While most Coloradans are familiar with the spectacular Black Canyon of the Gunnison, many don't realize that western Colorado also encompasses a plethora of wonderful sandstone canyons. From a geologic perspective these sandstone landscapes are more akin to the canyons of southern Utah than the mountains that Colorado is renowned for.
These canyon lands of Colorado occupy much of the far western border regions of Colorado, from Dinosaur National Monument in the north, to the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness and Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, to the Dominguez Canyons and Gateway areas, all the way down to the vast Dolores River Canyons west of the San Juan Mountains.
