We hiked McInnis Canyon in April 2016 during Big Trip #1.

We did two fun and insanely gorgeous hikes while staying in Grand Junction, both near Fruita in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.

Devils Canyon

On our first afternoon in town, we hiked Devils Canyon Trail, a 6.7 mile loop through a colorful canyon, and had it just about all to ourselves.

Rattlesnake Arches

On our last day in town we tackled the 15.5-mile out-and-back from Pollock Bench to Rattlesnake Arches, home of the second-largest concentration of natural arches in the country (behind Arches National Park), and maybe the world. A shorter version of the hike (6ish miles) is possible from the upper trailhead, but even a sprinkling of water can make the clay road super slick, so the rain the previous day meant we had to go the long way. The hike climbed down and up, down and up, into canyon after canyon until dead-ending with a mile-long tour of the arches. We loved it.