Top 5 reasons you should visit Colorado’s Western Slope
I’ll never forget the first time I saw mountains. The massive, snow-dusted peaks of the San Juans crowding against the horizon gave this flatlander an unsettling, delicious thrill. Back then, I had to pack up a big brown van and drive hundreds of miles to get here. I knew it was worth the drive then, but I just chalked it up to road trip magic. Now, after years of research, I can share the top 5 definitive reasons the Western Slope should be your next destination.
What crowds?
It’s a long way to Denver, and that’s a good thing. If you’re trying to find solitude (steer clear of Aspen), the West Slope is here for it. Often, even if you arrive to a crowded trailhead, you’ll be the only one in earshot once you’re out there. But here’s the thing: Front-rangers and locals alike come to seek solitude. And quietude. If you hike out here, bring respect for wildlife, as well as the space and experience of others on the trail. That means keeping your voice down. I don’t want to hear yelling unless you’re trying to scare away a bear and you need my help.
If you’re into dispersed camping, you are in luck, my resourceful and independent friend. Thousands of sites are dotted along dusty roads that twist into the foothills and mountains or out into the wild desert. Please look up road conditions (4X4, high clearance, washed out) and double check fire restrictions, as recent droughts have made huge swaths of the Western Slope extra crunchy. And of course, anywhere you can find yourself completely singular on the landscape, actual bathrooms may be in short supply, so come prepared…
The night sky
There’s a popular, right-off-the highway-trailhead half an hour west of Grand Junction where you can find yourself in a Van-Gogh painting. Whether you just want to get away from the comforts of your AirBnB for the night, or you’re planning a backpacking trip and hoping for some celestial inspiration – Western Slope does not disappoint for starry skies. The best part is, you don’t need any fancy equipment to enjoy the cosmos. A pair of binoculars, even kids’ binoculars, is enough to bring you that much closer to the stars, although it is super fun to see the surface of the moon through a starter telescope. Or just lean back in your folding chair with a beverage and watch the galaxy slowly swing above your head. Why not plan your trip around some upcoming meteor showers?
Intimate venues like Steve’s Guitars in Carbondale
Everybody loves a good show, and let me tell you Steve’s Guitars does not disappoint. If at first you think you’ve stumbled across some kind of instrument store, due to the guitars that cover every square inch of wall, you wouldn’t be alone. But as your eyes adjust, you’ll see the stage, the equipment, and ah yes – the band setting up. Its cozy, velvet lighting and close quarters make it one of the most intimate venues I’ve ever been to, but for Steve of Steve’s Guitars, it made navigating the pandemic that much more of a challenge. They quickly set up Streamin' Steve’s and have continued their tradition of live shows every Friday, now just broadcasted into fans' homes across the Western Slope — and the Globe.
Don’t show up expecting drinks or bar food, this establishment has one mission: tunes. There are plenty of nearby places to get a bite and a drink.
Here are some more of my favorite small venues in Western CO:
Pressed Palisade, Palisade
🍷🍺☕🥪🥧🌿
The Wood Ear, Telluride
🍜🥃
Monumental Beer Works, Grand Junction
🍺🚐
Dolores River Brewery, Dolores 🍕🍺
The Cavalcade, Fruita 🎶
Live music is one of the great joys of living, but we need to attend small venues responsibly and respectfully because the pandemic isn’t going anywhere soon. You can achieve a high level of protection by getting your vaccine and wearing a mask.
Amazing drives
If you’re driving out from Colorado Springs in the summer, Independence Pass on Highway 82 is your gateway to Western Colorado. At 12,095 ft above sea level, it’s the highest paved road in North America and few things beat its leisurely drama on a sparkling blue July afternoon. At the summit you’re surrounded by glittering ponds and alpine meadows boasting marmots, stoats, rare flowers and alpine bumblebees. Sparrows, pipits and meadowlarks call as the crowds swell midday, drawn by photo-ops of the sign in the parking lot. Most people get out to walk to the end of a short paved path and turn around. But for you adventurous types, an old jeep road crawls up a gentle slope to the right called Mountain Boy. It leads past a little exposure to unnamed ridges near 13,000 feet. The surrounding vista is brimming with peaks, including Mt. Glessier and Twinning Peak to the north, Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive to the east, and Truro Peak and Green Mountain to the south and west. Back in the car, you’ll pass the ghost town of Independence as you descend into the valley and a few places where you can see the old stage-coach road as it crosses the highway. Dispersed and designated campgrounds (bathrooms, baby!) are dotted along this gorgeous stretch all the way into Aspen. Our advice? Skip the hoity-toity crowds and enjoy some peace and quiet in your tent. Note: Independence Pass closes by the first week in November and opens around Memorial Day.
If you’re looking for a bit more of a white knuckler on the way back (who needs guard rails?), Red Mountain Pass is the “fun” way home, snaking along Highway 550 from Ouray into Silverton, home of the Hard Rock 100 ultra-marathon. Though it’s only 23 miles, you’ll feel like you’ve been running for a hundred after you navigate the narrow cliffside road through hairpins and blind curves through the beautiful views that give it the moniker “The Million Dollar Highway.” Maybe leave the scenery to your passengers as there is absolutely no room for swerving on this route, especially coming out of Ouray where you’ll have a serious drop off to your right. Rockfalls are frequent and the road is often closed for maintenance. During the summer months, it can become congested with gawkers pulling trailers, so be careful out there. If you decide to come out to Ouray via Red Mountain Pass (similar open dates as Independence Pass), and you haven’t had your fill of sheer drop-offs yet, venture up the Perimeter Trail. It, circles the town over narrow passes and through a metal bridge suspended over a box canyon. Drink away your jitters at the Ouray Brewery, but save the trip back until the next day.
The Palisade Plunge
Guys, this is the big one. The mother of all downhill mountain bike trails, for experienced riders only. This is a brand new 32 mile trail that descends 6,000 feet from volcanic ridges of the Grand Mesa through aspen, pine, juniper scrub and high desert to the banks of the Colorado River. It hooks up with the Palisade Rim trail, one of my favorite running trails(steep switch-backs, maze-like descent through juniper, AH-mazing views of orchards + mountains and even some awesome petroglyphs). If you’re not a top notch mountain biker, then maybe this one isn’t for you…That’s ok! You’ll have plenty of company on other nearby trails, this author among them. Hikers and trailrunners are permitted on the Palisade Plunge, but please, be careful and respectful of each other. Mountain bikers going down this very technical trail may be too busy concentrating on not falling off a cliff to announce themselves, or they may not see you around a tight bend. This means keep an ear out listening for them coming. Trail etiquette is crucial on this track as there are many tight switch backs over boulder fields and extremely exposed sections. Or, you know settle into some pizza and at the Peach Street Distillery and let the epic bikers figure it out themselves.
Now that you’ve got some points of interest to plan your trip around, don’t forget to add a little randomness. It’s great to have a plan, but the spaces in between…that’s where the magic happens. Happy trails!
