# Northwest Colorado -- suggestions?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northwest-colorado-suggestions/586202>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 20, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northwest-colorado-suggestions/586202 "2011-06-20T20:31:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northwest-colorado-suggestions/586202/1 "2011-06-20T20:31:25Z")

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We’re taking the kids to NW Colorado – Grand Junction area – this summer and looking for some must-sees.

Also, any recommendations on guide books? I hate to shell out for one on all of Colorado and only get a few pages on the area.

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**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northwest-colorado-suggestions/586202/2 "2011-06-20T20:50:45Z")

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Colorado National Monument is right there…they just celebrated the Monument’s 100th birthday and have a newly remodeled visitor’s center. The Devil’s Kitchen and the Serpent’s Trail hikes are both pretty neat and start from the same place just inside the southern entrance.

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**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northwest-colorado-suggestions/586202/3 "2011-06-20T21:22:44Z")

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You could buy a AAA membership. They’ll assist with trip planning, as well as give you all the guidebooks you could ever want as membership perks, plus you also get the roadside assistance.

(I don’t work for AAA, just happen to think it’s a great deal for this sort of request)

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**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northwest-colorado-suggestions/586202/4 "2011-06-20T22:08:16Z")

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If you’re coming from Denver, Glenwood Springs is definitely worth a stop. The pool there is pricey but the kids should love it. The Caverns are pretty neat…I think they’ve replaced the white-knuckle bus ride up the hill with gondolas. You can also pay your respects to Doc Holliday at the cemetery there.

Grand Junction’s Museum of Western Colorado is kind of meh, but the kids would probably enjoy a visit to the Dinosaur Discover Museum in Fruita (on the way to the other entrance to Colorado National Monument).

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**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/northwest-colorado-suggestions/586202/5 "2011-06-20T22:18:29Z")

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Glenwood Springs is a nice little town with a lot of natural hot spings. The drive up Glenwood Canyon is nice, too.

Dinosaur National Monument is about 100 miles north of Grand Junction.