Glade Park is "the journey, not the destination!" No matter which of the three routes you take to get to Glade Park, you will wind through sand rock switchbacks, with spectacular views, as Grand Junction becomes a miniature maze below. After dusk the view twinkles like a sea of living jewels. A glade is an open space, in this case, surrounded by natural wonders: Colorado National Monument, Piņon Mesa (with a chunk of Grand Mesa National Forest), and McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.
If heights bother you, or you are expecting luxury accommodations ...or any accommodations at all, when you arrive at Glade Park, you should head for Aspen instead. We have no motels, or restaurants. Your cell phone probably won't even work, unless it is Verizon.
You know you have arrived when the road levels out and you reach a crossroads where you find a bizarre looking log house with an observatory tower, and a pink antique iron bridge crossing from an upper deck to the roof of a detached garage. Other less unusual evidence of civilization consists of the Glade Park Store, a post office, and an old school that serves as a community center.
There is also a volunteer fire department where, on summer Fridays, the Glade Park Fire department presents "Movies Under the Stars" (They also put out fires, and give emergency assistance.) It isn't just a local event. Hundreds load up their families and drive up from Grand Junction to cool off and eat at the grill (only open during the movie) and watch a family movie under stars that are bright and plentiful.
But this cluster of buildings is not the sum total of Glade Park. We are also the surrounding community. We are the history of things past, the remaining ranches, the alumni who return on pilgrimages, and the newcomers (a newcomer is someone who arrived after you did).
Most homeowners live on 35 to 40 acre plots, and commute to Grand Junction for work, groceries, auto parts and other necessities. Many families homesteaded in Galde Park. Many people who want peace and serenity and open spaces absolutely love it, but some find it hard if they have to come down to Grand Junction, which is only about 30 minutes down the National Monument road, and some have had to sell their acreages and rejoin the community to save on the daily commute. It has changed some, but compared to a lot of places in Colorado, change has been slow and homeowners there like it that way.
In the beginning it was Big Park, but, in 1910 the first postmistress, Jennie M. France, was told by the USPS that there were already too many towns by that name, so she came up with Glade Park. That is about the time my family arrived. There is some turbulent history here, involving shootings, moonshine, disagreements between sheepmen and cattlemen... More about that later.
Rancher Albino Gonzalez says "I know what some of you locals are thinking. I thought long and hard about this. I decided that we cannot completely stop progress, and it might as well be someone with deep roots here to approach this respectfully. Yeah, this may attract some attention, but I do not plan to make it a hard sell for development. It's happening, so maybe this can help us direct it to some extent, and help record and preserve the spirit of "The Park." Let me know what you think!
To those who are drawn to the wide open spaces, Glade Park and Piņon Mesa have some nice places to camp, hunt, fish, ride horseback or ATV's, mountain bike, or enjoy solitude and take in the scenery.
We are surrounded by an abundance of public lands: Colorado National Monument to the east, and McGinnis Canyons Conservation area to the north and west. Bureau of Land Management holdings and a small chunk of Grand Mesa National Forest are inter-woven with private land.
Glade Park and Piņon Mesa
Hunting
Glade Park and Piņon Mesa public and private lands have some excellent opportunities for hunting deer and elk. There is also a wild turkey season, and some limited sage grouse licenses. If you are interested in hunting this area, the Colorado Division of Wildlife website will give you the information you need to get started. Here are some links that will be helpful.
==Geography==
Glade Park is located, west of downtown Grand Junction, Colorado, the largest city on Colorado's western slope. To access Glade Park, one must drive up the Rim Rock Drive in Colorado National Monument, gaining approximately 2500|ft|elevation over 4|mi|of hairpin curves. The views on the drive are spectacular, encompassing red sandstone canyons and sheer rock faces. The elevation of Glade Park is approximately 7000|ft|. Due to the higher elevation, often the temperature in Glade Park is 10 degrees 50 degrees in February lower in summer than the temperature in Grand Junction. In wintertime, temperatures can be significantly warmer than in Grand Junction because of an inversion layer present in the Grand Valley below, however when an inversion isn't present temperatures in Glade Park are typically 10 degrees cooler than in Grand Junction.
First hand experience of weather conditions for the years 2007-2008: Glade Park, like Grand Junction reached 100 degree days in the summer. Situated on the Mesa at a higher elevation than Grand Junction, made for temperature differences of 5-8 degrees cooler in the summer but more extreme sun exposure.
