Must See State Parks Close to Grand Junction Colorado

I'm not gonna lie and tell you that I'm NOT ready for road trip weather.

The truth is, I can't wait to pack my lovely wife and our pain-in-the-butt dogs into our truck and hit the road for some adventures.

If you don't already know, Grand Junction is the perfect place to live in Colorado if ya wanna do road trips to, well, anywhere in the state. (Utah, too, but that's a different story.)

See, we're perfectly located from the high central mountains, the rugged southwest mountains, and everything in between. On this particular occasion, we're gonna focus on Colorado's state parks. At least those that are just a short jaunt away.

What You Need to Know About Colorado's State Parks

Photo by Alden Maben on Unsplash

Colorado is home to 42 state parks. That may seem like a lot, but 43% of Colorado's land is public -- that's 23 million acres.

Lathrop State Park is the first state park that opened in 1962 and is named after Harry Lathrop, the state’s first Director of State Parks.

The largest state park is State Forest State Park, which covers 70,838 acres in Jackson and Larimer Counties. The park has the Medicine Bow Mountains, wildlife, and mountain lakes.

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Colorado State Parks Close to Grand Junction for a Quick Road Trip

You don’t have to venture far from Grand Junction to experience the breathtaking beauty of Colorado’s stunning state parks.

13 Colorado State Parks Within 90 Minutes of Grand Junction

Here's a snapshot look at 13 Colorado state parks, a short drive away from Grand Junction, and what you can do when you get there.

Now that you've visited these state parks close to Grand Junction, it's time to venture out to the rest of Colorado's state and national parks.

See All 42 of Colorado's Beautiful State Parks

There are 42 State Parks open to the public in Colorado with 1 in development. We also include the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area as an unofficial State Park. Scroll through the photos to learn more about each one of these popular destinations.

Gallery Credit: Wes Adams

The Ultimate Colorado National Parks and Monuments Road Trip

If you have a Colorado bucket list full of National Parks and Monuments then we have an ultimate road trip for you. We're taking a loop around the state to show off each destination. For each stop, we'll throw in a cool place to stay, and a great restaurant nearby.

Gallery Credit: Wes Adams