Rim Rock Trail View, Colorado NM

An excellent way to experience the Spring season is to visit Colorado National Monument and hike the Canyon Rim Trail, which offers scenic panoramic views of the canyon and plateau country of Colorado and a variety of colorful blooming plants along the way. The trail, following the cliff's edge of Wedding Canyon, stretches from the monument's Visitor Center on Rim Rock Drive to a scenic overlook at Book Cliffs View. This half-mile long trail provides a great introduction to the geology, animal, and plant life of the monument, and is especially enjoyable early in the morning or in late afternoon. 

A Visitor Center brochure identifies some of the plants found on the trail. These plants include Utah juniper, with its blue berries seen in spring and summer, Pinyon pine, Mormon tea (Ephedra), and dwarf sagebrush. Yucca, with bright white blooms in May, and prickly pear cactus, with yellow or hot pink flowers, are also plentiful. Common wildlife on the trail includes mule deer and birds, such as the bright blue scrub jay, canyon wren, and white-throated swift.  Golden eagles and red-tailed hawks are often seen gliding through the canyons. There are also several types of lizards that live in the monument and are active in spring -- Collared, Sagebrush, and Whiptail.

A man-made shelter at Book Cliffs

Prickly Pear Flower, Rim Rock Trail

Allow at least an hour to enjoy this hike, or longer if you wish to include an additional short walk along the Window Rock Trial that connects with Canon Rim Trail. It is advisable to carefully supervise children, as there are steep dropoffs along this trail.