Grand Junction is far and away the biggest city in Western Colorado/Eastern Utah.
And while we’re pretty isolated from major population centers, we’re surrounded by a handful of small towns, smaller cities, and nearby communities that each offer their own personality and attractions.
Big cities, like Denver or Salt Lake City, are both a four hour drive away in either direction. But smaller, rural towns can be found a half hour away from downtown Grand Junction.
Whether you’re planning a move, comparing housing prices for affordability, or mapping out a road trip to our area, the nearby towns and cities around Grand Junction give you plenty of options and variety.
(On the map below, the black star is Grand Junction, and the brown stars are the closest towns).
Below is a list of cities and towns close to Grand Junction in order of proximity. Using a common definition, we’re calling “cities” as those with a population of 50,000 or more, and “towns” as less than 50k.
Towns Close to Grand Junction, CO.
Fruita, Colorado – 11 miles
Fruita is located just about a 15 minutes drive west of Grand Junction.
It’s a little rural town of around 14,000 people, just off of I-70 known for its mountain biking, festivals, like Mike the Headless Chicken Festival, and a cute downtown with restaurants and breweries.
Home prices here are typically a little more affordable than Grand Junction, though demand has been increasing. Fruita is great for families, mountain bikers, and anyone who wants a quieter lifestyle but still wants to stay close to major amenities.
Palisade, Colorado – 12 miles
Twenty minutes to the east, Palisade is Colorado’s wine and peach capital.
It’s a small town of around 2,600 folks, and sits at the base of the Grand Mesa.
The town is surrounded by orchards, vineyards, tasting rooms, and dramatic scenery of Mount Garfield. It’s smaller and more relaxed than Grand Junction, with a charming downtown and growing food scene. Palisade is known for it’s annual Peach festival and the Winefest.
Loma, Colorado – 17 miles
Loma is a rural, wide-open community twenty minutes west of Grand Junction. Most homes here are on really bigger lots or acreage.
Mack, Colorado – 21 miles
This is farm country that is a twenty-five minute drive (or so), from the center of GJ. I’m not sure what the difference between Mack and Loma is, other than Mack is a little further west. Mack is just six miles from the Utah border, and is mostly known for being the home to the popular Country Jam music festival that ran from 1992 to 2025. When the four day concert ran, it increased the town’s population twenty-fold, from about a thousand, into 21,000.
Mesa, Collbran, & Molina – 32 miles
I’m lumping these three small mountain towns (all under 1,000 residents), together, as they are part of what’s called the Plateau Valley. They’re located on, or near the Grand Mesa, which is the 11,000 foot flattop mountain east of Grand Junction full of recreation opportunities like hiking, fishing, snowmobiling and more.
With these towns higher in elevation, they provide much needed relief to GJ residents and visitors looking to escape Grand Junction’s 100 degree July days.
These three towns really get busier in October during hunting season, and Mesa is a popular stop for folks going to Powderhorn Ski Area, as it’s directly on the way.
Delta, Colorado – 40 miles
This ag town southeast of Grand Junction boasts around 10,000 people. Nearby Cedaredge is just up the road, (actually 54 miles from Grand Junction), and is a cute little town with a gorgeous golf course and popular Applefest, held each October.
Parachute, CO – 46 miles
If you thought Grand Junction was in the middle of nowhere, check out Parachute, which is an oil and natural gas dependent town just off of Interstate 70. They do have a beautiful golf course as part of their Battlement Mesa retirement community.
Rifle, CO – 63 miles
This town of a little over 10,000 people off of I-70 in-between Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs.
Montrose, Colorado – 62 miles
Just about an hour and ten minute drive southeast, Montrose is the biggest town close to Grand Junction, with a population of just over 21,000 residents.
The town is known as the gateway to Telluride (Montrose Regional Airport is the closest airport to the ski town), and to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It’s quieter and more rural than GJ, and while it used to have more affordable home prices than us, recent figures show the median home price in Montrose to be a little higher than Grand Junction.
Glenwood Springs – 89 miles
This beautiful, charming town is home to famous Hot Springs pool and makes for a nice stop or stay when going to either Vail or Aspen. Driving from Grand Junction to Glenwood Springs takes around an hour and 15 minutes, all on I-70.
Moab, Utah – 112 miles.
This southeast Utah town of just over 5,000 is the popular gateway to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. The drive from Grand Junction to Moab will take you about an hour and a half.
Grand Junction Suburbs
I was hesitant to include these two here, because they aren’t even separate towns. Most maps show them as towns, however they are basically suburbs of Grand Junction.
Orchard Mesa – 4 miles
This is just over a five minute drive southeast of downtown Grand Junction, just over the Colorado River.
It has a mismash of some upper end subdivisions and low-income housing. There’s a cemetery here, along with Chipeta Pines 18 hole executive golf course. East Orchard Mesa is entirely different, as it’s beautiful and filled with peach orchards, vineyards and some wine tasting rooms.
Clifton, Colorado – 7 miles
Clifton is an unincorporated part of Mesa County that borders Grand Junction to the east.
Most of us consider Clifton to be part of Grand Junction. Home prices here are much more affordable than Grand Junction. Maybe that’s because crime is higher here. And to be more honest, there aren’t any attractions here, or reasons to stop, other than its home to the area’s only Popeye’s Chicken.
Cities Close to Grand Junction, Colorado
Here we’re talking about places with more than 50,000 residents. And the word, “close” is relative. There aren’t any cities near the Grand Valley – all involve at least a four hour drive.
- Provo, Utah – 240 miles
- Denver – The drive from Grand Junction to Denver is 245 miles.
- Salt Lake City – 283 miles
- Pueblo – 284 miles
- Colorado Springs – It’s around a five hour drive, or 295 miles from Grand Junction to Colorado Springs.
(By Steve Beauregard. Top photo copyright GJFruita.com. Fruita photo courtesy of Mobilus in Mobili via Flickr. Clifton picture from James Michael Thomas via Flickr. Palisade picture courtesy of Colorado Distillers Festival via Flickr. Black Canyon picture courtesy of Jay Galvin via Flickr. Delta picture courtesy of Denver Jeffrey via Flickr. Provo courtesy of Michael Stokes via Flickr.)