Grand Mesa National Forest

Grand Mesa rises like a tabletop above the Colorado and Gunnison country, a broad summit armoured by ancient lava and rimmed with cliffs that fall toward redrock canyons and fruit-growing valleys. The top holds a mosaic of clear lakes, spruce and fir woods, and open meadows where moose, elk, and black bears roam, while raptors ride the thermals along the edge. A state scenic and historic byway climbs the height of land, threading overlooks, trailheads, campgrounds, and easy pullouts where the air turns crisp and the views seem to run forever.

This high forest is part of a larger national forest unit that also includes the Uncompahgre and Gunnison lands, managed together from the Western Slope. Visitors find year-round recreation: quiet shorelines for paddling and fishing in summer, golden aspen season along the byway, and a deep-snow realm for cross-country touring, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling once winter settles in. Signature stops include the historic overlook on the west rim, lake country around Island Lake, and the crest-top hiking route that balances along the spine of broken lava with wide-open views.

The mesa’s story is written in stone. A stack of older sandstones and shales is capped by dark basalt from long-cooled flows; the tough lava slowed erosion and preserved the summit while valleys around it wore away. Roadcuts and cliffs reveal the layers, while the top holds basins and ponds left by water and ice that settled into the gentle relief of the caprock. Naturalists and geologists often describe the mesa as a classic case of a landscape turned inside out, where the former low ground now stands high above the country around it.

The byway provides the easiest way to sample it all. From orchard towns on the flanks it climbs through aspen and conifer to cool lakes and trailheads, passes the popular island-speckled high country, and connects with side roads to overlooks and historic sites. Wayfinding is straightforward, services cluster seasonally on the summit, and ranger information is available through the national forest’s official channels. With calm water at dawn, a breeze in the trees by midday, and starry silence after dark, Grand Mesa rewards slow travel and unhurried time along the shore.