Colorado National Monument
| Colorado National Monument | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
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| Location | Mesa County, Colorado, USA |
| Nearest city | Grand Junction, CO |
| Coordinates | 39°02′33″N 108°41′10″W / 39.04250°N 108.68611°WCoordinates: 39°02′33″N 108°41′10″W / 39.04250°N 108.68611°W |
| Area | 20,533 acres (83.09 km2) |
| Established | May 24, 1911 |
| Visitors | 454,510 (in 2012) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Colorado National Monument |
Colorado National Monument (locally referred to as The Monument) is a National Park Service unit near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Spectacular canyons cut deep into sandstone, and even granite–gneiss–schist, rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinion and juniper forests on the plateau. The park hosts a wide range of wildlife, including red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, ravens, jays, desert bighorn sheep, and coyotes. Activities include hiking, horseback riding, road bicycling, and scenic drives; a visitor center on the west side contains a natural history museum and gift shop. There are magnificent views from trails and the Rim Rock Drive, which winds along the plateau - as well as from the campground. Nearby are the Book Cliffs and the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, the Grand Mesa.
Its feature attraction is Monument Canyon, which runs the width of the park and includes rock formations such as Independence Monument, the Kissing Couple, and Coke Ovens. The monument includes 20,500 acres (32 square miles), much of which has been recommended to Congress for designation as wilderness.
The area was first explored by John Otto, a free spirit who settled in Grand Junction in the early 20th century. Prior to Otto's arrival, many area residents believed the canyons to be inaccessible to humans. Otto began building trails on the plateau and into the canyons. As word spread about his work, the Chamber of Commerce of Grand Junction sent a delegation to investigate. The delegation returned praising both Otto's work and the scenic beauty of the wilderness area, and the local newspaper began lobbying to make it a National Park. A bill was introduced and carried by the local Representatives to the U.S. Congress and Senate but a Congressional slowdown in the final months threatened the process. To ensure protection of the canyons President William Howard Taft (who had visited the area) stepped in and used the highest powers available to him via the Antiquities Act and presidential proclamation to declare the canyons as a national monument.
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