Colorado National Monument is a National Park Service site where the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive, begun by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, winds up onto the mesa tops and along canyon walls; monoliths such as Balanced Rock are visible from pullouts along the drive, and desert bighorn sheep are often seen there. The monument is open 24 hours a day, and the Saddlehorn Visitor Center is open 9 am to 4 pm, with extended hours of 9 am to 5 pm typically from April through September, and is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. An entrance pass for a private vehicle is $25* and covers seven consecutive days. The NPS says Rim Rock Drive may close at times because of rock slides, snow or other events (park hotline (970) 858-3617, extension 350), and year-round fire restrictions, effective September 15, 2026, prohibit wood fires throughout the monument.
Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway runs within 3.2 miles: the Federal Highway Administration designates it a National Scenic Byway, 480 miles through CO, UT.
*Fees subject to change, please check nps.gov for updated information.
Nearest Airports
Straight-line distance from Colorado National Monument, not drive time.
- Grand Junction Regional (GJT) — 11 miles
- Canyonlands Regional (CNY) — 60 miles
- Montrose Regional (MTJ) — 61 miles
Live Conditions
Wildlife Spotted Nearby
We checked opening hours, fees, closures and operating status on 2026-10-14. These change without notice — confirm with nps.gov the week you travel.
Sources — 6 claims, 6 checked against the source
| Claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 23-mile Rim Rock Drive winds up switchbacks onto the mesa tops and along canyon walls; begun in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps; desert bighorn sheep often seen along the drive; Balanced Rock is one of many monoliths easily seen from pullouts (checked 2026-10-14) | National Park Service - Colorado National Monument | Checked |
| Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Saddlehorn Visitor Center 9 am-4 pm, 9 am-5 pm typically April through September; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day (checked 2026-10-14) | National Park Service - Colorado National Monument hours | Checked monitored · 2026-10-14 |
| Private vehicle $25.00: unlimited entry for one vehicle and all its passengers for seven consecutive days, beginning on the day of purchase (checked 2026-10-14) | National Park Service - Colorado National Monument fees | Checked monitored · 2026-10-14 |
| At times Rim Rock Drive may close due to rock slides, snow or other events; the park hotline (970) 858-3617 extension 350 is the way to get current updates (checked 2026-10-14) | National Park Service - Colorado National Monument hours (road closures) | Checked monitored · 2026-10-14 |
| Year-round fire restrictions effective September 15, 2026: wood fires prohibited in all areas of the monument; charcoal fires only in designated grills (checked 2026-10-14) | National Park Service - Colorado National Monument fire safety | Checked monitored · 2026-10-14 |
| Designated a National Scenic Byway by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation; 480 miles in CO, UT; FHWA suggests: Take ten hours to drive or ten days to enjoy the byway. Distance from this stop to the route measured against the published byway centreline on the U.S. Department of Transportation map service (geo.dot.gov), which carries no stated licence and predates the 2021 designations; the measurement is ours, the line is theirs and is not reproduced here. 3.2 miles (checked 2026-10-29) | Federal Highway Administration: Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway | Checked |