Trip report
Nov 5, 2018 — Colorado National Monument is more regualrly visited via its scenic road, but this nice loop comes in from the east and visits some of the scenery at the base of the area. The trail wraps around the entirety of a mesa called The Island, starting by taking you counter-clockwise up the Wedding Canyon Trail, which is labeled "unimproved" for some reason despite being a totally easy to follow trail. This leads to a saddle on the east face of a beautiful rock butte called Independence Monument before heading down along the southern base of The Island. The hike hugs the base of the cliffs along the Monument Trail, then heads north at the edge of Grand Junction's suburbia to complete the loop.