Orchard Mesa Reserve - Colorado, Mesa County, Palisade

The property is situated in western Colorado, just south of the scenic town of Palisade on Orchard Mesa, a fertile mesa overlooking the Colorado River and the Book Cliffs. Palisade is in the heart of Colorado’s western slope and has numerous vineyards and orchards as well as restaurants, shopping, microbreweries and a farmers market. The property is considered one of the finest large orchard and vineyard tracts in Colorado and has been designated as one of the highest conservation priorities by the Mesa Land Trust. The property is approximately:

• Two miles from Palisade and Interstate 70 and 20 minutes from Grand Junction, a regional center with commercial airport, quality recreational amenities like the Colorado National Monument and high-quality health care at St. Mary’s Hospital
  
• Two hours from Aspen and Telluride
  
• Four hours from Denver and Salt Lake City
  
• 30 minutes from Grand Mesa National Forest
  

Orchard Mesa Reserve consists of vacant agricultural land with some historic structures and an existing peach orchard on one of the parcels. The property is served by recently constructed private country lanes that are maintained by all of the property owners in OMR. Utilities, including water, electric, phone and natural gas, are buried and are provided to each lot. The irrigated portion of each parcel is served by a newly constructed irrigation system. Each owner can tap into the irrigation system for their respective uses.


Since the late 19th century, settlers first recognized the area for its rich fertile lands. The first inhabitants of the Grand Valley were Ute Indians, followed by settlers who began arriving in 1881. By 1894, the first peach, pear, apple and grape orchards appeared in the area. The soil was rich but rainfall was scarce, so barrels of water were hauled by wagons from the river to water young trees. In 1913, the US Reclamation began construction of a system of irrigation canals to support agricultural efforts. Water from a 480 ft wide roller dam across the Colorado River diverts water into the 80 miles of irrigation canals which comprise the Highline Canal and Price and Stub Ditches. Palisade has become famous for its fruit orchards and especially its peaches which are sent to grocery stores and customers throughout the US. Today it is also famous for its award winning wine.


The surrounding area, often called the "Heart of Colorado's Fruit and Wine Country," is world famous for its peaches. It also hosts 75% of the state's premium wine grape vineyards. In fact, nearly a dozen area vineyards are producing wines that are gaining international attention and winning awards around the globe. Situated at the base of the Grand Mesa on the Colorado River, Palisade is in the center of outdoor activities in Western Colorado. Aside from peaches and wine, this area also produces an excellent selection of apples, apricots, cherries, pears, and plums. Fresh fruit and produce, as well as packaged fruit products, are abundant at quaint roadside stands and orchards throughout the area.


The area’s high desert climate with cool and dry summer nights is ideal for growing wine grapes, peaches and other premium fruits. Palisade is renowned as a "Banana Belt" for weather, and enjoys a 182-day growing season with an average 78% of sunshine a year. Winds are naturally compressed and warmed when moving through Debeque Canyon and help to prevent crop killing frosts in the spring. As the winds move down valley and further west, it spreads out and its warming effect is diminished. The elevation in town is 4,727 feet with an annual rainfall of about 9.2 inches and total snowfall of 14 inches. As many vineyardists and peach-growers have found, Palisade has a very special microclimate and this is the largest contributing factor for the world-class fruit grown in the area.