Lodging

Towering monoliths and steep-walled canyons at Colorado National Monument.

Last weekend my family and I embarked on our first camping trip of the year. We dusted off and cleaned out our pop-up camper to “explore our own backyard” at Colorado National Monument, just south of Fruita in the Grand Valley.

Now, we’ve taken our kids to six National Parks throughout the Southwest, but, embarrassingly, hadn’t visited this National Monument before — even though it’s less than two hours away from our house! I’m so glad we made the trip to spend two nights in its convenient Saddlehorn Campground. (By the way, a National Monument is established by the declaration of a president. A National Park is established by an act of Congress. Remember that one for your next game of U.S. trivia!)

The 32 square miles of terrain in Colorado National Monument includes towering mesas and rugged sandstone formations. In one word (okay, three): otherworldly, striking and inspiring. What’s incredible is that this canyon country is just six miles from the town of Fruita — with its Dinosaur Journey museum (fun for kids) and a giant grocery store (in case you’re camping and forgot marshmallows). Further down the road less than a 20-minute drive away is the major city of Grand Junction (with a mall, in case you forgot any other sort of travel gear).

View of Fruita from Saddlehorn Campground at Colorado National Monument.

In fact, Fruita is visible from a ridiculously steep overlook at the Saddlehorn Campground, set on a mesa. In particular, there are cliffs behind spot #47 in Loop B, where we parked our pop-up camper. If you have toddlers or preschoolers who tend want to “explore on their own” and escape from your sight, this might not be the best choice for you. There are other loops and spots in the campground that don’t have as easy access to towering cliffs. But with responsible children ages 7 and 9, we loved our spot surrounded by pinyon and juniper trees, and a stone’s throw from the clean restroom with flushing toilets (but no hand soap; bring your own to the lavatory).

Camping at Saddlehorn is on a first-come, first-served basis. We arrived at the campground at about 3 p.m. on a Friday in mid-May, with plenty of spots open. But by 7 p.m., most of the 80 spots were filled. Campers were a mix of families and young-adult mountain bikers who came to ride the Fruita area’s famous off-road trails.

Besides the campground’s fabulous restrooms (any restroom without a pit toilet is fabulous for me), amenities include community water spigots, plus a picnic table and charcoal grill at each campsite. Wood fires are strictly forbidden due to high winds and extreme dryness in the area. There are tent and RV sites available; no hook-ups. The cost is $10/night per site up to 7 people.

During our camping weekend, we biked with our kids to the nearby Visitor Center (all of 5 minutes by bike), where they enrolled in the Junior Ranger program, answering questions about the flora and fauna of the monument in an activity book. We also took two short hikes, really nature walks, along Window Rock and Otto’s trails to fenced overlooks with dramatic views. Again, these trails have some extremely steep drop-offs, they may not be appropriate for very young children. We also drove the scenic route along the monument’s 23-mile Rim Rock Drive.

We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend “roughing it” the basic Saddlehorn Campground. It was a convenient place to rest our heads while exploring the sights in Colorado National Monument.