In winter  and spring, many deer and elk can be seen while driving the roads around the town of Mesa, east of Grand Junction.  Drive east on I-70 to Exit 49, and travel up Plateau Creek on Hwy 65 (good in the evening for deer).  By taking any road west, south, or east out of the town of Mesa you are assured wildlife viewing success. East is the best direction for finding elk.

Hwy 139 from the town of Loma (Exit 15 off I-70) goes north 35 miles to Douglas Pass.  On both sides of Douglas Pass, deer and elk may be seen.  The gravel road to the right offers miles of back country deer, elk, and bear habitat. 

The time to look for black bears is from mid August to early October, when they are feeding in the mountain shrub zone.  The best strategy for viewing bears is to get on ridge lines with sweeping views of mountain shrub vegetation.  Binoculars and scopes are helpful.   From I-70 north on Colorado Hwy 139, go 19.6 miles to a dirt road on the left.  This is the Petro Lewis Road and it climbs up to many excellent viewing points.  The first road to the right coming south from Douglas Pass, Lookout Mountain Road, also leads to good viewing points.