Don’t just do the usual this ski season. Give Mesa County a try, combining great skiing with other, very Colorado fun.
Hopping off the chairlift at the top of the mountain, Red Eye starts off slow, almost flat. Finally, the ski slope pitches downward and my speed picks up. Rounding a bend flanked by dense forest, I have the sensation of falling into a massive chasm – a vast deep vista opens up so suddenly I am disoriented and stop to catch my breath. Joy fills me and I laugh at the landscape’s enormity – pine and spruce forest give way to stands of brush oak, then grazing meadows, then rocky canyons, followed by horizontal bands of colored mesas on the distant horizon. White capped mountain peaks sporadically break the flat far distance. My daughter catches up on her snow board and lets out an awe-struck, “Wow!”
Where to Ski in Mesa County
The Powderhorn Mountain Resort ski area (low key, friendly, affordable) tumbles down the north facing slopes of a massive flat top mountain (some claim it to be the largest in the world) called the Grand Mesa. An alpine island hanging 10,000 feet high in the blue Colorado sky, the top of the Grand Mesa is heavily forested and dotted with lakes and ponds; a sparsely populated winter wonderland for snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, and quiet solitude in remote cabins. Startlingly different from the dry rugged canyons and mesas at lower elevations of western Colorado’s high altitude desert environments.
After a day schussing the high slopes of Powderhorn, we depart and descend into the landscape we had ogled earlier up high from Red Eye – a long downhill through tangly scrub oaks and tawny fields to the hamlet of Mesa. We stop at the Mesa Bloom Market and are delighted to find an array of locally baked goodies (cookies, bars, breads) and items crafted by area artisans, along with staples for town residents and visitors alike. After grabbing sweets for later, we continue our descent from Grand Mesa into a canyon carved by millennia of floods, with towering sides that curve inward overhead prompting the uneasy feeling of a crested wave of stone that could crash down on you at any moment.
Where to Sip in Mesa County
Unscathed, we pop out of the canyon and merge onto westbound I-70. Heading toward our accommodations in Grand Junction, we veer off at the small agricultural town of Palisade, beloved by all Coloradoans for their luscious peaches and other stone fruits. Surrounding the town, naked orchards, severely trimmed for winter’s rest, are in marked contrast to the untamed stands of scraggly trees and shrubs lining culverts, creek beds, and the banks of the Colorado River. We pass through town, struggling to decipher the road naming system of letters and fractions. Taking G Road over the Colorado River, looking for 38 ¾ road, we overshoot and turn around at 39 1/8, then erroneously turn too soon onto 38 ½ road. At last, we spy a sign with the right fraction that leads to our après ski destination at the end of F ¾ Road – the recently opened tasting room for Book Cliff Vineyards.
Perched at the top of a hillock, Book Cliff Vineyards offers a covered deck with expansive views of the raw cliffs corrugated by erosion towering above the neat rows of vineyards and orchards. Unseasonably warm February sunshine coaxed some early green shoots along the valley floor – hints of the abundance to come in the spring and summer when the valley is a verdant oasis amid the drylands. Book Cliff’s modest tasting room and friendly staff made for an ideal spot to relax with a glass of locally grown and produced wine to celebrate a day on the slopes.
We each choose a different flight to sample a wide variety of reds and whites and head out to the deck. Over sips, we chat about the day on the slopes, the wine, the views, and laugh as we recall fond family stories.
Settling on a favored red, I order a full pour of their Cab Franc, and head to an open-air seating area set on a grassy knoll. My daughter and I mosey about, surveying the 360 degrees of geologic wonder. Under a clear blue sky, I savor the wine’s complexities and marvel at the warmth of the midwinter sun in contrast to the chilly Grand Mesa ski slopes we enjoyed earlier. What a great day to be alive, enjoying the verticals and horizontals of this extraordinary place with a very special person. Cheers!
Tips for When You Ski & Sip
Grand Junction is the largest community in the region and offers a wide array of accommodations from affordable hotels to luxury Inns nestled among vineyards. Eateries abound downtown, where a lively pedestrian-friendly main street also offers shopping, wine tasting rooms, and live music venues.
Palisade and the surrounding area are home to many wine tasting rooms, shops, farm stands, and eateries. Hours may be very limited in winter, and at other off-season periods; many close for the season. Be sure to check ahead.
Book Cliff Vineyards’ tasting room is open year-round. Warmer weather brings activities and live music gatherings. Closer to Denver, their north Boulder winery and tasting room (open for years) offers special events and glimpses of their winemaking operation.
Powderhorn Mountain Resort offers a few overnight accommodations including tiny homes and some condo rentals. The small base lodge offers breakfast and lunch options, and an area ski bar, but nothing for dinner. The area is blessedly under-developed, unlike the massive resorts of the Central Rockies, so plan and pack accordingly if you stay overnight at the ski area. The drive to Grand Junction is a good 30-40 minutes from the Powderhorn parking lot.
Further west and south of Grand Junction are the spectacular sandstone formations and vista of the Colorado National Monument, and more outdoorsy adventures in the town of Fruita.
-Story and photos by Jimmy McDonough
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