RV Guide for a Fall Tastings Tour of Palisade, Colorado

RV Guide for a Fall Tastings Tour of Palisade, Colorado
Discover the fun of agritourism in your rolling home!
By: Jon & Nadia Bajuelo

Fall is arguably the best RV camping season. Crowds thin out, the weather cools, there’s leaf peeping to be had, not to mention all the wonderful tastings the harvest season brings. 

Our Winnebago has taken us through some pretty spectacular fall landscapes. When out west, our favorite state for fall RVing is Colorado. Full of spots to catch the aspens turning gold, it’s also home to charming towns perfect for the wine region agritours we’ve come to love while RV camping. 

Palisade, a sun-kissed valley nestled along the Colorado river in Western Colorado, boasts more than 20 wineries. You’ll also find lavender farms, fruit orchards, and plenty of outdoor recreation. 

Where To Stay in Your RV in Palisade

Palisade Basecamp RV Resort

For the best mix of convenience and beauty, plan to set your jacks down (or unhitch!) at Palisade Basecamp RV resort. The property is a truly stunning 14-acre campground with RV sites that back up to a vineyard, put you along the Colorado river, or set you up on a bluff overlooking the water. Sign us up for those kinds of campsite options anytime!

The location right off of I-70, Highway 6, and the Fruit & Wine Byway cannot be beat. Your surroundings include commanding canyon cliffs and on-site cherry and peach orchards. Clean, modern showers are available, and sites have 20-,30-, or 50-amp hookups. Water hookups are available at most sites before winter arrives. For those of you in big rigs, sites up to 62-feet long are available. 

Colorado River State Park

We’re huge fans of Colorado’s state parks. Depending on your travel itinerary, you may want to stay five miles east of Palisade nestled in De Beque Canyon at Colorado River State Park. Just off of exit 47 on I-70, you’ll find sites with electric or water and electric hookups, and showers. 

When making reservations, keep in mind you're looking for the Island Acres section. You can be sure you’ve got the right campground by making sure it’s off of exit 47, close to Palisade. Most sites are 30-amps, but they do have a few 50-amp sites. Showers are the coin kind, and close once winter season begins. 

Grand Junction KOA

In a pinch, it’s always good to know where the nearest KOA is. In this case, you’ll find it over in Grand Junction, which is the largest city close to Palisade. This could be a good choice depending on your itinerary, or a good overnight stay in order to add Colorado National Monument as its own stop along your route, if your travels are taking you west.

Tastings, Wineries & Cideries Around Palisade

Palisade is perfectly set up for a winery tour on wheels with most wineries situated along the Fruit & Wine Byway. If you have a towable or larger motorized RV, you can unhitch and take your bike, or even rent one, to ride along the byway stopping in at orchards and vineyards along the way. 

Class B and small Class C owners can choose to cruise along in the comfort of your RV. A full loop along the byway is 25 miles, but it’s possible to focus on specific parts of the byway and tour shorter loops of 5 or 7 miles. 

Wine

Don’t miss Colorado country’s most award-winning winery, Plum Creek Cellars. Their tasting room is open daily, including the off season, and their grounds complete the idyllic experience with aspens, roses, and lavender. 

Colterris is a great stop on your wine tour if you’re looking for scenic views with your wine. Their main location, Colterris Winery, is conveniently located “in-town” and offers a tasting room and a beautiful outdoor patio surrounded by cliffs and vineyards. For an even more spectacular view, make reservations (walk-ins okay too) at their second location, Colterris at the Overlook. A little farther out, and trickier to find with a fraction in its address, but well worth the trek. 

For a little bit of French flair, head to Maison La Belle Vie. Owner John Berbier was raised in France’s Loire Valley where his family had been winemaking for 150 years. If you’re a fan of dessert wines, don’t miss the Vin de Peche –– the recipe’s been handed down in his family since the late 19th century!

Every September (well, you know, except 2020), Palisade hosts the Colorado Mountain Wine Festival. Consider timing your trip to add it in if you’re a fan of wine festivals.

Cider & Beer

It’s fall, and fall wouldn’t be fall without some cider, right? Head over to the taproom at Talbott’s Cider Co. They’ve got a range of hard ciders with fun names, and cider is naturally gluten-free so if you’re traveling with a non-wine drinker with gluten allergies, this is a great choice.  

For beer lovers, round out your tour with a stop at Palisade Brewing Company. Grab a seat at their outdoor patio and some grub along with your brew. 

Food 

One of Colorado’s best young chefs chose Palisade as the spot to set his restaurant. For a culinary treat and fine dining experience make reservations for dinner at Peche Restaurant. 

For lighter fare, and a little indulgence, try Graff’s Purple Cow Coffee and Cones. For a coffee by day and a wine glass by night head to Pressed. A good spot for coffee and cocktails in a family-friendly setting. 

Palisade Peaches and More To Do 

A trip to Palisade isn’t quite complete without some palisade peaches. While you’ll find peach infused into the drinks and menus around Palisade, you can pick your own, and other produce, until early fall at u-pick farms, like Mt. Lincoln Peach Co. and Green Barn Fruit. For organic peaches, head to the store at Sweet Cheeks Organic Peaches farm. 

While in Palisade you’re also in striking distance to the underrated Colorado National Monument, a favorite of ours. We also love to include drives along scenic byways, so if you have time, be sure to drive the Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway. 

There’s also great hiking and mountain biking in and around Palisade. In fact, the Palisade Plunge mountain biking trail just opened. Ten years in the making, the brand new 34-mile trail plunges 6,000 vertical feet, taking very experienced riders off the Grand Mesa and dropping them along the Colorado River in Palisade. Keep in mind that, for now, only Phase 1 is open, and is not beginner or intermediate friendly. 

We’ve come to love the experiences in agritouring that our Winnebago Trend has opened up for us. Charming locally owned and operated wineries, farms, cideries, and breweries are tucked away in hard-to-reach-by-plane, hidden-gem towns across the country. Put Palisade on your list to discover this fall. Let us know how it goes!