South West of Colorado to the Black Canyon

3 Day Trip to Southwest Colorado to the Black Canyon.

if you don't have a lot of time but still would like to travel, join us for this trip and you will see plenty of
interesting places!

Our first day will start pretty early. We will take I-70 west, we'll stop for lunch in Glenwood Springs or in
Rifle. After that, we will continue our journey to Grand Junction where we will spend the rest of the day
and where we'll stay over night. We will first go to see very beautiful red rock formations called the
Colorado National Monument. A lot of tourists pass this monument on the way to Utah and don't stop
here. This park is very attractive and when you get to the top of it, you can see all of Grand Junction. We
will drive for 23 miles along the zig-zag road called Rim Rock Drive. We will make a lot of stops and
you'll have the opportunity to see a lot of flowers also. The most famous red rock formations here are
Independance Monument and the Coke Ovens. The opening of the park dates back to 1911. John Otto
became the first ranger of the park since he was the first explorer and the person who was asking the
government to make the area a park.

Our second day will be very long. We will drive to Telluride using a pretty rarely used Highway 141. This
will give you a chance to see a lot of beautiful landscapes in Colorado and more of its famous red rocks
everywhere. Many photo stop opportunities. By lunch time we should get to Telluride, a former mining
town but nowadays a famous ski resort . It is located in a box canyon surrounded by forests. The town
was founded in 1878 and you will be able to see some of the historical buildings here. Among them is
the Sheridan Opera house. Today Telluride is known as one of the most expensive cities in the United
States. We will take a ride on a system of gondolas and you will see this beautiful mountain landscape.
Those of you who want to walk can take a hike to the base of Bridal Veil Falls, the highest in Colorado.
We will then drive to Montrose where we will stay overnight.

Our third day will start with the Black Canyon National Park, a short drive from Montrose. The canyon
got its name because sun light gets to the bottom only for 33 minutes a day. The walls of the canyon
are very steep, and the canyon itself is quite narrow. The narrowest point is 40 feet or 12 meters and the
depth is 2,722 feet. The length of the canyon is 12 miles inside the park or 48 miles all together.
Dramatic views of this canyon will be unforgettable, with Painted Wall Cliff the most spectacular.

After the Black Canyon, we will go to the top of Grand Mesa, the largest flat top mountain in the world. It
covers an area of 500 square miles and is 6000 feet or 1800 neters higher than the valley below it. The
height of this mountain is 11000 feet or 3400 meters above sea level. There are 300 lakes on the top of
the mountain. The climate here is quite different from the nearby city of Grand Junction that you will see
from the mountain top. We will see a fields of wildflowers in summer here, and you will have a chance to
feed the many friendly chipmonks waiting for our arrival at the best observation point. We'll get back to
Denver late in the evening.