The Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway is a summer-only gravel route

The Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway is one of Colorado’s designated scenic byways, climbing across the high plateau country of the Flat Tops between Meeker and Yampa. Those two towns sit in neighboring Rio Blanco and Routt counties, but the route is officially listed in Routt, Garfield, and Rio Blanco, and its high country reaches into northern Garfield County. The views of cliffs, lakes, and fall aspen are the reward. The road is not the easy part.

Two things surprise first-time drivers. First, much of the byway is gravel, not pavement, and it runs over high ground that stays snowed in for a big part of the year. It usually does not melt out until early summer and can close again by late fall, and there is a fixed winter closure point where plowing stops. So this is a warm-season drive, not a shortcut you take in May or November.

Second, there are no services. No gas stations along the route, no convenience stores. The standard advice is to fill your tank in Meeker or Yampa before you start, carry water and food, and not count on a cell signal.

None of this should scare off a careful driver in summer. It is a calm, beautiful route. It just rewards planning more than a paved highway does.

For the byway’s seasonal status, road conditions, and the closure point, check the CDOT scenic byways page and the national forest’s Flat Tops information.