Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway
Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Colorado. Within Colorado it covers roughly 60 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Route 65 climbs over Grand Mesa, the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, rising to around 11,000 feet east of Grand Junction. The basalt-capped summit holds more than 300 lakes and reservoirs scattered through spruce-fir forest, a cool green contrast to the desert below. Overlooks near the top take in the Colorado River valley and the distant West Elk Mountains.
- world's largest flat-top mountain
- 300+ lakes
- ~11,000 ft summit
- spruce-fir forest
- SR-65
Designated for its historic qualities
Plan a drive on Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store
Places to stop along Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway
Palisade
A Colorado River town famous for its peaches and wineries, set beneath the Book Cliffs at the foot of the mesa road.
WebsiteLand's End Observatory
A 1930s stone shelter on the mesa's western rim, reached by a gravel spur, looking almost 6,000 feet down onto the Grand Valley.
Grand Mesa
A flat-topped mountain more than 10,000 feet high, dotted with hundreds of small lakes in spruce-fir forest, a cool escape from the desert below.
Website
Where to Stay along Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway
10 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway.
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Photos of Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway
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What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.