State Highway 65 (SH 65) is a state highway in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

that crosses the Grand Mesa. The highway along with a road to Lands End Overlook were designated as the Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway in 1996. SH 65's southern terminus is at SH 92 east of

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

, and its northern terminus is at

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

(I-70) and

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...

(US 6) northeast of Palisade.

Route description

SH 65 runs , starting at a junction with SH 92 east of

. The highway heads north, crossing the

Gunnison River The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Description The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of ...

, through Orchard City and Cedaredge. The highway then enters

Grand Mesa National Forest The Grand Mesa National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in Mesa, Delta and Garfield Counties in Western Colorado. It borders the White River National Forest to the north and the Gunnison National Forest to the east. The forest covers most of ...

climbing to the top of Grand Mesa. It then drops down the north side of Grand Mesa, ending at a junction with I-70 northeast of Palisade.

Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway

The byway runs north from Cedaredge along Highway 65, to the top of the Grand Mesa at more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m). It also includes Land's End Road to the Land's End Observatory from Highway 65. The byway continues past Island Lake, one of more than 300 trout-filled lakes in

. On the north side of the Mesa are the towns of

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...

, Collbran, and Powderhorn Ski Resort.Grand Mesa Scenic Byway
Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway Association. 2010-2011.
Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway Association. 2010-2011. The byway continues along

De Beque Canyon De Beque Canyon is a narrow canyon on the Colorado River in western Colorado in the United States. It is approximately 15 miles (24 km) long, located on the river downstream from the town of De Beque, in eastern Mesa County. The canyon forms ...

, with its colorful sandstone bluffs, and eventually meets

in the town of De Beque. Historic and scenic byway designations: * National Scenic Byway received in 1996. * Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway by the

Colorado Department of Transportation The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT, pronounced See Dot) is the principal department of the Colorado state government that administers state government transportation responsibilities in the state of Colorado. CDOT is responsible f ...

received in 1991. * Forest Service Byway received in 1992. Scenic Overlooks include: * Cedaredge overlook - an easy access overlook * Land O Lakes overlook - a 1/4 mile moderate walk by foot * Island Lake - an easy access overlook with restrooms and accessible boat ramp * Grand Mesa Visitor Center - easy to moderate access with restrooms * Mesa Lakes Lodge area - an easy to moderate access with restrooms * Jumbo Lakes area - an easy access overlook with restrooms * Skyway Point - an easy access * Powderhorn - an easy access overlook with restrooms * I-70 pullout and interpretation information Grand Mesa and Mt

Major intersections

Gallery

File:Cliff edge on Grand Mesa Colorado.jpg, Cliff edge on Grand Mesa File:Grand Mesa-NW-view.JPG, Observatory located on the western edge of the Grand Mesa File:Colorado State Highway 65.JPG, Near mile marker 58, or about 3.5 miles from Interstate-70.

References

External links