Paradox Valley — Salt-Collapse Valley the Dolores River Cuts Straight Across

Paradox Valley is the weird one. Most rivers run down the length of a valley. The Dolores comes in from the south, cuts across the valley floor, and exits through the opposite wall. That’s the paradox. The valley is a salt anticline that collapsed, a long, flat-bottomed trough about 25 miles long and a few miles wide, walled by red sandstone rims. It sits between the Uncompahgre Plateau country and the La Sal foothills, right on the Rimrocker Trail corridor. Bedrock and Paradox are the only settlements, and both are tiny. The valley floor is open ranchland with big sky and very little shade.

CO 90 runs the length of the valley and is paved, so any rig can get a look. Services are thin. Top off fuel and water in Naturita or Nucla before you commit, and verify ahead on anything that’s supposed to be open. Cell coverage is spotty at best. Summer runs hot on the valley floor, so spring and fall are the sweet spots. Have a dirty day.

The valley a river cuts straight across.