Hiking in Glade Park - Move to Grand Junction CO

I Googled “Miracle Rock in Glade Park” after learning about it from an email I received from the Visit Grand Junction website. I researched Miracle Rock in Glade Park and the Potholes on the Little Delores River near the falls. We like to investigate new trails ahead of time to see what challenges we might be in for. This one was better than expected.

From Grand Junction, Miracle Rock in Glade Park is accessible from Monument Road. Basically, you enter the Colorado National Monument at the east entrance in Grand Junction and follow that a few miles into the park and then turn left when you see the sign for the Glade Park Store.

Driving up the Colorado National Monument to Glade Park

Living in Glade Park

Glade Park is a popular place to live for ranchers and farmers, people looking for a little privacy and space for themselves. Many are off-the-grid types who value independence. The Glade Park Store is an icon because I think it’s the only commercial building in Glade Park, besides the Post Office. There are many homesteads of all shapes and sizes with astounding views and natural beauty in every direction.

Glade Park sits at about 6,700’ elevation, so 2,000’ above the Grand Valley. That additional elevation makes a difference. We did our hike in the last week of December. The temps were in the mid-40’s for our hike (very comfortable) and there was about 3-6” of snow on the ground. Grand Junction didn’t have any snow because it melts pretty much the same day it snows. Read more about Grand Junction weather.

Learn more about living in Glade Park at https://glade-park.com

Miracle Rock Hike

Cairns rock piles along the trail to mark the way

Once you leave the Colorado National Monument you travel on a gravel road that eventually turns into soft red dirt. There’s a small parking lot and pit toilets at the entrance to the Miracle Rock trailhead as well as a picnic area with several tables. The All Trails hiking app we use called it a moderate trail, but we thought it was pretty easy. It’s about 1 mile out and back. Uphill to Miracle Rock, then downhill the whole way back.

There are cairns (pronounced CARE-Ns), which are piles of rocks, to mark the trails. Reviews said it was easy to miss them and get off the trail. Luckily when we went, there was snow on the ground so the tracks from the people before us led the way. We did see one other hiker during our one-hour hike. We sat at the base of the rock to soak it all in and have a snack before heading back.

Miracle Rock in Glade Park is amazing. The massive rock looks like it’s teetering and could tumble anytime. It’s on the edge of a cliff and we looked out into a beautiful canyon. We were so high up we looked over the Colorado National Monument and could clearly see the Book Cliff Mountains that surround the Grand Valley.

Grand Junction Hiking Tip

Here’s a hiking tip for you. Plan some of your hikes for late afternoon into dusk or sunset instead of midday. Because of heavy fog, we didn’t set out until about 2pm. On our way back the sky was pink, and the views were amazing as you can see from our photos.

Little Delores Falls and Potholes

Little Delores Falls at dusk

After the Miracle Rock hike, we went a little further down the same road to the Little Delores Falls area. The Little Dolores Falls comprise of two tumbling waterfalls with large pools between them that locals call “the Potholes.” Because the water flows pretty much year-round through this stunning gorge, we thought it was worth checking out in December. The potholes were frozen, but the falls were running.

There was a little more snow in this area, so we were glad to have our 4×4 Toyota Tacoma (the locals call them “tacos”) so we didn’t get stuck. Evidently, people swim here in the summer, but it was a cliff down to the water, so not sure how they get in the river. And there’s a warning sign about dangerous swift currents. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. Seeing it from above was just fine for us!

The hike was an easy half-mile round trip with a very wide trail. It was snow covered but we could see it was a gravel trail and slickrock in some places. Very easy and beautiful. It’s so peaceful to hear the water falling over the rocky edge of the river. We didn’t see anyone else during this hike.

What we learned during our afternoon hike

We packed enough water and snacks, but that’s all we took. We have a small hiking backpack with essentials like toilet paper, mini first-aid kit, matches and bear spray. We realized that even though it was a short hike, we should plan for things to not go according plan. We should have brought the backpack with supplies, hoping we wouldn’t need them.
Another reason to have the backpack is because it will hold our water bottles, therefore, we can use both hands to steady ourselves as we climb up narrow rocky areas.
Because we went in the late afternoon, next time we will add our headlamp or a flashlight to our hiking backpack. I wouldn’t want to hold my phone out with the flashlight app if it got dark because I wouldn’t want to drop it and it might run out of batteries if we were really lost.
We should plan more hikes where we come home at dusk. The sky was so beautiful. It was an unexpected treat on our way home.
I was thankful that Michelle downloaded the trail map from the All Trails app before we left because there wasn’t any cell service up there. We knew we were on the trail because we could use the download of the trail. It really came in handy at the trailhead as it wasn’t obvious where the trail actually started because the ground was covered in snow and the trail was very narrow through trees and rocks. You can download sections of Google Maps too so you’ll have it when you don’t have cell service.

Book Cliff Mountains lit up by the setting sun

Friends Visiting the Grand Valley

Overall, I recommend going on afternoon hikes and we will definitely add these two to our list of places to show our friends and family when they come to visit. We are accumulating quite a list of places to see and things to do. Since most of our visitors come from lower elevations, we like sticking to short hikes without too much elevation gain. I want them to enjoy their visit, not get worn out! We have various activities to keep visitors happy while here. Ask me about my experience with whiskey tasting, winery tours and tastings and local breweries!

Because we tell stories to our friends about our numerous adventures, and the proximity to diverse options, we think some of them are actually considering moving to Grand Junction too!

If you are visiting or considering a move to Grand Junction, reach out to me. I’d be happy to give you a tour of the area and explain the different areas and housing options. And if you are serious about moving to the area, I can schedule a few property showings so you can experience what it might feel like to live here in the Grand Valley.

Read my post where I explain what I learned after the first three months of living in Grand Junction. Hint, the post has a photo of toilet paper in our car, which is helpful information to know when hiking anywhere in Colorado!