Western Slope

Western Colorado, or more generically referred to as the 'Western Slope' is roughly that part of the state extending from the continental divide to the western state line. Grand Junction, with a current population of about one hundred twenty thousand, is the region's largest city. Within this region there are enormous expanses of wondrous beauty that defy adjectives and must be seen to be understood.

The weather patterns in the West are quite different from the rest of the state because the west to east flows squeeze the moisture out of the air as altitudes increase. This results in snowfalls being measured in feet instead of inches. The moisture stored by all this snow provides the water to power much of the Southwestern United States. When Spring snow-melt comes, the Colorado and Green rivers become raging torrents and a playground for river rafting adventurists. There is a series of dams built by the US Bureau of Reclamation below where these two rivers join. These dams store this resource so it can be distributed to all the Southwest via a system of canals. Hopefully, this helps you to understand why this area is so important to our modern culture.

Diversity seems to be a much used term so lets talk about the diversity of Western Colorado. From a cultural perspective, the South is very Spanish and American Indian with a dash of the silver prospector's hard lives thrown in while the North is a product of Cowboy ranchers and wildcatters. From a geographical perspective the best I can do is scratch the surface. The 4 corners area is primarily where ancient civilizations thrived, the rugged and beautiful San Juan Mountains, the Colorado River Plateau and semi-arid valley, the moonscape like terrain where the dinosaur once roamed, oil shale country where rocks can burn, rich grasslands to feed the ranchers cattle and of course the very, very large watershed. Oh, I almost forgot the famous hot springs and Glen Wood Canyon. You see, there seems no end to the historical significance of this region and no really good place to stop.

Then there is the skiing in Western Colorado where people the world over come to experience the great powder. While this has always been an important part of the Colorado experience, only in the recent past has that draw to Colorado really exploded. While one thinks about flying into Denver, renting a car and going skiing, the drive would be much shorter from Grand Junction and you wouldn't have to deal with getting over the divide (Eisenhower Tunnel) and that horrid long climb up the east side of Vail pass (well known for bad conditions). A quick look at most any map will confirm that nearly all the world class ski resorts are located in in this part of the state. Depending on what map you consult, Aspen may or may not be in South Central Colorado but that's really only a minor point.

This area is so vast and varied that it is nearly impossible to comprehend.

I recently came across a site which does a better job of showing off this part of Colorado that there is absolutely no way I could come close. So here is a link which I highly recommend - Western Colorado Travel Secrets