Grand Mesa, the largest flat-top mountain in the world, stands over 11,000 feet and covers 500 square miles (320,000 acres). It is 6,000 feet above Grand Valley, where we stayed in Grand Junction to explore Colorado National Monument. So here we go, taking Grand Mesa Scenic Byway, CO-65, on a 50-mile, 5,100 foot elevation-gain journey south to the Uncompahgre Valley. Like that word? OK, I’ll help: oon – come – PAH – gray. Ute Native American word meanings include “warm flowing water,” “where water makes rock red,” and “red soil”. It was the area’s waters that inspired the name, but Uncompahgre is also the name of a 1.5 million acre plateau, a 75 mile-long river, and the 6th highest mountain in Colorado at 14,321 feet. Sounds like an exploration for another day but now? Onward to exploring Grand Mesa!
