Don't miss this one! When we first arrived in Fruita, Colorado. The Colorado National Monument was…read morenot on our list of things to visit. We would of totally missed it if it hadn't been for some people we met at a restaurant. Colorado National Monument is not a National Park; it is a National Monument managed by the National Park Service. It's name doesn't portray the beauty and magnitude of this gorgeous park. It is a 23 mile drive and is often called the mini-grand canyon. The towering red rock monoliths and the Canyon views were absolutely incredible.

What bliss this is…read more Colorado National Monument is basically the smaller in scale sandstone-stacked cousin of the Grand Canyon, but without all the horrific traffic and crowds upon crowds, especially at the start of summer. This place has miles of views with gorgeous towering cliffs, dramatic canyons and many trails for walking and hiking. You can also see the Grand Mesa (the world's largest flat-topped mountain) and the Book Cliffs from the monument. And it has that Grand Canyon feeling when you look at its depth -- as though you are looking directly into a painting. Along about a 20-mile highway (with an east and west entrance) you can enjoy the full views. There are plenty of places to pull over and park to take a look or to plan for a hike. And be very, very careful. The main drive is very deeply beloved by cyclists, so be sure to drive slow and keep eyes on the road. Do not miss Independence Monument. This is a glorious rock spire. also, the Kissing Couple is adorable. The Coke Ovens are these beautifully shaped domes -- some of my favorites in the area. Also, be aware of wildlife. I did not get lucky, but there are regular sights of bighorn sheep, coyotes, red-tailed hawks, eagles and many other animals. I did see a pretty spectacular aerial fight between a hawk and a raven during a recent visit, though. Also, be sure to check out the visitor center on the west side. It has some natural history exhibits and a gift shop. There is also the Saddlehorn Campground, which is very well maintained and has a good number of spots, but not all with sprawling city or canyon views. All told, there are three loops with nearly 80 sites. Some are small and best for a pair and others that are good for a couple of tents on one site. Overall, bring lots of water and snacks, because it is dry and sometimes feels desert like. And do not over rely on cell service, as there are a number of dead zones.

Roxanne was the perfect host. She took us to several excellent wineries and a quaint…read morewinery/restaurant. Roxanne is extremely knowledgeable about the region and provided excellent service. I highly recommend Grand Junction Tours.

We were in the Grand Junction/Palisades area for a short while and wanted to maximize our time so…read morewe hired Roxanne who is a local guide to take us to the Colorado National Monument Park followed by wine tastings and a trip to a cidery. She is personable, knowledgeable and arrives on time in a comfortable vehicle. She is flexible about the schedule. We thoroughly enjoyed having someone with her experience to show us the area! Highly recommend.

We just had such a fun afternoon today! We went on a food tour of Downtown Grand Junction led by…read moreGrand Junction Food Tours. I cannot recommend this highly enough. My one caveat would be - bring your appetite. You will be sampling a lot of food (vegetarians note - you will be well taken care of as well!). Rebecca Jones was our guide and really knows the history of many of the buildings we passed as were walking. That was really fun - learned some of the fun (and sometimes slightly scandalous stories of old GJ!) It went from 2-4:30 this afternoon. We met at Main Street Bagels Artisan Bakery & Cafe and sampled a delicious apple pastry while we got organized. Then, we stopped at Bella Balsamic and the Pressed Olive, CO. There, we got a really in-depth introduction to the olive oils and balsamic vinegars they offer. I learned a lot about the polyphenols in good, pure olive oils and the health benefits offered. Next, we we went to MX Tapas Bar Restaurante. We were able to buy margaritas at a special price - but a nice sampling of tapas was included with the tour. Here, as at all places visited, we got really good service with lots of background information about the restaurant and their food. We got to meet the owner, Francisco, and hear how his son helped change the longtime La Bamba restaurant to MX Tapas. After that, we went to Pablo's Pizza and sampled their pesto pizza. As always, it was wonderful! And so good to know about their heavy use of local ingredients and their wacky weekly pizzas! Then - to The Rockslide Brewery and Restaurant, where we met the general manager, sampled beers and were given a beet, cranberry, feta salad and a generous serving of fried salmon (see what I mean about needing an appetite? Our vegetarian had an artichoke dip instead of salmon). We ended up at Gelato Junction - we had samples of interesting flavors (baklava, ube, pumpkin latte, plum, peach etc) and then a cone of our choice. So my brain was happy - all the history. My stomach was happy - all the food. My feet were happy - nice walk in the sun.... This is a fun adventure if you are local or if you are from out of town (a fun thing to do when you have company!). Try it out. I think you will have a lot of fun!

I have been in Grand Junction for 5 years and decided to get to know the area better. My husband…read moreand I took the tour and came away stuffed and knowledgeable about our wonderful downtown. Our hosts were gracious and helped out the waitstaff to ensure the tour moved at a nice - but not rushed - pace. We sampled local restaurant fares and learned about many of the historic buildings on Main Street. I hope they continue to add and change the restaurants they have on the tour. I would recommend this to anyone visiting or anyone new to the area. We were in a group of all adults. I would not bring children on the tour unless they were infants or young adults.

We booked a 2 person wine tour with Dave today, from 10 to 2. He did a great job pairing what our…read moretastes to the vineyards we visited. He was on time, knew when to be engaged and when to leave us alone, and is also well networked - even managed to score us a few 'off the menu' tastings. When you come to Palisade, be sure to book a tour with Pali-Tours. He is reasonably priced and will give you a memorable tour.

What a blast of a wine tour!! Dave Smith with Pali Tours made my daughter's Bachelorette weekend…read moreincredibly memorable. The communication was superb. His knowledge of the Valley was excellent. He was flexible and suggested some amazing wineries based on questions he asked us. He was funny, and very personable. He also took lots of pictures of our group at our request. Would absolutely recommend Dave. We have a Wedding coming up in August and we will be giving out his info to family coming in to town.

We are so grateful for Sarah, who made our wine tasting tour such a success! She was instantly warm…read moreand friendly when she greeted us and incredibly knowledgeable about the area as we made our way to the wineries. Every part of the tour was perfectly coordinated--she handled all the details so we could just sit back, sip wine, and soak in the views. We felt completely taken care of. She made sure we had water at every stop (without being asked) and even carried umbrellas for us just in case the weather turned. Sarah is a kind soul, and the kind of person you can't wait to hire again. Already looking forward to our next tour! Thank you, Sarah!

We were looking for a way to enjoy the Grand Valley wineries without needing to drive.  Our group…read moreof six booked the Magnum tour.  Even the day before our tour, we heard great things about Sarah from one of the wineries we stopped at.  She is well-loved by her partners. She picked three places.  The first stop was so full of fun and the winemaker, Justin, took the time to explain about the Grand Valley and the winemaking process.  He was informative and kind and we had a great time.  I've done wine tours before, but no one spent time with us and hosted us as well as this.  Well worth the price.  Our second and third stops were nice as well, with options to choose between iced cocktails on a hot day or the selected wine flights.   Sarah herself was a delight and handled our brand of humor in stride.  At the end of the tour we were sad to say goodbye and were so glad that she was our host.

My sister was visiting from the East Coast and has always loved any opportunity to spend time with…read morehorses. JR arranged for Ally to take my sister on a tour of the wild horses in the Bookcliffs. This was the highlight of her visit. Ally was kind, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. My sister was paired with an elegant Percheron named Martini. A perfect gentleman. Thank you Ally and JR!

We recently did a 3 hr trail ride and it was the best trail ride we've done! The scenery was…read morebeautiful, the horses well trained, and we were the only riders out there. We saw wild horses and our guide, Lindsay, was fantastic! Everything went so smoothly and my whole family had a wonderful time!

The service was terrible before I got to Carboy I called, and was treated poorly. They even…read morecalled and texted me after the call and told me that they were going to pass my number around to other businesses. With management like this I think the wine wold be equally sour.

It was absolutely amazing!! From the service to the very last drink. It was worth the stop.read more

We had an amazing time this morning doing the half day kayaking tour on the Gunnison River. It…read morejust so happened we were the only 2 people signed up, so we effectively had a private tour. I kayak quite a bit, but mainly on flat water, so the guide (whose name I sadly cannot remember) gave me a lot of paddling hints and taught me a lot about reading water conditions and how to approach water features. I will definitely be putting her advice into practice at home. My husband, who is less experienced, also had a wonderful time. I could not recommend this experience more!

We had the BEST time on our half day family rafting trip on the Gunnison River while we were…read morevisiting from AZ. Daniel and Gordon were both wonderfully friendly people to work with and get to know and made the whole experience so easy and pleasant!! We had our 11 year old and 3 year old with us (and 3 adults) and we weren't sure how the kids would do, but they absolutely LOVED IT!! They even jumped in the water at one point AND even got to help row a bit. :) We cannot wait to go back to CO and spend more time on the river. If you do a rafting or paddleboard trip, make sure to stop in Paonia for some yummy ice cream after at Ollie's! :)

We set up a wine tour three months in advance. There was a deposit put down and we checked in with…read morethe company the week before we were scheduled to tour. 20 minutes before we were scheduled to be picked up they left a message saying they didn't have enough vans to take us and they would TRY to get our deposit back for us. So now we have to find someone to take us on a tour last minute. Three calls in and everyone is booked. Three Dreams? More like Three Nightmares.

I really wish I could give zero stars…read more I booked with this company months in advance for a trip to Palisade wine country. I even gave them a deposit to secure my reservation. One week before we were due to arrive in town, I communicated with the company again to confirm everything was in order. They confirmed, told me a pickup time and even told me our driver would be Doug. 20 minutes before pick up time, I receive a call cancelling our booking because they have no vehicles available. There were six of us and we were only there for that weekend from out of town. We were unable to book another tour, as the other companies in the area were booked and it was so last minute. I still haven't received word about a refund on the deposit. Disappointed and frustrated, times three.