Welcome to Hotchkiss -- the Friendliest Town Around!
Welcome to the Hotchkiss Colorado Chamber of Commerce website. For travelers arriving from the west, the Hotchkiss area forms their first introduction to the beautiful North Fork (of the Gunnison River) Valley. Emerging from the adobe badlands, the visitor climbs onto Rogers Mesa - a green gently sloping bench that extends some five miles to the west of the Town of Hotchkiss. This mesa is the Hotchkiss area's prime agricultural area consisting of many orchards, farms and small ranches. To the north lie the slopes of the Grand Mesa and Grand Mesa National Forest.
The major portion of the town itself sits nestled along the North Fork of the Gunnison River at the crossroads where Highway 92 splits off to Crawford, Black Mesa and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to the south. At the fork in the road the road running east becomes Highway 133 to Paonia, Somerset and McClure Pass over which the Roaring Fork Valley, Glenwood Springs, Snowmass, and Aspen, is accessed. To the south east the West Elk Mountains rise, with the twin peaks of Mount Lamborn and Landsend Peak forming a scenic backdrop to the town.
Hotchkiss itself is a quiet little town of some 1000 people, restaurants, motels, antique shops, medical clinic, well stocked supermarket, places to camp, and a wide range of other local businesses. About an additional 1000 people reside on the mesas immediately surrounding the town. The Delta County Fairgrounds is located in downtown Hotchkiss as are Memorial Hall and Heritage Hall which host many local events. The Delta County Fair in August, the North Fork Valley Bluegrass Festival in June, the Sheep Dog Trials in May and the Black Canyon Art Exhibit in June are only a few of the many interesting events that you may include in your vacation schedule.
We at the Chamber hope that this website provides you with a good overview of what the Hotchkiss area has to offer. If you need more information than what you find here don't hesitate the contact the Chamber at our voice mail line at (970) 872-3226 or call the North Fork Merchant Herald office at (970) 872-2664 where they will also probably be able to answer many of your questions. Visitors to the website who might have suggestions on improvements to this site, are encouraged to contact the Chamber.
