Grand Junction has 87 miles of mapped trails, 2.1 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Canyon View Park (3.8 mi), Matchett Park (3 mi), Kindred Reserve (1.5 mi). 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Grand Junction’s land is conserved, about 1,170 acres.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #89 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,170 acres · of 40.8 sq mi of land
Trails
87 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
878 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
93 mi
72 mi lanes · 14 mi paths
Highest peak
4,908 ft
Riggs Hill
Lakes & rivers
12
11 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Grand Junction?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grand Junction is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #89 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Grand Junction’s overall grade.
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Grand Junction’s 5% is ahead of 39% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 72% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
5% of Grand Junction’s land. Who manages Grand Junction’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,211 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits382 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service72 ac
State fish & wildlife55 ac
County9 ac
Local Park · 788 acLocal Other or Unknown · 249 acConservation Easement · 218 acUnknown Easement · 200 acOther Easement · 182 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 58 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Three Sisters Bike Park
Local Park
Town or city
284
Open
Matchett Farm
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city
200
Closed
Canyon View Park
Local Park
Town or city
114
Open
Las Colonias Park
Local Park
Town or city
104
Open
Lincoln Park
Local Park
Town or city
82
Open
Grand Junction Riverfront (Jarvis)
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city
50
Closed
Colorado River Wildlife Management Area
Conservation Area
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
36
Restricted
Saccomano Park
Local Park
Town or city
30
Open
Leatha Jean Stassen State Wildlife Area
State Conservation Area
State fish & wildlife
29
Open
Burkey Park North
Local Park
Town or city
18
Open
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
101 places to go in Grand Junction
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Grand Junction
11 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
72 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
14 mi
off-road bike paths
7.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
49Tennis
26Pickleball
20Basketball
19Baseball
8Volleyball
8Football
7Soccer
5Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
12 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 20 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Grand Junction: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
9.7
10.7
11.8
13.2
14.3
14.9
14.7
13.7
12.4
11.1
10.0
9.4
High (°F)
40
48
60
67
78
90
95
92
83
69
54
40
Rain (in)
0.6
0.5
0.7
0.9
0.8
0.4
0.7
0.9
1.1
1.0
0.6
0.5
June is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 1.1 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Grand Junction →
Next door
Grand Junction and its neighbors
Grand Junction has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Grand Junction
Where can I hike in Grand Junction?
The longest trail networks: Canyon View Park, 3.8 miles; Matchett Park, 3 miles; Kindred Reserve, 1.5 miles; Lincoln Park, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grand Junction is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 7% for a Colorado town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Grand Junction’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Lincoln Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Grand Junction?
93 miles of bike routes are on the map: 72 of painted or protected lanes, 14 of off-road paths and 7.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Grand Junction?
184,934 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grand Junction or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 882 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Grand Junction have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #89 of 159 in Colorado. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Grand Junction neighbors.
Photo: Eleaf · CC BY-SA 3.0