United States Gordon Leggett · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
147 metres, to scale.
A slice through Fruita Canyon where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Big Ben · 96 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is. On one side the ground was still rising 12 km out: the true rim is further away and the canyon deeper.
147m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
21.3km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
24°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
1,361m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
5 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 36 °C on the floor, against 32 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in April and in October. The floor passes 35 °C in July: walk at dawn and carry water. The rim freezes at night from November to March.
- 6°1°Jan
- 8°3°Feb
- 14°9°Mar
- 19°14°Apr
- 25°20°May
- 33°28°Jun
- 36°32°Jul
- 34°29°Aug
- 29°24°Sep
- 20°15°Oct
- 12°8°Nov
- 6°1°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Canyon in Colorado National Monument
Fruita Canyon is a canyon in United States, cut by the Lizzard Canyon river. The relief model measures 147 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 760 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 21 km wide where the cut was taken. It lies within Colorado National Monument.
Getting there.
- Fruitanearest town · 4.6 km in a straight line
- Parking 1,020 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Historic Trails Viewnearest viewpoint · 2.8 km from the floor
- Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 17 km in a straight lineCar hire at GJT airport (Grand Junction)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- In April and in Octoberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Lizzard Canyon runs highest from March to May.
The Lizzard Canyon carries about 203 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from March to May, fed by melting snow. It is lowest in August.
- 227 m³/sJan
- 405 m³/sFeb
- 601 m³/sMar
- 659 m³/sApr
- 561 m³/sMay
- 278 m³/sJun
- 112 m³/sJul
- 58 m³/sAug
- 172 m³/sSep
- 269 m³/sOct
- 200 m³/sNov
- 163 m³/sDec
From about 58 m³/s in the lowest month to 659 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 44,157 km².
Follow the Colorado River from source to mouth on Riveryas
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
6 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 16viewpoints within 5 kmWindow Rock, Distant View, Monument Canyon View and 13 more
- 1marked hiking routes within 4 kmADT - Colorado C - Q - Seg 6
- 4footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmRiverfront Trail - Monument View Section and 3 more
- 2rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- 18car parks within 3 km
- 4information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 5campsites within 8 kmSaddlehorn Campground (Loop A and Loop B), Junction West RV Park, Saddlehorn Campground (Loop C) and 2 more
- 7hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmBalanced Rock Inn, La Quinta Inn, Comfort Inn and 4 more
- 9restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- climbing crags within 3 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
- caves within 3 km
- bus stops within 2 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Fruita4.6 km in a straight line
- Redlands9.3 km in a straight line
- Loma11 km in a straight line
- Grand Junction17 km in a straight line
- Orchard Mesa19 km in a straight line
- Fruitvale21 km in a straight line
- Clifton24 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Fruita Canyon.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Riveryas2 rivers in the canyon
Peakyas6 mountains within 15 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmComing soonFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 6 | 8 | 14 | 19 | 25 | 33 | 36 | 34 | 29 | 20 | 12 | 6 |
| Afternoon · rim | 1 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 28 | 32 | 29 | 24 | 15 | 8 | 1 |
| Night · rim | -10 | -8 | -4 | -1 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 1 | -5 | -9 |
| Rain (mm) | 29 | 29 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 15 | 34 | 34 | 40 | 38 | 28 | 35 |
| Rainy days | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| Sun hours/day | 6.5 | 7.3 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 10.8 | 12.9 | 11.5 | 10.5 | 10.0 | 8.3 | 6.9 | 5.7 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 16 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 16 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | 1 | -10 | 29 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 8 | 3 | -8 | 29 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 14 | 9 | -4 | 32 | 8.5 |
| Apr | 19 | 14 | -1 | 33 | 9.5 |
| May | 25 | 20 | 5 | 31 | 10.8 |
| Jun | 33 | 28 | 11 | 15 | 12.9 |
| Jul | 36 | 32 | 15 | 34 | 11.5 |
| Aug | 34 | 29 | 13 | 34 | 10.5 |
| Sep | 29 | 24 | 8 | 40 | 10.0 |
| Oct | 20 | 15 | 1 | 38 | 8.3 |
| Nov | 12 | 8 | -5 | 28 | 6.9 |
| Dec | 6 | 1 | -9 | 35 | 5.7 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (1,361 m) and the rim (2,121 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 71% | 29% | 146% | 32% | 27% | 127% | 44% | 23% | 57% | 45% | 66% | 64% |
| 2021 | 80% | 100% | 109% | 28% | 67% | 125% | 121% | 120% | 103% | 134% | 26% | 240% |
| 2022 | 21% | 63% | 95% | 43% | 56% | 86% | 91% | 128% | 116% | 160% | 104% | 171% |
| 2023 | 195% | 87% | 190% | 87% | 43% | 114% | 22% | 110% | 25% | 84% | 91% | 63% |
| 2024 | 69% | 96% | 171% | 62% | 86% | 249% | 41% | 209% | 39% | 98% | 183% | 28% |
| 2025 | 22% | 80% | 63% | 59% | 56% | 120% | 22% | 54% | 80% | 194% | 94% | 37% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Fruita Canyon
United States
- 147 mDepth
- 21 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 24°Steepest wall
Rattlesnake Canyon
United States · 13 km
- 236 mDepth
- 3.6 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 16°Steepest wall
Grandstaff Canyon
United States · 93 km
- 209 mDepth
- 1.2 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 36°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q49803289) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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