Grand Valley begins where the Colorado River widens at the mouth of De Beque Canyon to the east of Palisade, then follows a wide arc bending to the west.

The Colorado receives the Gunnison River, one of its major tributaries, just south of Grand Junction near the midpoint of the valley.

Colorado National Monument sits on a ridge on the southwest side of the valley west of Grand Junction.

Also in 1890, State Governor George A. Crawford planted a 60 acres (24 ha) wine vineyard in the Grand Valley.

[5] At the turn of the 20th century, evaporation techniques allowed fruit-growers to ship their products more efficiently to distant markets, yielding an expansion of fruit growing in the valley.In 1918, the Government Highline Canal was completed to provide water to cultivate 50,000 acres (20.0 km²) in the valley.