History & Location

We took history into account when planning our resort.

The development of Gateway Canyons has created many permanent jobs in the region as well as provided needed infrastructure, including the first wastewater treatment plant and a gas station. When we opened of the Outpost General Store in 2005, residents enjoyed access to fuel, food, supplies and a community porch. We didn’t stop there. Gateway Canyons continually looks to the land and the people who live here to enhance the experiences and educational opportunities for our guests and our community as a whole.

Gateway Canyon Resort

History

John Hendricks, former Discovery Channel founder/ CEO, heard tales of the beautiful red rock country in Colorado from his father. It took him a while to finally see it with his own eyes, but when he and his family first came to Gateway, Colorado in 1995, they were moved by the beauty and history of the area, as well as by the spirit of its people. Mr. Hendricks knew that this would be home. But he also felt compelled to share this special place with others. Soon Mr. Hendricks began the design for a sustainable resort that would highlight the beauty and endless adventures of the area.

View of Gateway Canyon Resort

Location

Gateway Canyons is located in Unaweep Canyon, one of the most unique red rock canyons in the world. The word Unaweep is a Native American term meaning “canyon with two mouths.” It is thought that the ancestral Colorado and Gunnison rivers may have cut through the soft red sandstone of the Uncompahgre Plateau, exposing stone dated to Precambrian times. This is believed to be the only canyon in the world that is drained by two creeks – East Creek and West Creek, sending water off in opposite directions. Much like the nearby Colorado National Monument, our area has special recognition in Colorado geology. Ancient rivers eroded the rock away, exposing more than a hundred million years of the geologic record and fossils of dinosaurs and early amphibians.

Cliff near Gateway Canyon Resort

Our Town

Our town has a rich history steeped in the peoples of the Pueblo, Fremont, and Ute Native American tribes, who once made these canyons and plateaus their home. The first known homesteaders came to Gateway in 1884. Gateway has played host to gangs of cattle rustlers who used these canyon walls as hideouts from the law, gold miners who tunneled deep into the earth with the hope of finding their fortunes, and ranchers who have grazed thousands of head of cattle across Unaweep Canyon’s windswept grasslands. In 1903, homesteading families built a small, dirt-floored cabin to be used as a schoolhouse. The next year, the post office was established and the name “Gateway” was given to the town, as it is a gateway to Colorado from nearby Utah.
Gateway quickly became a strong community based around cattle ranching, farming and lumber milling. Later, uranium mining was the economic driver for the community. Today Gateway is becoming revitalized as it has opened its doors to the tourist community.

People on bikes near Gateway Canyon Resort

Resort Facts

There are many reasons to visit Gateway Canyons, an award-winning resort in the secluded Unaweep Canyon of Western Colorado. Surrounded by the vast lands of the Uncompahgre Plateau, Piñon Mesa and La Sal Mountains, our full-service resort features exceptional lodging, dining, outfitting, and educational programs.

  • Altitude:4,500 ft
  • Capacity:200+ Guests
  • Acres:500+
  • Location:43200 Colorado 141, Gateway, CO
  • Nearby Airport:Grand Junction, Colorado