Visit Colorado National Monument for the national park experience, but not the national park crowds. And, the photographic opportunities are pretty good, too!
Colorado National Monument photographs
Here are a few Colorado National Monument photographs taken from 23-mile long Rim Rock Drive.
Getting to the Monument
The Monument is on the eastern edge of the Colorado Plateau. But, it is easy to find. There are two main entrances from Interstate 70. First, there is the west entrance at Fruita. Then, there is the east entrance at Grand Junction. And, once you are at the Monument, there is a National Park Service map of the Monument.
Visiting Colorado National Monument
Geology of Colorado National Monument
When visiting the monument, magnificent red-rock formations are the first things you see. And, the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive provides many overlooks and pull-offs to study them in detail. The NPS even has a publication called Rim Rock Drive Geology that explains the geological features at each pull-off.
The geology of the Colorado National Monument nicely displays the geology of the Colorado Plateau. For example, in the deepest canyons, you can see Precambrian gneiss, schist, and granite. These rocks make up the Black Canyon Group. And, this group is between 1.7-1.5 billion years old!
Then, after a gap of almost a billion years, you see layers of rock from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. For more detailed information, read The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument. This book is made available by the US Geological Survey.
More photos of the Colorado Plateau
We have photographed much of the Colorado Plateau. Here are some of our favorite destinations:
- Arches National Park
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Grand Canyon – North Rim
- Grand Canyon – South Rim
- Lower Antelope Canyon
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
Purchasing our photographs
If you would like to license our photographs or purchase a print from from Colorado National Monument or the Colorado Plateau, please contact us using the form to the right. We will do our best to meet your needs. Here is some pricing information about our fine art prints.