Colorado National Monument
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Introduction
Colorado National Monument resides at the edge of the Uncompahgre Plateau. Over the past few dozen million years, wind, rain and frost eroded the plateau wall, leaving magnificent vistas, deep valleys, and unusual rock formations.It was a guy named John Otto, who came to the Uncompahgre Plateau in 1906, and was convinced that the area should be a National Park. He built miles of trails, and started an endless campaign to get the land recognized by the politicians in Washington DC.
The park finally did become a National Monument in 1911, where Otto was named the park's caretaker, and for the next 16 years, he worked for a dollar a month. Now that's dedication...
When I visited in 1997, I had just been to Rocky Mountain National Park, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Canyon. At that point, Colorado National Monument was just another scenic drive. I passed by the park in 2005, but after seeing Carlsbad Caverns, Death Valley, Yosemite, Arches and a stretch along the Colorado River, I didn't even stop in.
Sorry Otto...
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Related Links
| Colorado River | |
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The Colorado River starts as a small stream in Rocky Mountain National Park, and gathers hundreds of other streams and rivers along the way to become the lifeline of the Southwest, providing water, electricity and recreation to millions in the five states the river flows through or touches. I've actually followed the river in one form or another, from Rocky Mountain National Park to Grand Canyon. I've also done more river miles on the Colorado than any other river... |
| Colorado, Utah and Arizona / 55 Images. Visited Sep 2005, Sep 2008. | |
Colorado National Monument Trip Report: Sep 1997.
| Return to: | State Index | Colorado State Page | National Monuments |
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