Driving up the Grand Mesa: 63 miles onto the world's largest flat-top mountain

Off I-70 east of Grand Junction, State Highway 65 turns south and starts climbing through De Beque Canyon. Over the next stretch the canyon opens up and the road keeps rising, until you are driving through cool evergreen forest at elevations near 11,000 feet. This is the Grand Mesa Scenic & Historic Byway: 63 miles end to end, named a National Scenic Byway in 1996, and one of the easier ways to feel like you’ve left the desert behind in under two hours.

The Grand Mesa itself is the draw. It’s described as the largest flat-top mountain in the world, a broad tableland holding more than 300 lakes tucked among aspen and spruce. Pull off almost anywhere up top and you’ll find water, and usually a trail.

For the big view, the Lands End Road branches off toward an old stone observatory that the Civilian Conservation Corps had a hand in building. The overlook there sits roughly 6,000 feet above the valley, with the San Juans on the horizon.

Plan for the altitude. Snow arrives early and lingers late up here, and Lands End Road is part dirt and closes to vehicles through the winter months. Check the road status and observatory season with the Forest Service before you go.