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.
What's happening in Grand Junction, CO: local events, restaurants and shops, trails on the Monument and Grand Mesa, plus news and scores from around town.
A Fruita, CO local guide: mountain bike conditions from 18 Road to Kokopelli, local events, restaurants and shops, plus news from the Grand Valley.
What's on in Palisade, CO: peach season, wineries and farm stands, local events and town notices, plus rides on the Palisade Plunge, updated all week.
Uncompahgre & North Fork
Ranch and farm country between the Gunnison River and the Grand Mesa.
Your Montrose, CO guide: things to do this week, local businesses, news and public notices, plus trails from the Black Canyon to the Uncompahgre Valley.
What's happening in Delta, CO: local events, shops and restaurants, farm country news and notices, plus trails along the Gunnison River and Grand Mesa.
What's on in Paonia, CO: harvest season, farm stands and wineries across the North Fork Valley, local events, town notices and news from Delta County.
A Grand Mesa guide: lakes, campgrounds and trails on the mesa top, current conditions by season, plus events and businesses in the towns below.
The San Juans
The steepest, highest corner of the Slope, full of old mining towns that turned into trailheads and ski hills.
Events, dining and trail conditions in Telluride, CO. Festival season through ski season, with local news, businesses and box canyon hikes in one place.
An Ouray, CO guide: hot springs hours, Perimeter Trail and ice park conditions, local events, restaurants and town notices, all kept in one place.
Your Ridgway, CO guide: events this week, local shops and restaurants, town notices, plus trails at the state park and the road south into the San Juans.
Your Silverton, CO guide: events on Greene Street, local businesses, Alpine Loop and Ice Lakes conditions, plus notices and news from San Juan County.
A Durango, CO local guide: events downtown and at Fort Lewis, restaurants and shops, Animas River trails, plus news and notices from La Plata County.
Gunnison Country
High, cold, and wide open, with some of the best mountain biking and trout fishing in the state.
What's happening in Gunnison, CO: Western games and town events, local businesses, public notices, plus trails and fishing along the Gunnison River.
Your Crested Butte, CO guide: ski and bike conditions, wildflower season, events this week, local restaurants and shops, and news from the upper valley.
Roaring Fork & I-70
The corridor that carries the interstate, the Colorado River, and the resort crowd up into the high country.
Things to do in Glenwood Springs, CO: the hot springs, Hanging Lake and canyon trails, local events, restaurants and news, kept current through the week.
An Aspen, CO local guide: events and shows this week, restaurants and shops, trail and weather conditions, plus the town news that affects your day.
Your Rifle, CO guide: local events, businesses and public notices, plus Rifle Falls, Rifle Gap and the Arch trails, and news from Garfield County.
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.