Ravens and coyotes scavenge the stark semi-desert of Colorado National Monument. A Brachiosaurus, the world's largest dinosaur, was discovered in 1900 at Dinosaur Hill near Grand Junction. Dinosaur fossils are scattered throughout Colorado's Grand Valley—one hundred forty million years ago, the region was a swampy floodplain teeming with giant creatures that continue to beguile the imagination to this day.

Grand Junction is a four-hour drive west of Denver and hosts the annual Country Jam music festival. Near the town of Rifle, you can see the world's largest herd of mule deer grazing in the valley. Other nearby towns includes Colbran, Cedaredge, and Mesa.