Grand Mesa is often called the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, a forested tableland that rises to about 11,000 feet east of Grand Junction. Its summit plateau stretches across roughly 500 square miles and holds more than 300 lakes and reservoirs, making it a cool summer escape and a snowy winter playground high above the desert valleys of western Colorado.

The mesa owes its shape to thick lava flows that capped the area roughly 10 million years ago. That hard basalt protected the softer rock below while the Colorado and Gunnison rivers carved the surrounding valleys, leaving Grand Mesa standing thousands of feet above them. The best way to see it is the 63-mile Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway, which follows Colorado Highway 65 from Interstate 70 east of Palisade through the town of Mesa, over the top and down to Cedaredge. The route passes Mesa Lakes, Powderhorn Mountain Resort, Island Lake and the Grand Mesa Visitor Center, where exhibits explain the geology, wildlife and history of the forest.

Make time for the side trip to Lands End Overlook, at the western edge of the mesa, where the views drop away toward the Grand Valley and the La Sal Mountains in Utah. Hikers love the Crag Crest Trail, a National Recreation Trail that follows a narrow ridge between lakes, while anglers cast for trout across the plateau. In fall the aspen groves light up gold and orange, and in winter the mesa offers skiing at Powderhorn and miles of snow trails. Pair your visit with Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction or a longer drive to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

The Grand Mesa Visitor Center closed for the season after the last Sunday in September and will reopen on Memorial Day weekend 2027, open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Highway 65 stays open through the winter, but snow and ice are common on the top of the mesa, so check COtrip.org for road conditions and the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests site for alerts before you go.