Bowling in Grand Junction, Colorado

For those of you looking to hit the lanes in the Grand Valley area, there are two bowling alleys for you to get your pin fix.

One, Freeway Bowl, is located near the heart of downtown Grand Junction, on Main Street, while the other is tucked away up on Orchard Mesa.

Both have plenty of lanes, scoring computers, a pro shop, food/beverage options, and are family friendly.

Here’s some information about our two Grand Junction bowling alleys.

Map of Bowling Alleys in Grand Junction

The brown bowling bowl shows you the location of Orchard Mesa Lanes, while the black is Freeway Bowl.

Orchard Mesa Lanes

Opened in 1982, (I believe), this complex is located on 27 Road, near Unaweep Avenue on…you guessed it….Orchard Mesa.

I’ve spent many a kid’s birthday party here, and while the place can get loud, it’s all in all a fun vibe here. They completed a refresh in spring of 2020.

Cosmic bowling goes from 10 PM to Midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and ranges in the $10 to $12 dollar range (depending on the month),  as of this writing.

Our local high school teams have bowling teams, and they play here as well.

Orchard Mesa Lanes Hours & Prices

Sunday – Monday: 11 AM – 10 PM
Tuesday – Thursday: 9 AM – 10 PM
Friday & Saturday: 11 AM – Midnight

Prices

The general rate is $4.50 per game, but $3.50 for seniors and kids.

If you play before 5 PM on weekdays, it’s just $2.50 per game.

A nice feature here is that you can rent an entire lane by the hour, instead of paying by the game.

Lane rentals are $22 per hour during the week, and $25 on weekends.

There are also discounts off the general rate if you’re in one of their bowling leagues (adult or youth). I’ve seen summertime “Kids Bowl Free” promotions here as well.

Shoe rentals are $3 for adults, and $2.50 for kids and seniors.

Orchard Mesa Lanes Address, Phone & Website

295 27 Road
Grand Junction, CO. 81503
Phone: (970) 242-9297

Website: OrchardMesaLanes.com

Leagues

There are busy league bowling teams, seven days a week here, including a Sunday Funday League.

By my count, there were 22 different leagues, (not including Saturday youth leagues), including senior leagues, ladies, and mixed couple leagues.

In addition to a small cafe stand, Orchard Mesa Lanes is home to Nadeau’s Pro Shop, which is owned by a PBA member, (Professional Bowlers Association), Chase Nadeau.

Below are some uncensored reviews from folks who have posted reviews on Google:

Freeway Bowl Grand Junction 

The oldest continuously running bowling alley in town, Freeway Bowl is located on Main Street in downtown Grand Junction, and offers 38 lanes, along with a bar, cafe, and arcade.

This a clean, well-run facility in the times I’ve been there, and offers a nice way to kill time with the kids during one of our unbearably hot July days. It’s also affordable, as there always seem to be some sort of discount, coupon or promotion going on, if you’re able to go during their slower times.

If you’re taking your kids, they have the ramps to use to help the little ones not have to swing a heavy ball. In addition,  you can use the bumper feature to prevent gutter balls, (a feature I could certainly use).

Tony Azzam (a really nice guy I’ve had the pleasure of golfing with a few times), spent $450,000 refurbishing the lanes in 2017, reducing the lane count from 48 to 38 in the process, according to an article in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. 

The popular Cosmic bowling starts at 9 PM every Friday night.

As with Orchard Mesa Lanes, there are tons of opportunities to participate in league bowling, with a different league running every day of the week. These include ladies leagues, couples, and a Saturday morning kids league that my son’s friend plays in each week.

As with OM Lanes, they offer a variety of kid’s birthday party packages, starting at $17.50 per child and running up to $32 per kid for the works, (2 hours of bowling, shoe rentals, arcade tokens, pizza, pop, and more).

Freeway Bowl Prices

Prices vary based on hours, but $5 per game is common.

As you might expect, prices are cheaper in the 10 AM to 5 PM window on weekdays.  In fact, when bowling before 5 PM on weekdays, there is a buy one game, get one free deal. 

Similarly, there are big discounts for Monday and Tuesday night bowling times after 5 PM.

At the time of this writing, bowling shoe rental remains at $5 a pair. 

Cafe, Bar & Arcade & Pro Shop

Papa Kelsey’s Cafe is longtime Grand Junction business famous for “The Executioner” – a huge sub sandwich that would give Joey Chestnut a run for his money.

Their diverse menu also includes everything from pizza to tacos, burgers, salads and the like.

The Freeway Bowl lounge offers happy hour from 5 PM to 7 PM every day, along with pretty popular karaoke sessions starting at 8 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

There is also a small arcade for the little ones, along with a modest pro shop if you’re looking for new balls, a shammy, etc.

Freeway Bowl Hours 

Sunday – Thursday:  10 AM to 10:30 PM
Friday – Saturday: 10 AM to Midnight

Freeway Bowl Address, Website & Phone Number

1900 E Main St.
Grand Junction, CO 81501
Phone:  (970) 245-3035

Website: FreewayBowl.com 

Bowling in Fruita and Palisade

Unfortunately, there aren’t any lanes in either Palisade, nor Fruita, so you’ll have to drive into Junction to get your fix.

Other

• There used to be a couple of bowling lanes at Spin City roller rink/arcade off of 24 ½ Road in Grand Junction, however Spin City closed in 2021.

• According to the Historical Photos of Fruita and Western Colorado Facebook page, there used to be an 8 lane bowling alley at 447 Rood in downtown Grand Junction, back in the 1940’s. A major selling point was the air conditioning.

• According to other Facebook posters, there was another bowling alley in the early 1970’s, located on North Avenue close to Grand Junction High School.

(Written by Steve Beauregard. Photos copyright GJFruita.com)