Grand Junction

Grand Junction

Colorado National Monument

Grand Junction with a regional population of approximately 100,000, is a city with all the amenities, on Interstate 70 a few hours west of Denver. The largest city in western Colorado, Grand Junction serves as the commercial center for a large portion of Colorado and Utah. Amtrak and excellent air service between Grand Junction and Denver, Salt Lake City, or Phoenix are convenient travel options for those not driving to the conference. Located in west-central Colorado at an elevation of 4600 feet, Grand Junction sits in a broad valley at the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers. Our high desert climate is dry and mild, with less than 10 inches of precipitation in an average year. Summer days in the Grand Valley are often in the 90s, but humidity is low. Occasional afternoon thunderstorms provide relief from the heat and nights are pleasant. Cool forests and mountain lakes are only an hour’s drive away. Winters in the valley produce relatively little snow, and the temperature only occasionally drops below zero. Typically only a handful of days remain below freezing.
Click on "Gardens" to see photos of the Club gardens at the Ag Extension Office and Botanical Gardens and various member gardens. "Plants" will show photos of Colorado Plateau plants in habitat and also plants that should be in bloom during the conference. And "Downtown" will show photos of the host motel and other downtown sights.

Other things to do in conjunction
with the Mid-States Conference

National Parks and Monuments - Colorado National Monument is only minutes from downtown Grand Junction. A half-day’s drive will take you to many other National Parks and Monuments. These include Rocky Mountain, Dinosaur, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, and Canyons of the Ancients in Colorado; and Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Natural Bridges in Utah. Drive a day and you can see even more of the nation’s natural wonders. Grand Junction is a wonderful place to start your western adventure tours!

Outdoor recreation - Within minutes you can be fishing in a high mountain lake, riding on one of the nation’s premier mountain bike trails, or exploring a red-rock canyon, accompanied only by the sound of the wind and the song of the canyon wren. To the east is Grand Mesa, the world’s largest flat-topped mountain, with lakes and forests to an elevation of 10,000 feet. North of town are the Book Cliffs, part of a rugged country extending eastward into Utah, where wild horses still roam.

Baseball - For the hardcore baseball fan, Grand Junction hosts the Junior College World Series the end of May and beginning of June. For a reasonable price you can watch more than a week of almost unlimited games. Who knows, you might even get to see and get the autograph of the next Kent Tekulve.

Country music - Fans might want to stay an extra week and take in Country Jam, a multi-day extravaganza held just west of Grand Junction. A number of headliner groups are featured each year.

Wine - Grand Junction is the center of Colorado’s wine producing region. Winery tours and tastings highlight this local award-winning product.

This site was last updated 01/21/08