Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway

This playground in the sky climbs from the rugged Plateau Canyon floor to the cool evergreen mesa forests, 11,000 feet up. Featured are hundreds of sparkling lakes, wildflower meadows and forests of shimmering aspen and pine. Take a side trip to Lands End Overlook where the Grand Valley unfolds below.

Length

63 mi / 101.4 km

Time to allow

Two hours to drive the entire byway, or 90 minutes along Highway 65 and 30 minutes roundtrip on the spur road to Land s End

Fees

There are no fees for traveling the byway. There are overnight campground fees per USFS schedules and private campground fees.

We publish 2 places that sit on this road, listed in the order you meet them. This is not a route and not a drive time — it is the names, so you can put them into whatever navigation you already use.

“Off” is a straight line from the place to the road, rounded. It is not a driving distance, and the road itself is a simplified centre line, so treat a mile or two as noise.