Grand Junction and Rifle Falls State Park

September 11th and 12th-  Grand Junction, a nice small city located about 30 miles east of the Utah border, is named for the confluence of two well-known rivers, the Colorado and the Gunnison.  Its best-known attraction is the Colorado National Monument, a beautiful red-rock mesa with deep canyons, golden eagles, and big horn sheep.  Having visited there several times, we decided to do something different.  On Tuesday morning, we took a drive up to Rifle Falls State Park in Rifle, CO, about 50 miles outside of Grand Junction.  There are two state parks in that area, as well as a state-run fish hatchery. 

On arriving, we tried to find the fish hatchery.  My sister Linda and her husband had visited there many years ago, but we initially couldn't find it.  We found a sign for the hatchery, and walked in a short trail to find it, but instead found a nice little creek. 

Giving up on that trail, we continued up the road in search of the hatchery.  Larry remembered a paved parking lot, and being able to walk right in to where the fish tanks were located.  A short time later, there it was- the parking lot and the fish tanks!  This location raises several different types of trout, some they release as minnow-size, some they raise until they are large enough to be "keepers".  They release them into lakes and rivers all over the western part of Colorado.  I questioned why they needed to continually stock the streams, and why they could not eventually become sustainable, but there was no one around available to ask...

We continued back to Rifle Falls State Park, where there were camping and picnicking sites available.  The weather was beautiful, with temps in the 80's and a nice breeze.  The bad side of the breeze is we were under red flag warnings, as the area had been extremely dry all summer.  We enjoyed a picnic lunch, then hiked up to the falls- actually three falls.  The falls spill over a limestone cliff, that they think formed from stagnant water behind a beaver dam.  The water became saturated with minerals, forming thick limestone deposits that are now exposed as cliffs.  In 1910, the town of Rifle built a hydroelectric dam at the site of the falls, which changed the creeks natural flow from one wide waterfall to the three falls seen today. 

Behind the falls are limestone cliffs with dark caves, including a 90 foot room (which we did not see...)  Over all, this was a great way to spend a lovely day!

The next day, my sister and I just spent time shopping (of course!), while the guys stayed home and did some dog grooming and looking at Larry's collection of old cars- plus one classic Harley Davidson.  Tomorrow, Dale and I will take our leave and head to Arches National Park in Utah.