Rattlesnake Canyon

Michelle and I made a trip to Grand Junction to build a fence for Mildred so the dogs will have a place to stay when we travel.

Ever since mom and I went for looking for dinosaur bones, we had wanted to check out the arches in Rattlesnake Canyon. I met my mom, Dalton, and Carmen for the hike. This was the first time I had met Carmen, Dalton's friend. She is a great gal and fun to go hiking with.

This was also the first time my new Dodge Ram was taken off road. The road into Rattlesnak Canyon is an easy 4wd trip to the trailhead. We did manage to miss the turnoff and went all the way to Glade Park. The turnoff is just after you get to the top of the Colorado National Monument.

We hiked down and into canyon, then once you get around the bend you start to see the arches. Check out the pictures above.

Dave Cooper, author of Colorado Scrambles, wrote an article on Rattlesnake Canyon in the Denver Post. On the last arch, Cooper says you can scramble up to make it a loop instead of an out and back. No way. Check out the picture, would you free climb this slickrock? Not me. Not even Dalton who scrambles better than me.

After exploring for another way to get up on top, we decided to start the long hike back the way we came. Dalton tried to take a short cut just before the corner. It is a climbable scramble, but after failing a couple of times we convinced Dalton that the girls wouldn't make it even if he did. Check out Dalton in the last picture trying to make this climb.

Mom got tired hiking back up to the ridge, but she made it. It was another hot day in the western Colorado desert, but a lot of fun.