Title: Western Colorado Adventure: Hike, Raft, Fish (Delta County, Colo.)
Company: Ore Communications
Phone, email, Web site: 970-887-2536 (MDT), gaylene@orecommunications.com, www.orecommunications.com
Description: Experience the variety of Delta County, one of Colorado’s best-kept secrets, with hands-on action. You’ll combine outdoor adventures in rafting and hiking with visits to local wineries and eateries, and explore terrain that ranges from desert to orchard to alpine. Delta County, Colo., is located on Colorado’s western slope, sitting at the base of the Grand Mesa, the world’s largest flat-top mountain. An agricultural, outdoors, wine and heritage hotbed, the region is home to the communities of Cedaredge, Crawford, Delta, Eckert, Hotchkiss, Orchard City and Paonia.
Dates: June 24-27, 2010
If these dates do not work into your schedule, we would be happy to include another appropriate staff person or freelance writer on assignment, or arrange an individual trip at another time.
Journalists are invited to: Raft, hike, visit a national park, explore a newly created national conservation area, explore the world’s largest flat-top mountain, wine and dine.
Arrival: Arriving on Thursday, June 24 you’ll stay in the quaint small town of Hotchkiss, in the middle of western Colorado’s agriculture and wine country.
Day 1: Whitewater raft the Gunnison Gorge (Class III and IV rapids). Start by hiking down the Chukar Trail, to the bottom of the Black Canyon and the mouth of the Gunnison Gorge. We’ll be rafting through the Gunnison Gorge, a unique double-canyon system of black granite layered with red sandstones that sits within the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (downstream of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park). During the trip, you’ll gaze up at 1,500-foot walls of the Black Canyon and down at pools of fish.
We’ll meet bright and early for a 7:30 a.m. start to the day. Included will be a light breakfast and then a catered lunch along the way on a scenic beach. Fishing aficionados are in for a special treat this time of year, as the stoneflies will be in hatch.
Day 2: Hike in the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area. You’ll see rarely viewed petroglyphs, visit an old cabin and walk along scenic trails. After a morning of exploring, we’ll return to the town of Delta for lunch. In the afternoon, it’s off to the wineries in the Surface Creek Valley; they comprise some of the 15 wineries in Delta County. You’ll then have the chance to head up to the Grand Mesa, topping out at 10,000 feet. Stretching some 40 miles across, the Grand Mesa is covered with lush aspen forests, sunny meadows and more than 200 sparkling, stream-fed lakes.
Day 3: Return to Grand Junction’s Walker Field for flights home.
Web site: www.westerncolorado.org
Location: Delta County is located 40 miles south of Grand Junction, Colo., 276 miles west of Denver, 329 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. Known for its extensive outdoor recreation opportunities and agriculture base, the county is home to myriad farms, orchards and ranches as well as Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and the West Elk American Viticultural Area.
Inclusions:
- Lodging (June 24-27)
- Meals
- Air transportation to and from Grand Junction, Colo.
- Transportation to and from Grand Junction’s Walker Field, and from lodging properties to and from all activities
- Cost of all scheduled activities
- Note: If your media outlet does not permit you to participate in complimentary trips, we are happy to work out an acceptable form of payment.
Exclusions:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Gratuities
- Rental car
- Items of a personal nature
Journalist requirements: Journalists with major travel, fishing, outdoors or other related media outlets; writers on assignment for travel, fishing, hiking, outdoors or other related articles. Journalists need to be able to hike 1.1 miles to the put-in for the raft trip, carry their own daypacks and help paddle.
For more information: Call or email Gaylene Ore (970-887-2536, gaylene@orecommunications.com)
