whitewater to connect to the start of either the Reeder Mesa route or the Unaweep Canyon route.
Distance: 18 miles / 29 kilometers round trip
Difficulty: Easy, but tack this onto those other rides and you'll get a good workout.
Distance: 66 miles / 106 kilometers
Climbing: 4,600 feet / 1,400 meters
Difficulty: Kicks up at the end, so 'difficult' if you head to the top, 'moderate' if you turn back at the base. Narrow, busy road, not for the faint of heart.
Distance: 63 miles / 101 kilometers
Climbing: 6,049 feet / 1,844 meters. All of it in the first half.
Difficulty: Difficult. "Bright light and dead relatives beckoning" sort of difficult.
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