Entry No. 23 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: outdoor
Unaweep Canyon
“Every canyon on Earth drains one way — except this one.”
Every canyon on Earth drains one way — except this one. Unaweep flows out both ends: East Creek to the Gunnison, West Creek to the Dolores, parting at a divide so flat you will cross it without noticing. Both creeks are far too puny to have cut a gorge half a mile deep, and geologists still argue over which ancient river did the digging and why it left. At mile 129, the 1918 Driggs Mansion stands roofless under Thimble Rock; the owner's wife lasted months before fleeing the silence.
The move: Drive CO-141 south from Whitewater, dare each other to call out the exact moment you cross the divide, then pull off at the mile-129 overlook and study the Driggs ruin under Thimble Rock.
📍 Before you go Pick up CO-141 at the US-50 junction in Whitewater and the canyon swallows the road almost immediately; the Driggs Mansion overlook is a signed pullout with interpretive panels near mile marker 129, and the barely perceptible Unaweep Divide sits near mile 135. The ruin and the canyon floor are private ranch land under conservation easement, so view and photograph from the pullout rather than hopping the fence. There is no fuel between Whitewater and Gateway, roughly 45 miles, so top off in Grand Junction. Turn around at the divide for a half-day outing, or continue to Gateway at the far mouth and come back along the Dolores.
- 📍 Whitewater
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: CO-141 between Whitewater and Gateway (canyon mouth at the US-50/CO-141 junction), Whitewater, CO 81527
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11