Grand Mesa

Reluctantly leaving Ridgway and the San Juans, we headed up to Grand Junction, the largest city in Western Colorado, to get some RV work done (unsuccessfully), cancelling our plans to visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and instead went up to Grand Mesa for a week. Little-known outside of Colroado, the Grand Mesa is the world’s largest flat-topped mountain and a major year-round playground for the locals in Western Colorado. At 10,000 feet, this 500-square-mile plateau overlooks the Colorado River and the desert of Colorado National Monument. Because it is so flat, it is dotted with over 300 lakes and covered with spruce forest and high meadows, filled this year with wildflowers.

We had a lovely campsite within a five-minute walk of a half dozen lakes. The fishing was superb and Lynnae caught her limit several days. We also did the premier hike on the Grand Mesa--a 10-mile loop that for several miles follows Crags Crest, a 1,000-foot ridge running down the middle of the mesa. The views of lakes and the surrounding mesa were spectacular, but it was about at our hiking limit for distance and vertical rise. After a week, it was time to move on, but here was another place in Colorado we vowed to return to someday.

Please visit my published adventures on The Outdoor Project for more photos and descriptions:

http://www.outdoorproject.com/adventures/hiking-backpacking/crags-crest-trail

http://www.outdoorproject.com/adventures/special-destinations/lands-end-observatory

http://www.outdoorproject.com/adventures/canoe-kayak-sup-flat-water/mesa-lakes-recreation-area

Blue Columbine is the Colorado state flower.  They were common on Grand Mesa

Sunset on Sunset Lake.

Sunset Lake was a five-minute walk from our campsite

Jumbo  Lake was right next to our campground.  We saw and heard beavers on this lake.

Mesa Lake was the largest of the group of lakes near our campground.

We hiked up to Lost Lake.  Nice hike, beautiful lake, no luck fishing.

From the Land's End overlook, the structure of Grand Mesa is apparent.  That is the Colorado River 5,000 feet below.

Sunset overlooking Grand Junction and Utah in the distance.

Lovely waterfalls and streams were abundant on the mesa.

Sunset from the main park road.

Sunset on Jumbo Lake.  

View from the Crags Crest trail.

Reaching the top of Crags Crest.

The meadows and wildflowers of the Grand Mesa were gorgeous.