Wes Adams

To stand on top of a Colorado 14er mountain, you don't need to drive all the way across the state, but you will be taking a day trip.

The near triple-digit heat of summer has arrived in Western Colorado , and this has many of us trading overworked air conditioners for the cool, rushing water of the Montrose Water Sports Park

Read More: Colorado's Fastest Way to Check Gold Mountain Fire Evacuations

More than 130 firefighters are working the Elk Fire burning west of Highway 149 near Lake City.

Over the past few summers in Grand Junction , July weather has everyone running for shade. Just a few years ago, a new high temperature rewrote weather history on the Western Slope when temperatures soared to 107 degrees.

Sitting in a low valley with dry air and wall-to-wall sunshine, Grand Junction regularly ranks as one of the hottest spots in the state.

Showers and a few thunderstorms moved over Western Colorado on Wednesday and Thursday, leaving only traces of rain in Grand Junction , but causing flash flooding in places like Unaweep Canyon.

Two days of thunderstorms across the Western Slope started wildfires in Garfield, Mesa, and several other counties.

Colorado is home to famous rafting rivers, crystal-clear reservoirs, and mountain streams, but some of these destinations also have a long history of drownings and close calls.

Colorado's most popular rafting rivers and mountain reservoirs come with serious risks.