10 Things You Should Do In Western Colorado This Summer

This is a list of fun things to do in Western Colorado this summer; and while there are so many things you can do, I picked 10 of my favorites. If you're new to Grand Junction, or just visiting, than these will probably all be new and exciting to you. If you've lived in Grand Junction for a little while, than hopefully some of my creative twists will offer a new experience for you!

1. Go On A Scavenger Hunt Hike

This is something I've done recently with my kids, to keep things interesting for them. When we hike, we set a scavenger hunt of things we want to try to see. For instance, we might say an orange flower, a blue flower, a small bird, red ants, etc. Different types of wild life, plant life, rocks, etc. Come up with your own as a family, or group, and have a blast. Here is a list of some of the hiking trails in the Grand Junction area.

2. Unwind In A Hot Springs

Now, these are not necessarily in the Grand Junction area, but most are within a short drive. There is nothing like unwinding in a Colorado Hot Springs. The most obvious and most well known of these is the Glenwood Hot Springs, located in Glenwood Colorado. A few of my other favorites include the Ouray Hot Springs and Yampah Spa and Salon. I also love the Chipeta Solar Hot Springs in Ridgeway, Colorado.

3. Ride The Train

There really isn't much like riding a train through the rocky mountains. A train ride from Grand Junction to Denver is always a blast. You can look up current rates on the Amtrak Website.

4. Visit The Museum Of The West

Take a few hours and learn about the history of Grand Junction, and Western Colorado. They have a pretty incredible collection of historic guns, including an old belt-fed machine gun! My kids absolutely love this place. For membership and visitation information, you can check out the Museum Of The West Website.

5. Take A Selfie At Hanging Lake

I admit that it's a bit of a drive, and a bit of a hike, but it's worth it. Anyone who's anyone in Western Colorado has at least one Hanging Lake selfie in their facebook photos. It makes for an unforgettable hike, and some great photo ops, as well as a good picnic area. For more information and directions to Hanging Lake click here.

6. Try Wake Boarding Or Paddle Boarding

My favorite place to rent Paddle Boards from is Rapid Creek Cycles and Sports. They are out in Palisade, which can be a bit of a drive, but it's still hard to beat their boards and prices. As far as a Wakeboard, I'm unaware of anywhere to rent them, so you'll have to find some friends to go with!

7. Go Rafting Or Kayaking

The best part about enjoying the river for anyone in Grand Junction, is that the river through the Grand Junction area is nice a peaceful, while on either side of us, it gets pretty crazy and fun. You can rent rafts and kayaks from Rimrock Adventures in Fruita, Colorado. You can also rent kayaks and tubes from the Get Air Silo.

8. Ride A Horse

There is not much that compares to a horseback ride through the Colorado wilderness. Especially when you have the right group of people involved. In fact, I haven't been horseback riding in a few years, I'm definitely going this summer. If you don't already have a place, Rimrock Adventures has great prices and horses.

9. Go To A Concert

There are so many opportunities to see live music this summer. Mesa Theater always has something going on, The Wine Country Inn has music every friday night throughout the summer, Fruita has the Thursday Night Concert Series, plus there are also plenty of musicians every Thursday night at the Grand Junction Farmers Market in Downtown Grand Junction. This is just the tip of it, there are so many places to catch live music in Grand Junction this summer.

10. Go Shopping Downtown

From restaurants to art galleries to one-of-a-kind mom and pop stores, Downtown Grand Junction has enough stores to keep you busy all day. There is even an old-fashioned toy store, and an old-fashioned candy store, which my kids absolutely love. Personally, I'm a fan of the Suehiro Sushi Joint, Hart's Music Store, and Roasted Coffee Shop.