Those of us fortunate enough to live in the North Fork Valley welcome you to take in the experience of this place we call home. But what exactly is
The North Fork Valley? A very simple
‘road map’ definition would reveal that the valley includes the towns of eastern Delta County: Paonia, Hotchkiss and Crawford – as well as the surrounding mesas.
The North Fork Valley is named in recognition of the importance of the North Fork of the Gunnison River, which runs northeast to west through this high valley – from the mountains northeast of Paonia, through Hotchkiss and the ‘dobie’ desserts until it meets the main body of the larger Gunnison River, between Hotchkiss and Delta. The north fork of this mighty river is the quiet cousin of the main branch, which carved out over 2,000’ of solid rock to create the stunning
Black Canyon southwest of Crawford. Once the two branches of the Gunnison River merge, it winds through the canyon lands of west central Colorado, joining the Colorado River west of Grand Junction.
