Whitewater Cemetery is a Hidden Gem in Grand Junction [PHOTOS]

I've lived in Grand Junction my entire life, with the last 30 years on Orchard Mesa, and yet, until yesterday, I had never visited the Whitewater cemetery. Have you paid your respects?

To look at it from the road, one would think it to be a very small, unpopulated cemetery.

The reality is, the Whitewater cemetery is very nicely maintained, and is fairly large. It was my assumption that no one had been buried there in decades.

In my mind, I had this image of an abandoned 'Wild West' graveyard... no disrespect intended. Please don't ask me how that assumption was reached. To my surprise, there are some very recent graves.

To reach the cemetery, take Highway 50 through Whitewater, and turn North on Blair Road. Shortly after that turn, watch for a sign on the right directing you to the cemetery. A short dirt road follows.

As you approach the cemetery, you are asked to park outside the gate, and proceed on foot up the hill. The walk that follows is fairly short, maybe a few hundred feet.

Don't limit your knowledge of the Whitewater cemetery to what you can see when driving down the highway. It is well worth taking the few minutes to turn off the highway and head up the hill. The walk is very pleasant, and the view is incredible.