Grand Junction vs. Front Range: The Unwritten Rules of the Western Slope

Every October, somebody pulls the drain plug on Denver, and half the Front Range comes pouring west on I-70.

They come for the aspens, the last of the Palisade fruit, and whatever spot went viral on Instagram that week.

And we can spot every single one of them from across the parking lot at City Market. It's not the Subaru. We all have the Subaru. It's the little things.

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Driving I-70 Through Glenwood Canyon

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Out here, I-70 isn't a road, it's a relationship. A complicated one. Every local has a plan B for when the canyon shuts down, a plan C for when plan B gets snowed in, and a strong opinion about Cottonwood Pass that they'll share whether you asked or not.

A Front Ranger finds out about a closure when Google Maps suddenly tells them the trip home is nine hours.

The Colorado River and Western Slope Water

Colorado River Low

A Front Ranger will stand on the Riverfront Trail and say something like, "Huh, the river's kind of low."

Every local within earshot takes a slow, deep breath. We know exactly where a chunk of that water went. It went through a tunnel under the Divide so somebody in Highlands Ranch could keep their lawn green.

We're not bitter. We just keep a list.

Read More: From Kebler Pass to Peak to Peak: The Best Autumn Foliage Drives Across Colorado

Colorado National Monument and Rim Rock Drive

twildlife

Ask a Front Ranger about the Colorado National Monument, and you'll get a blank stare, maybe a guess that it's "somewhere near Utah." They've been to Arches four times. Never been here.

A local, on the other hand, has driven Rim Rock Drive with every out-of-town relative who ever visited, and does the tour-guide voice without meaning to. They'll point out the tunnels. They'll tell you about the bighorn sheep standing on the road as if they own it, because they do.

And they'll absolutely tell you about John Otto, the guy who basically willed the place into existence, carved trails by hand, got married at the base of Independence Monument in 1911, and watched his bride bail on him not long after.

Then they'll mention that people still climb Independence Monument every Fourth of July to plant a flag on top, like Otto did. And the Front Ranger will say, "Wait, that's here?"

Yes. It's here. It's been here the whole time.