Cedaredge, CO

Cedaredge is a small town in Delta County, Colorado, sitting at an elevation of roughly 6,100 feet on the lower slopes of the Uncompahgre Plateau on the state's Western Slope. With a population of about 2,300 residents, it has the easygoing pace of a rural agricultural community, ringed by apple orchards, hayfields, and juniper-dotted mesas. The town is best known as a gateway to the Grand Mesa and as one of the principal stops along Colorado's West Elk and Fruit-Growing Scenic Byways, and it celebrates its heritage each fall with Applefest, a long-running harvest festival tied to the region's fruit-growing past. Cedaredge lies roughly 60 miles southeast of Grand Junction, the nearest sizeable city, and well over 200 miles west of Denver, giving it a genuinely off-the-beaten-path feel that appeals to travelers looking to slow down.

Just north and east of town rises the Grand Mesa, one of the largest flat-top mountains in the world, capped by the Grand Mesa National Forest. The drive from Cedaredge to the top of the mesa takes about 30 to 45 minutes via Highway 65, and visitors are rewarded with more than 300 lakes, sweeping aspen groves, and a network of hiking and snowmobiling trails that shift with the seasons. In summer, the byway is popular for fishing, picnicking, and wildlife viewing, while winter turns the area into a cross-country skiing and snowshoeing destination.

A short drive southwest of Cedaredge, about 20 minutes down the Surface Creek valley, Vega State Park wraps around a mountain reservoir at roughly 8,000 feet of elevation. The park offers campsites, a marina, hiking paths, and trout fishing, and serves as a calmer, family-friendly alternative to the busier reservoirs elsewhere on the Western Slope.

For travelers willing to venture farther, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park sits about 75 miles to the south near Montrose. Its sheer, dark-walled gorge drops more than 2,000 feet to the Gunnison River, and the rim drives and inner-canyon trails make it one of Colorado's most dramatic landscapes.

Downtown Cedaredge itself clusters around Main Street and the surrounding residential streets, where small galleries, antique shops, and cafés are interspersed with the living-history exhibits of Pioneer Town, a recreated frontier settlement. Walking the leafy blocks, browsing the local produce stands, and using the town as a base for day trips into the surrounding national forest, state park, and canyon country form the rhythm of most visits.

In short, Cedaredge offers short-term rental owners a setting that combines small-town character with surprisingly varied outdoor recreation, from the alpine lakes of the Grand Mesa to the deep gorge of the Black Canyon, all within an hour or two in any direction.