Independence Monument
This 137.16m-tall free standing tower of soft, red sandstone is the tallest, and signature, formation of the Colorado National Monument, near Grand Junction, Colorado.
Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into sandstone and granite-gneiss-schist rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinyon and juniper forests on the plateau. The park hosts a wide range of wildlife, including red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, ravens, jays, desert bighorn sheep, and coyotes.
Activities include hiking, horseback riding, road bicycling, and scenic drives; a visitor centre on the west side contains a natural history museum and gift shop. There are scenic views from trails, Rim Rock Drive, which winds along the plateau, and the campground.
Independence Monument stands in Monument Canyon, which runs the width of the park and includes a multitude of spectacular rock formations including the Kissing Couple, and Coke Ovens. It was first climbed in on 4 July 1911 by John Otto, the park's first ranger, just after the area was declared a National Monument on 24 May that year. It is traditionally climbed on 4 July every year by local climbers who ceremonially hoist a US flag on its summit.
The park became more well-known in the 1980s partly due to its inclusion as a stage of the major international bicycle race, the Coors Classic. The race through the park became known as "The Tour of the Moon", due to the spectacular landscapes the race passed through on Rim Rock Drive.
The oldest rocks in the park are early-to-middle Proterozoic gneiss and schist, including the Ute Canyon Stock. Overlying these, and separated by an angular unconformity, are mostly horizontally-bedded Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, including the cliff-forming Wingate Sandstone. Overlying these are various types of Quaternary unconsolidated deposits such as alluvium, colluvium, and dunes. The sedimentary rocks are folded into monoclines by several faults, including the Redlands Thrust Fault.
Independence Monument
This 137.16m-tall free standing tower of soft, red sandstone is the tallest, and signature, formation of the Colorado National Monument, near Grand Junction, Colorado.
Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into sandstone and granite-gneiss-schist rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinyon and juniper forests on the plateau. The park hosts a wide range of wildlife, including red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, ravens, jays, desert bighorn sheep, and coyotes.
Activities include hiking, horseback riding, road bicycling, and scenic drives; a visitor centre on the west side contains a natural history museum and gift shop. There are scenic views from trails, Rim Rock Drive, which winds along the plateau, and the campground.
Independence Monument stands in Monument Canyon, which runs the width of the park and includes a multitude of spectacular rock formations including the Kissing Couple, and Coke Ovens. It was first climbed in on 4 July 1911 by John Otto, the park's first ranger, just after the area was declared a National Monument on 24 May that year. It is traditionally climbed on 4 July every year by local climbers who ceremonially hoist a US flag on its summit.
The park became more well-known in the 1980s partly due to its inclusion as a stage of the major international bicycle race, the Coors Classic. The race through the park became known as "The Tour of the Moon", due to the spectacular landscapes the race passed through on Rim Rock Drive.
The oldest rocks in the park are early-to-middle Proterozoic gneiss and schist, including the Ute Canyon Stock. Overlying these, and separated by an angular unconformity, are mostly horizontally-bedded Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, including the cliff-forming Wingate Sandstone. Overlying these are various types of Quaternary unconsolidated deposits such as alluvium, colluvium, and dunes. The sedimentary rocks are folded into monoclines by several faults, including the Redlands Thrust Fault.