Monument Canyon and Saddlehorn

by Jon Burch Photography

Title

Monument Canyon and Saddlehorn

Artist

Jon Burch Photography

Medium

Photograph - Digital Capture & Enhancement

Description

Colorado National Monument is a part of the National Park Service near the city of Grand Junction. Spectacular canyons cut deep into sandstone and even granite-gneiss-schist rock formations in some areas, this is an area of desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinion and juniper forests on the plateau. The park hosts a wide range of wildlife, including red-tailed hawks and golden eagles, ravens, jays, desert bighorn sheep, and coyotes. Activities include hiking, horseback riding, road bicycling, and scenic drives; a visitor center on the west side contains a natural history museum and gift shop. There are magnificent views from trails and the Rim Rock Drive, which winds along the plateau. Nearby are the Book Cliffs, and the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, the Grand Mesa.

Its feature attraction is Monument Canyon, which runs the width of the park, and includes rock formations such as Independence Monument, the Kissing Couple, and Coke Ovens. The monument includes 20,500 acres, much of which has been recommended to Congress for designation as wilderness

Saddlehorn campground is near the Fruita visitors center along Rimrock Drive. The Book Cliffs are on the horizon.

Some digital effects were applied to this original image after the photograph was made. No electrons were harmed during the transition. Ordered images will not contain the FAA watermark.

Image copyright 2013 Jon Burch Photography

Uploaded

August 7th, 2013

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