Early Color: As we rise to higher elevations on the scenic byway there are several areas where the fall colors of the aspen trees are beginning to shine. The Grand Mesa reaches an elevation of 11,332, which is a climb of about 6,000 feet above the valley floor around Grand Junction, Colo. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Land O’Lakes: The upper elevation of the Grand Mesa is known as the Land O’Lakes area. There are more than 300 stream fed lakes on the mesa making it a fishermen’s paradise. Shown is a lone fisherman in red across the lake from our viewpoint surrounded by fall reflections. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
The Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway crosses through the Grand Mesa National Forest. This byway crosses the Grand Mesa in western Colorado just to the east of Grand Junction. Grand Mesa really is grand as it is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world. The total land mass is about 500 square miles and is located between the Colorado River and the Gunnison River.
While the valley floor on the western side of the Grand Mesa is an average of 4,500-5,000 feet in elevation, the mesa rises to an impressive 11,332 feet in elevation making it about 6,000 feet higher than the valley below.
The Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway leads travelers for 63 miles across the mesa top. We traveled the byway from the north to the south. To get onto the byway, we took the Highway 65 exit off of Interstate 70 several miles east of Grand Junction. We traveled about 12 miles before reaching Mesa, Colo., the official start of the Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway on the northern end.
Visitors will pass through rugged desert canyons as they wind their way around and upward in elevation. The byway passes through beautiful farmland, forests of evergreen pine and fir to the aspen forests at about 8,000 feet. The byway takes travelers by the entrance to Powderhorn Mountain Resort and across the mesa through the Grand Mesa National Forest before descending into the ranching and farming community of Cedaredge, Colo.
The Grand Mesa offers almost unlimited outdoor activities in every season of the year. We saw numerous trailheads but chose to not hike since we were driving the entire loop back to Grand Junction. The mesa is also home to over 300 natural stream fed lakes making the mesa a haven for fishermen. Miles and miles of trails pass through the forest for hikers and bikers in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter.
This beautiful mesa and landscape are truly grand in every way.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Desert Canyons: Visitors climb quickly in elevation as they navigate through desert canyons on the way up to Mesa, Colo. which is the official beginning of the Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Mountain Streams: There are many mountain streams that run throughout the Grand Mesa. Shown is a stream near Mesa, Colo. along the scenic byway. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Descending Into Cedaredge: Cedaredge, Colo. is the official end to the Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway on the southern end. Shown is a view from an overlook on the byway of the area around Cedaredge. This area is known for farming and ranching. Highway 65 continues downward toward Delta, Colo. and then north to Grand Junction on U.S. Highway 50. While the byway is 63 miles, the entire loop drive is about 125 miles. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com