From the welcome center, we headed south out of Fruita, Colorado, on CO-340 mesmerized by over 20,500 acres of red rock canyons and towering monoliths that made up the Colorado National Monument.

The fee-based area at the monument cost $20 for non-commercial vehicles; $15 per motorcycle; and $10 for pedestrians/bicyclist. We traversed over a narrow two-lane road filled with switchbacks and two impressive tunnels through the colossal canyon rock walls, which of course, provided the perfect opportunity to sound the Hadley horns. We gradually made our way to the top of the canyon, home to the Saddlehorn Campground, which would be our base for the next week.

Saddlehorn Campground

Saddlehorn Campground sits atop the Lizard Canyon with beautiful views of the Window Rock, Book Cliffs, Redlands, and Independence Monument. It is composed of three loops: A-loop is open year around and is first-come, first served. B-loop is reservable and can accommodate rigs up to 40-feet. C-loop is for individual/group camping and is also first-come, first served. There are no electrical hookups or showers but they do have restrooms and water spigots located throughout the campground. The roads inside the campground are very narrow and we would recommend detaching if you have a tow vehicle. The sites are mostly level but very tight for big-rigs.

Hiking

If you enjoy hiking, the Colorado National Monument has several trails to choose from, all of which are on the easy to moderate side. Here are our favorites:

Window Rock Trail:

We enjoyed this 1/4 mile trail just outside the Saddlehorn Campground. We recommend starting at the visitors center or if staying at the campground, it is located just north of the C-loop. The trail is fairly level, descending about 60 vertical feet through Pinyon pines and Utah junipers. The trail takes you along the edge of the cliffs so if you have vertigo or unsteady on your feet, we would recommend another trail as there are no railings.

Up canyon, the park’s major monoliths are all in sight. Independence Monument, Praying Hands, Kissing Couple, and other formations make up a postcard view. The trail ends at the Book Cliff views providing you a panorama of Grand Junction and Window Rock.

Devils Kitchen Trail:

Devils Kitchen Trail is located near the south end of the Colorado National Monument at the bottom of No Thoroughfare Canyon. Drive 17.8 miles south from the Saddlehorn Visitor Center to the start of the trail. This 1.2-mile hike ascends 225 feet to a view of the canyon where tall boulders have enclosed a rock grotto.

The rock enclosure creates a cool arena providing a much needed break from the desert climate. Make sure to climb up the wall on the east side of the grotto to a window overlooking No Thoroughfare Canyon.

Devils Kitchen

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We departed Emporia on May 24th with an additional family member in tow, our granddaughter Kinslee, who was spending a month traveling with Mimi and Papa. Our first day covered 370 miles and concluded in Lamar, Colorado where we lot docked at their Walmart Supercenter. Our second day landed us in Alamosa, Colorado (206 miles) at the Cool Sunshine RV Park where we established our home base for visiting The Great Sand Dunes and Zapata Falls, approximately 20 miles away.

While we approached the Great Sand Dunes along Colorado 17, which were derived from sediments of the surrounding Sangre de Cristo mountain range, it didn’t seem possible it encompassed 30 square miles but as we neared the entrance, the massive 750-foot tall dunes were impressive to see.

There are a lot of activities to partake in the park. If you are in good health and have some experience skiing, we recommend renting sand boards in Alamosa and making an attempt down the dunes. A fair warning, falling on sand is much different than falling in powdered snow.

Teenagers jumping off the dunes into Medano Creek

If sand boarding is not your thing, try taking a swim in Medano Creek. Medano Creek runs along the west side of the dunes and is filled by melting mountain snow. You might think the water would be cold; however, the temperature during the summer time on the dunes can reach over 100 degrees, which also heats up the creek.

If you love photography like we do, catching a sunrise or sunset over the dunes is gratifying. The best angle of photography for a sunset click, from our point of view, is along the Medano Creek, which will capture the sun glistening off the rolling sand dunes.

Sunset at the Great Sand Dunes (west side)

Since there was an overcrowding issue in most of the parking lots, we opted for the fourth choice, off-roading along Medano Pass. Medano Pass is just west of the visitors center and easily accessible by most 4wd vehicles. High clearance vehicles are highly recommended on this trail. We made it approximately 4.5 miles along the pass until we were turned around by a road closure due to the amount of run-off from the melting snow.

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Trinity Site

We stopped and visited the Trinity Site along Highway 380. Trinity was the code name of the first detonation of a nuclear weapon. It was conducted by the United States Army at 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945, as part of the Manhattan Project. The site itself is only open to the public twice a year and we missed the public opening by one week but we were able to see the historical marker.

After arriving in Almagordo, we made reservations at the White Sands RV Park for two nights. Our tanks were bursting at the seams from the one week stay at the balloon fiesta so the first thing we did after hooking up was to dump our tanks. After getting settled in, we made a trip to the local WalMart for some groceries and spent the rest of the night watching movies.

New Mexico Museum of Space History

The next day we visited the New Mexico Museum of Space History. The museum contained exhibitions ranging from Robert Goddard’s early rocket experiments near Roswell to a mock-up of the International Space Station. We also paid tribute to the International Space Hall of Fame commemorating the achievements of men and women who have furthered humanity’s exploration of space.

White Sands National Monument is in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. It’s known for its dramatic landscape of rare white gypsum sand dunes. Trails through the dunes include the raised Interdune Boardwalk and the Dune Life Nature Trail, dotted with interpretive exhibits on wildlife and other features. Dunes Drive is a looped road from the White Sands Visitor Center to the dune field and includes several parking lots along the way where one could enjoy a nice family lunch.

White Sands National Monument

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