The Best Places to Stay and Do in Grand Junction

A luxury resort planted deep in the red-rock canyon country near the Utah border, closer to Moab than to Aspen, which tells you something about the vibe. Rooms come with outdoor fireplaces and soaking pools, but the real draw is outside: fly fishing, river rafting, an equestrian center, and a car museum that makes the whole thing feel like it was assembled by someone with very specific passions. It was, actually, the Discovery Channel founder built it.

The last original historic hotel still standing in downtown Grand Junction, the Melrose leans hard into moody Western: navy walls, brass sconces, iron bed frames, and mounted antlers doing the decorating. There's no front desk, just keyless entry and a digital concierge, which keeps the vibe high and the awkward check-in small talk nonexistent. Melrose Spirit Co., a tiki-inflected cocktail bar on-site, is a genuinely odd and welcome surprise. Colorado National Monument is right there.