A Weekend in Palisade, CO
A Weekend Getaway
Palisade, CO
Arches National Park
Grand Junction, CO
DO you like wine?
DO you like riding bikes leisurely through the beautiful countryside?
DO you like sleepy towns with tons of character?
DO you like day trips that will take your breath away?
DO you like getting a chance to slow things down?
DO you like day trips to National Parks?
If you said yes to any of the above: DON’T miss Palisade, Colorado
We took a long weekend with our great Colorado native friends and their adorable three-year-old. We made memories that we will be talking about for years. Are you looking for a great getaway for a couples trip? Honeymoon? Girls Weekend? This is the trip for you!
Below you will find:
Day by Day Itinerary in Palisade, Moab & Grand Junction
The Best Sights in Arches National Park
A Self-Guided Wine/Beer Tour in Palisade
Quick Spots before a flight home in Grand Junction
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon & Expedia Group Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Itinerary:
3 Nights in Palisade
1 Day at Arches National Park
1 Day of Wineries by Bike in Palisade
1 Day exploring Grand Junction before an early evening flight home!
Travel Day:
We flew into Grand Junction airport late in the evening on a Friday after a quick layover in Denver. The airport is very easy to navigate because of its small size and our friend drove right up and picked us up right outside of the door! We went straight to our adorable Airbnb called “Heart of Palisade” and that was exactly where it was! This was the perfect oasis for our weekend getaway. We knew we had three full days ahead of us and we decided the next day we would wake up and head straight to Moab & hike around Arches National Park.
Follow all of our adventures on Instagram @TheDuhlsDo!
Are you traveling soon? Check out our Instant Itineraries!
What’s Included:
A fully customizable Instant PDF Download
Accommodation Options
Where to Eat & Drink
A Pinned Google Map
Suggested Activities each day!
Links to Book Everything
Discount Codes
Our Expert Advice on Traveling to your next destination!
Day 1: Arches National Park & Dead Horse State Park
This was our very first trip to a National Park in the U.S. together, and it definitely will not be our last. The drive from Palisade took just under two hours and the scenery of the mountains made the trip go quickly. I had done a lot less research on this trip than I usually do because I knew our friends would be great tour guides, so I really didn’t realize how amazing this stop would be! If you just have a day here, below you’ll find the best spots to get pictures, hike and take in the beauty!
Arches Stop 1-
We first went to the Windows section to see:
Double Arch
Turret Arch
North/South Windows.
We were amazed by the size of these, and they were a great introduction for what was to come. This was a great place to get pictures and was an easy walk from our parking spot.
Arches Stop 2
Our next stop was Delicate Arch. The hike is worth it. It takes about two hours round trip and is a moderate level hike (Our friends carried their three-year-old in a pack the whole time and I was very impressed-luckily she had snacks and is a trooper at hikes). I had seen pictures of Delicate Arch, but let me just say pictures do not do it justice. It is Massive. I love the perspective that this one place gives. We look like little ants compared to the arch in the photos, and felt that small too. Nature is so great.
After our hike, we were hungry so decided to make our way to Moab Brewery. We had burgers, sandwiches & fries that were all good after a long hike!
Dead Horse State Park
Our last stop before making our way back to Palisade was Deadhorse Point State Park. We were pretty tired at this point, but this stop was totally worth it. Most of the car (sorry, Zach) took a little snooze on the 45 minute drive there, and when we arrived, we had enough energy to finish our exploring for the day. It was just about golden hour so we strolled around taking some pictures, stopping at the visitor’s center and then heading to the main lookout. There were two ways to get there, and since it was the end of our day, we opted for the short walk-which took us only 10 minutes from the parking lot. This ended up being one of the highlights of our trip, and we got some great pictures looking over towards Canyonlands-- yet another place to add to our list! There was also a wedding going on right at the edge-what a cool place to say your vows!
Need a Packing List? Travel Deals?
Day 2: Palisade, Colorado-Wine by Bike!
Our second full day was one of my favorite days traveling ever. We woke up at our beautiful Airbnb “Heart of Palisade”, had a cup of coffee & headed over to the Farmer’s Market to pick up the World Famous Palisade Peaches to enjoy with our breakfast. Then, we were ready for our epic day.
Nate & I needed to rent bikes so we headed to Rapid Creek Cycles | Wine Tours & Bike Rental Grand Junction. They were helpful in finding the perfect bikes for our trek to a number of wineries.
On our Self-Guided Tour we hit the following spots:
Talon Winery-Right on the outskirts of Downtown Palisade this was our first stop. Each winery offers their own special tasting deal and we tasted some great wines and also a cider. This winery had a great gift shop & we bought the cider spices to use at home with any bottle of red!
Meadery of the Rockies- This was one of our favorite spots. Mead is such a unique tasting experience.
Plum Creek Cellars- Right across from the Meadery, another great tasting experience!
Red Fox Cellars- We particularly enjoyed the fun wine based cocktails here. They had a great outdoor patio so we sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful October day.
Palisade Brewing Company- For our last stop we headed back towards town and got a great beer and wonderful hearty sandwiches at the brewery. It was a great spot to end our tour.
Top Palisade & Grand Junction Hotels
Day 3: Grand Junction
Our last day we flew out of Grand Junction later in the afternoon, so after checking out from the Airbnb, we took an Uber into town and explored a few last spots before our flight.
Grand Junction Highlights:
Main Street Bagels-a great spot for breakfast or lunch-their sandwiches and coffee were amazing!
Kennah Creek Brewing-Breweries are always something we love to try on our travels and we loved the outdoor patio with views of the Colorado National Monument. On our next trip, we will definitely spend some time there!
Strolling along the Main Street Shops-we try to get a sticker at every destination so we made sure to find one in Grand Junction!
The wine, the weather, and the outdoor adventures with our friends turned out to be one of the most incredible three-day weekends we’ve ever had. This trip would be perfect for a honeymoon, couples getaway, girls’ trip or to spend more time with your family!
Want us to plan your Perfect Palisade Weekend Getaway? Click Below to Learn about our Curated Travel Options!
Don’t forget to pin this post & save for later!
What should the Duhls Do next?
RELATED POSTS:
10 Kid-Friendly Activities at Acadia National Park
3 Days in Joshua Tree
Florida National Parks Bucket List
A National Parks Travel-Themed Nursery
To see our most up-to-date travel adventures, follow us on Instagram @theduhlsdo!
