I’ve lived in Colorado for 4 years and explored over a dozen small towns. My favorite hidden gem involves wine, camping, and gorgeous hiking.

I thought I’d have to head to California’s Napa Valley for wine and cross the Utah state border for canyons. For peaches, I assumed I’d have to make my way South to somewhere like Georgia.

Then, I discovered Palisade, Colorado. The small town four hours west of Denver has become one of my favorite Colorado towns after living in the state for four years.

While it has all the outdoor activities I love — hiking, camping, biking, and rafting — it also stands out for its wineries, vineyards, and farms.

Palisade is home to something I don’t find everywhere in Colorado — vineyards

Most of my weekends in Colorado are spent camping. I’ll head west from my home in Denver, searching for mountains, dispersed campsites, and glorious hikes.

Thankfully, the state is full of options. While living in Colorado, I’ve explored dozens of mountain towns, visited new national parks, and stumbled upon historic sites like former mining towns.

Being in the mountains never gets old, but finding new activities keeps camping trips from feeling repetitive.

So, when I crave an experience other than shopping on Main Street and hiking up a mountain, I head to Palisade for wine.

The small Colorado town is known as the state’s wine country. It’s home to over 30 wineries, and the region’s desert climate creates an ideal environment for growing grapes.

When it comes to the wine itself, Palisade doesn’t specialize in just one variety. Instead, you’ll find everything from rosé to cabernet franc and riesling.

I’ve visited the town a few times, and my favorite way to explore is on a bike. Some lodges, campsites, and businesses offer daily bike rentals, which means I can check off a handful of wineries in a day. Other tour operators have shuttles, horse-drawn carriages, and limos that take visitors wine hopping across the town.

Regardless of how you get to each winery, most have breathtaking views of grape vines with Colorado’s Grand Mesa, the largest flat-top mountain, as the backdrop. It’s a view that’s hard to beat.

Beyond wineries, Palisade has accessible nature

Sure, wine is the town’s main appeal, but that just scratches the surface of how I spend a weekend in Palisade.

Surrounding the small town is stunning nature. The area is more arid than the nearby Rocky Mountains, which means the terrain includes canyon systems, plateaus, and rusty red stone. In some hiking areas, you’ll find wild horses, and in others, you’ll find canyons overlooking the Colorado River.

During hot summer months, paddleboarding and rafting are popular activities.

There’s also plenty of camping. While there are a couple of RV resorts and state parks with amenity-filled campsites, the region also has primitive camping around the Grand Mesa.

Palisade is a hidden gem

While plenty of people in Colorado have heard of Palisade, when I step outside my Denver bubble, I’ve learned it’s a hidden gem — one I’m still exploring since I haven’t discovered all the town has to offer.

While I’ve stopped by small farm stands to pick up fresh fruit and jams, I haven’t picked peaches yet. Palisade is one of Colorado’s top peach producers, and during harvest seasons, nearby farms will welcome visitors to their orchards for peach picking.

I’m also itching to return for the town’s annual bluegrass festival with national artists and local musicians.

There are also restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and vineyards I’ve eyed from past trips.

So, while there are plenty of small Colorado towns I’ve yet to visit, I’m always willing to return to Palisade and shake up the traditional weekend camping trip.

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