Upscale Recreation Resort Surrounded by Red Rock Canyons

As a young boy, John Hendricks was mesmerized by his father's oil maps of western Colorado’s Red Rock Country. Decades later, after becoming the founder of the Discovery Channel, Hendricks returned to the fiery landscape he had admired as a child and built a sprawling resort within the secluded Unaweep Canyon. Gateway Canyons Resort’s property reflects Hendrick's passion for the outdoors with natural-stone façades, reflection ponds, and an active outdoor adventure center, where you can launch fly-fishing trips, learn about the area’s mountain-bike trails, or kayak past canyon walls.

A monolithic rock looms over Gateway Canyons Resort, a ubiquitous reminder of the region's vast surroundings. Guests here can explore this rugged landscape with a four-wheel Jeep tour, a hike through the canyon, or any of the other activities organized by the adventure center. Winner of Official Best Of's award for Colorado’s Best Adventure Resort, the hotel also offers horseback-riding lessons at its resident stables, as well as scenic aircraft tours that soar over Mesa Verde National Park and the Grand Canyon.

For a break from activity, rejuvenate with a re-mineralizing seaweed body wrap at the onsite spa, or feel free to lounge around the outdoor pool. Gateway's dining options include Entrada Restaurant & Lounge, which serves locally inspired cuisine on the outdoor patio where string lights and a fire pit illuminate the red rocks in the distance, Kiva Cafe which offers breakfast and lunch, or Paradox Grill which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Gateway's adobe-style lodges come decorated in chic southwestern style. Guests can lounge in Kiva Lodge's deep-soaking tubs, or warm their toes by Kayenta Lodge's outdoor fire pits. Some purchase options also include two tickets to Gateway's Auto Museum, which showcases Hendrick's 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 concept car along with one of the country’s best antique- and classic-car collections.

Gateway, Colorado: Canyon Town in Red Rock Country with Hiking and Rafting

Situated in western Colorado about 15 miles from the Utah border, Gateway is surrounded by granite cliffs and arid plateaus. The one-store town sits along the Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway, a 133-mile road that winds through the red sandstones of the Unaweep Canyon.

As a recreation destination, the lesser-known Gateway rivals nearby Moab, Utah. Hiking and biking trails carve through the surrounding red-rock canyons, taking travelers through Ponderosa Pine forests and fly-fishing creeks. The Dolores River, a tributary of the Colorado River, meanders through these amber cliffs, and visitors can tame the whitewater rapids during rafting trips and kayak tours.

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