West on I-70 to Grand Junction
Posted By Hargobind on March 15, 2010
The next portion of the trip was to drive west on I-70 from Denver to Grand Junction, with a short stop in Glenwood Springs (more info about that town in a subsequent post). Even though this drive is relatively short (approx. 4 hours), it stands out in my memory because of the scenery and grandeur of the landscape along the way. The city of Denver sits on the “High Plains” of Colorado at the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains. 
Traveling to any of the western cities (or states) or to get to any of the famous ski resorts in Colorado typically means driving Interstate 70 up into the mountains… and the drive itself is well worth it!
About half of the road between Denver and Grand Junction goes through the Glenwood Canyon. This road consists of steep mountainous walls up to 1,300 ft. that flank the Colorado River on both sides, steep grades of up to 7%, and some places where the road bends more than 45° to follow the contour of the canyon. Driving through this 12.5 mile gorge is quite a sight! According to Wikipedia, “The canyon is widely considered one of the most scenic natural features on the Interstate Highway System of the United States.” We got a special treat on our drive that night because sides of the cliffs with their many layers of rock were embellished by a recent mild snowfall combined with the illumination of the full moon. 
Foot access to the canyon is available at four rest areas along Interstate 70 in the canyon. We pulled off at the Hanging Lake Rest Area where we stretched our legs, threw snowballs, and splashed some rocks into the river. If you’re in that area in warmer months, there’s apparently a nice hike up to a very scenic area called Hanging Lake. You can see some beautiful photos of this area courtesy of JS Nature Photos, and some other great ones at Panoramio. Since I drove through the canyon at night, I wasn’t able to take any pictures of my own, so I’ve found a couple of other photo galleries for your viewing pleasure (one, two).
Another spectacular feature of this drive is the Eisenhower Tunnel 
which bores through the mountain crest of the Continental Divide. For those of you who like maps, here’s a zoomed in map where you can see the specific section of the road containing the tunnel. It’s actually a dual-bore tunnel which means that it’s two tunnels that are linked together — each tunnel contains 2 lanes of one-way traffic. The tunnel happens to be one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world at over 11,000 feet, and the length is approx. 1.7 miles with a 1.64% grade. That distance and sloping effect, combined with the fact that you’re driving at 50-60 mph creates a really bizarre optical illusion like the feeling of getting sucked into a black hole.
Driving on I-70 through Glenwood Canyon is without a doubt one of the more gorgeous drives I’ve ever been on, and I would gladly make plans to drive it again, even for a simple weekend trip of sightseeing, hiking and camping. And the fact that you can stop to soak in some natural hot springs along the way is like icing on the cake. More on Glenwood Springs to come…
