Shelley Slade

On the way to Gunnison I stopped at the Colorado National Monument to hike along the canyon rim. I was impressed with the scenery of the drive along the way to get to the visitor’s center: It was a 23 mile drive along the cliffs and the edge of the canyon that provided beautiful views of the surrounding area and the red rock formations. Once getting to the visitor’s center there was plenty of information about the fauna, flora and geology of the park, and also included a documentary.

From the edge of the canyon I could see the bottom of the canyon, and although it was not nearly as impressive as The Grand Canyon, it was undoubtedly a great place to visit. There are plenty of trails to chose from at the park, ranging from short walks along the canyon rim, to day long challenging trails.

The visitor center features a gift shop and exhibits about the wetland, its plants, and animals, along with an indoor wildlife viewing area overlooking the pond. Outside, there’s an additional viewing area and 1.2 miles of trails throughout the State Park.

Great peaceful park for a walk, there are also clean bathrooms free to use nearby

I discovered the Ghost Town Museum along the way to checking into my accommodation, and what in interesting stop it was for someone interested in history. The Ghost Town Museum is like walking into a by-gone era. It's a great example of what one of Colorado's Wild West towns would have looked like in the mid-1800's. Besides some very interesting displays of what an old town would have looked like, it has some hands-on activities to keep people entertained: cranking a butter churn, trying out some of the old arcade games and panning for gold. I met someone there who actually managed to find a few gold nuggets. Me? I was not so lucky but had fun trying! All artefacts at the museum were found in the surrounding Pikes Peak region, showcasing some real-life history from the area from the towns which were established from the 1860's and 1870's by gold prospectors.