A lone bicyclist badly in need of water at an overlook on Rim Rock Drive through the Colorado National Monument tipped my husband, Andy, and me off to Gateway, a sleepy little town on Colorado State Highway 141 about an hour's drive from Grand Junction. After gulping the bottled water we gave him, he also said not to miss the Hanging Flume.
We missed neither, and found much more.
Highway141 quickly became the 133-mile Unaweep-Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway, later changing to Hwy 145. http://byways.org/explore/byways/2121/. The Byway first took us 43 miles to Gateway through Unaweep Canyon past red sandstone buttes, mesas, outcroppings and grassy meadows, mingled with lush green foliage, meandering rivers and creeks, and plentiful ranch grazing land. We also spotted big horn sheep, deer, a few wild turkeys, a bald eagle and lots of cows (a few on the road, but highway signs had warned us). The area also contains herds of elk, but we didn't see any. http://www.colorado.com/Gateway.aspx
Since a good portion of Gateway's surrounding area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), it offers a wealth of off-the-beaten-path camping sites. We passed RV campers along the road parked in spots along the Dolores (noted for its river rafting) and San Miguel rivers, and also down red and orange dirt side roads, also near rivers with rafters and kayakers.
A few roadside stops on the Byway heading to Gateway from Whitewater include the Drigg's Mansion; a natural spring not far from Gateway near Milepost 91 -- complete with hose where we filled our water bottles; and a peaceful stream at West Creek Picnic Area.
Once in Gateway we turned south for about 20 miles on the Tabeguache (a Ute word meaning "place where snow first melts) section of the Byway heading to the Hanging Flume.
At the precipice looking down on the Dolores River, the Hanging Flume crept along the steep canyon walls below us. Begun in 1889 by the Montrose Placer Mining Company, the 13-mile flume, 5 miles of it crawling across the canyon cliffs 100 feet above the river, was meant to deliver water from the San Miguel River to its mining operation. It was soon abandoned, though, when the gold played out.
The flume may be the only one of its kind in existence today, according to the World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites. http://thewebs.homestead.com/flume.html
Heading back to town, we stopped at the Gateway Branch of the Mesa County Library to check out their Wi-Fi (it works). We asked about RV parks and the librarian, young enough to be our son, laughed. "Lots of BLM land, so people just park and camp."
BLM land usually means dry-camping free, music to our ears. He recommended turning west near the library onto a smooth red dirt road bordering the Dolores River called "4.2" meaning it was 4.2 miles from the Utah border. Road 4.1 sits on the other side of the Dolores, and also leads to BLM primitive camping sites.
We drove the 4.2 about 4 miles on a level red dirt road bordered on one side by red sandstone buttes, mesas and outcroppings, and on the other, rich green foliage against red dirt ranch land. Turning south onto another level dirt road we found a couple camping on a wide stretch by the Dolores River. They had just returned to their camp from a two-day backpacking trip into one of many trails in the area and looked weary. "What a lovely spot. Do you mind if we join you?" Andy asked.
"Why, yes we do mind. Take any road south and there's plenty of other spots."
We camped by a juniper tree, a stone's throw from Diversion Dam rapids on the Dolores River. After dinner, we walked along the bank of the chocolate-colored river, while I tried to identify red and yellow flowering cacti.
The roar of the river rapids by our camp lulled us to sleep.
The next morning on the Byway, we checked out the plush Gateway Canyons Resort, a destination stop and bringing more tourists to the area, although traffic is light on the roads. It also houses the town's only gas station and a general store, big attractions to the 2,000 or so Gateway locals.
The Byway continues southeast for about another 80 miles from Gateway to its end at Placerville, with small towns along the way. Gateway, though, seems the hub connecting the area's many scenic and adventuresome wonders waiting to be seen and experienced.
Rita Robinson, an award-winning journalist and author of 11 books, writes from Fawnskin, a mountain community in California. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or http://ontheroadwriters.com.