Colorado National Monument is a dramatic landscape of red-rock canyons and freestanding sandstone towers on the western edge of Colorado, just south of Fruita and Grand Junction. The "monuments" in the name are the towering rock formations — Independence Monument, Kissing Couple, and others — left standing as the surrounding plateau eroded away over millions of years. The canyon walls drop as much as 500 metres to the valley floor.
Rim Rock Drive, a 23-mile scenic road completed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, follows the canyon rim from the east entrance near Grand Junction to the west entrance near Fruita. There are overlooks every mile or so, and the drive alone justifies the visit. Cyclists tackle it as a strenuous but rewarding challenge; it also formed part of the USA Pro Challenge race course.
The monument gets far fewer visitors than nearby Arches or Canyonlands, which means you can often have the overlooks to yourself. Go in spring or autumn — summer temperatures on the exposed rim are brutal.