The Redlands: Grand Junction's Neighborhood Under the Cliffs

Colorado National Monument waives its entrance fee on Wednesday, September 17 for Constitution Day — one of the National Park Service's fee-free days for 2026, and as good an excuse as any to talk about the neighborhood that sits right at its doorstep.

The Redlands is the unincorporated community tucked between Grand Junction and Fruita, spread across roughly 1,700 acres beneath the red rock cliffs the Monument is named for. It's a mix of established subdivisions, newer builds, and open space, and its defining feature is one most neighborhoods don't have: the entrance to a National Park Service site is a straight shot up Monument Road, close enough that a before-work drive up Rim Rock Drive is a realistic Tuesday, not just a weekend plan.

The Redlands also happens to be home to one of the more decorated golf courses in the country. The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa, designed by architect Jim Engh, is currently ranked 18th nationally on Golf Digest's 2025-'26 list of the 100 Greatest Public Courses — and it's held the title of Colorado's top-ranked public course in recent Golfweek rankings. It's the kind of amenity that usually anchors a much bigger, much pricier community. Here, it's a neighborhood course.

What I try to point out to buyers looking at the Redlands is that it doesn't read like a typical suburb. The lots back up to open space more often than not, the views are the kind you'd otherwise pay a premium for at a mountain resort, and the pace is genuinely quiet — Redlands residents consistently mention that on neighborhood forums, and it tracks with what I see touring homes out there. It's close enough to town for a normal commute, but far enough into the rock that it doesn't feel like town at all.

If you've got a free hour this Wednesday, the fee waiver is a good reason to drive Rim Rock Drive end to end and see what the neighborhood is actually backed up against. It's a very different way to understand "close to the Monument" than reading it on a listing sheet.

— Scott Cotton - Realtor® @ The Christi Reece Group and Your Real Estate Trail Guide

Sources: Fees & Passes — Colorado National Monument (National Park Service), nps.gov/colm/planyourvisit/fees.htm; Redlands Mesa Golf Course Awards, redlandsmesa.com/in-the-news; The Redlands, Grand Junction — Nextdoor Neighborhood Guide.