A view from Grand Junction toward Colorado National Monument exhibits the power of the Colorado River. Forces of erosion have sheared off the edge of the Uncompahgre Plateau and exposed wondrous earthen hues of sandstone, mudstone, limestone and siltstone. It is these multi-colored layers and four major canyons that attract interest along this I-70 corridor of western Colorado.
Red Canyon Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River, has easily sliced through the soft sedimentary rock, creating this deep chasm. Red Canyon is just one of the spectacular vistas along the monument's 23 mile Rim Rock Drive.