The Western Slope
The Western Slope is the part of Colorado west of the Continental Divide, where the rivers drain toward the Pacific instead of the Gulf. Most people who live out here don't use the whole name. They call it the Slope, and that is where this site got its name.
So what is the Western Slope?
The Continental Divide runs down the middle of Colorado. Water that falls east of it ends up in the Gulf of Mexico. Water that falls west of it heads for the Pacific. That western side, from the Utah line back up to the Divide and from Wyoming down to the New Mexico border near Durango, is the Western Slope.
By Colorado standards it is big and pretty empty. The Slope covers about 38 percent of the state but holds only a tenth of the people. Grand Junction is the biggest city out here, and the only one of any real size between Denver and Salt Lake City. The rest is mountain towns, farm towns, and ranch country spread out along the rivers.
As for “the Slope,” that is just what people here call the place. Locals drop the “Western” and you will hear it everywhere, at the gas station in Montrose or the brewery in Durango. People say they are “headed back to the Slope” or that they “grew up on the Slope.” It means the same region either way. We named the site after the version locals actually use.
The towns of the Slope
The Slope is really a set of separate valleys that happen to share the same side of the mountains. Pick a town below to see what is going on there.
The Grand Valley
Colorado's biggest metro area west of the Front Range, set among red rock canyons and peach orchards along the Colorado River.
Uncompahgre & North Fork
Ranch and farm country between the Gunnison River and the Grand Mesa.
The San Juans
The steepest, highest corner of the Slope, full of old mining towns that turned into trailheads and ski hills.
Historic mining town turned world-class ski resort with stunning mountain views
The "Switzerland of America" with hot springs and ice climbing
Gateway to the San Juan Mountains and home to the famous True Grit Cafe
Historic mining town and gateway to the Alpine Loop
Historic mining town with a vibrant arts and culture scene
Gunnison Country
High, cold, and wide open, with some of the best mountain biking and trout fishing in the state.
Roaring Fork & I-70
The corridor that carries the interstate, the Colorado River, and the resort crowd up into the high country.
The Yampa Valley
The northern end of the Slope, known for ranch land, hot springs, and some of the lightest snow anywhere.
Find what's happening on the Slope
Common questions about the Western Slope
What is the Western Slope of Colorado?
The Western Slope is the western third of Colorado, the part that sits past the Continental Divide where the rivers run toward the Pacific. It covers Grand Junction and the Grand Valley, then Montrose, Delta, and the North Fork, the San Juan mountain towns down to Durango, and the I-70 corridor through Glenwood Springs. Most people who live here drop the "Western" and call it the Slope.
Is "the Slope" the same place as the Western Slope?
Yes. The Slope is just the everyday shorthand people in Western Colorado use for the Western Slope. If someone says they're "headed back to the Slope" or that they "grew up on the Slope," they mean Western Colorado, the part west of the Divide.
Why is this site called The Slope?
Because that's what the region calls itself. We're a local guide to Colorado's Western Slope, covering events, businesses, news, and the outdoors from Grand Junction to Telluride. It seemed right to use the name people here already say.
Which towns are on the Western Slope?
The largest are Grand Junction, Montrose, Durango, Glenwood Springs, and Steamboat Springs. The Slope also takes in Telluride, Aspen, Crested Butte, Gunnison, Ouray, Ridgway, Silverton, Delta, Paonia, Palisade, Fruita, and Rifle, with the Grand Mesa sitting right in the middle of it.
Where does the Western Slope start and end?
The eastern edge is the Continental Divide, and everything draining west of that line counts as the Slope. It reaches from the Utah state line east to the Divide, and from the Wyoming border in the north down to the New Mexico line near Durango. That works out to roughly 38 percent of Colorado's land, but only about a tenth of its people.