Entry No. 24 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: outdoor
Valley Curtain Site at Rifle Gap
“Officially, nothing remains. Unofficially: look several hundred feet up the cliffs.”
On August 10, 1972, Christo and Jeanne-Claude strung 200,000 square feet of orange nylon across this gap, 1,250 feet wide, sagging over Highway 325 like a held breath. Twenty-eight hours later a gale clocked over 60 mph shredded it. Officially, nothing remains. Unofficially: look several hundred feet up the cliffs and the concrete cable anchors are still bolted to the rock, an oddly shaped retaining wall sits at road level, and the old tie-downs lurk in the grass on the lower slopes.
The move: Pull off Highway 325 in the gap, pass binoculars back and forth until you both find the cliff anchors, then hold up a photo of the orange curtain and line it up against the empty sky.
📍 Before you go The gap is on Highway 325 about seven miles north of Rifle, an hour-plus drive from Grand Junction; park at the pull-out near the south end of the gap, just before the Rifle Gap Reservoir dam. The retaining structure is at road level, but the two main cable anchors sit several hundred feet up the canyon walls, so bring binoculars instead of scrambling the loose scree. The smaller concrete tie-downs hide in grass and rocks on the lower slopes and take patience to spot. Pair it with Rifle Falls State Park, five minutes further up the same road.
- 📍 Rifle
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: CO Highway 325 at Rifle Gap, ~7 miles north of Rifle, CO 81650 (just south of Rifle Gap Reservoir dam)
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