Overview

You can stroll around Rifle, CO enjoying this mountain community and all it has to offer. Listen to the rush of the Colorado River while you grab a delicious lunch, and then embark on your adventures in the backcountry. This will be the perfect getaway vacation for the whole family.

Location

Rifle, Colorado is located on Interstate 70, in the western part of the state.

Services/Amenities

Get some terrific home cooking or sit down to fine dining in the quaint downtown area of Rifle. You’ll find worldly cuisine and trendy eateries available and ready to serve you with lots of mountain hospitality. Want some seafood? Mexican cuisine? Discover the taste treats in this Rocky Mountain town.

Whether on a family vacation, or here on a hunting expedition, Rifle features a number of choices of lodging. You can settle in a mountain cabin, a modern lodge, or get a luxurious room at an inn.

Activities

• Hiking
  You’ll find trails at the Flat Top Mountains, through Roan Cliffs and at the Grand Mesa. Any of these locations provide expansive views, and you can choose from multi-day trips or short hikes. Drive north a short way and you will get to the Rifle Arch trailhead. A one or two-hour hike will take you to breathtaking vistas of the Colorado River Valley. More trails await you in the White River National Forest.
• Mountain Biking
  Experience the true wilderness wonders of the Rifle area when you bike past sandstone mesas, wildflower meadows and mountain streams. North of town you’ll find JQS Road that goes to the top of Roan Cliffs, overlooking Rifle. The Information Center in Rifle will provide you with trail maps.
• Rock Climbing
  Rifle Mountain Park has a number of challenging climbs, with a true climber’s paradise. Over 100 routes will lure you into some of the best climbing around, and although most of the climbs are for experienced rock climbers, beginners will find moderate graded routes to try, too.
• Fishing and Boating and Rafting
  Fish the Colorado River, flowing right through Rifle or get over to Rifle Gap State Park to launch a boat and catch some fish in the reservoir. You’ll hook some rainbow and brown trout, and get to see other wildlife at play in the area, like beavers, ducks and geese. Try water skiing! It’s the ideal place to learn if you don’t yet know how. Whitewater rafting the Colorado River is also a favorite pastime around Rifle.
• Winter Sports
  Rifle has 25 miles of groomed trails for enjoyable cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. And it’s only a 40-minute drive to Sunlight Mountain Resort for fabulous downhill skiing.

Attractions

• Rifle Falls State Park
  Rifle Falls State Park may not be loudly advertised, but it’s a wonderful park to explore on a sunny day. You’ll find beautiful waterfalls, small caves to investigate and plenty of trails to hike.
• Rifle Gap State Park
  This park not only has a reservoir that is a wonderful boating destination, you’ll also find a beach on the west side for swimming.
• Flat Tops Wilderness Area
  A unique wilderness area, Flat Tops has about 110 lakes and ponds, brimming with trout. Discover the wild peaks jutting up almost a thousand feet above the plateau.

Getting Here

To get to Aspen from Rifle, take I-70 east to exit 116 at Glenwood Springs. Head south of Colorado Highway 82 right to Aspen. It’s a lovely one-hour and 21-minute drive of 68.2 miles.