Utah and Colorado Trip Part Four
June 6th, 2023
After Capitol Reef National Park, we went to Grand Junction, CO, where we went to Colorado National Monument four times and went on one bike ride.
Here is a list of all of the hikes/bike rides we did here:
- Devils Kitchen Trail (Hike)
- Horsethief Trail via Mary's Trail (Bike Ride)
- Monument Canyon Loop Trail via Wedding Canyon Trail (Hike)
- No Thoroughfare Trail (Hike)
- Liberty Cap Trail (Hike)
Devils Kitchen Trail (Hike)
Our first hike while here at Grand Junction was Devil's Kitchen Trail, which was a kind of a boring hike that ended at "Devils Kitchen," which was a massive rock formation that was almost completely surrounded by rock walls with two small entrances/exits into it. This hike was in Colorado National Monument.
Horsethief Trail via Mary's Trail (Bike Ride)
Later on in the day after we had hiked Devils Kitchen Trail, we did a bike ride where we rode this one road to another "road" (Mary's Trail) which then followed along this on cliff face and then started down at a huge pile of boulders that probably ended up there due to erosion. Then we started riding another loop in a huge, sprawling meadow for several miles. Finally, we reached those rocks again and then we headed back to the truck. Overall, this would of been my favorite ride so far on the trip if it wasn't for the weather (it was probably 80-90ยบ).
Monument Canyon Loop Trail via Wedding Canyon Trail (Hike)
This hike was my least favorite due to the unusual parts of it, such as the beginning. It felt like you were driving to somebody's house due to the fact that there was a house right next to the trailhead. Also, 50+% of the views were of Grand Junction which was a huge disappointment.
No Thoroughfare Trail (Hike)
No Thoroughfare Trail was my favorite hike here due to the water. The trail started off at the same trailhead as our first hike (Devils Kitchen Trail) but then shortly branched off and followed a creek upstream for several miles where approximately 1/2 to 1 mile in there was a pond-like water feature known as the "First Pool". Then we hiked approximately another mile to the "First Waterfall" where it was similar to the "First Pool" but with cliff walls surrounding it on three sides with a 50' waterfall. After climbing up that wall (there was a narrow trail about 1-2' wide to get to the top) we hiked for another mile or so to the "Second Waterfall" where we then turned around and hiked back.
Liberty Cap Trail (Hike)
Liberty Cap Trail was our last hike here at Grand Junction. This was another one of my favorite hikes that we did due to the rapid changes of scenery. The trail started off near the edge of Grand Junction right next to a neighborhood, which I thought was strange, and then we walked across this meadow and started hiking up along the cliff face to the top. At the top we saw the "Liberty Cap", views into the park, and views of Grand Junction.
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