Continuing on our way towards Lake City, we took two scenic drives to get there. The first was Highway 65- Grand Mesa Scenic Byway.
Grand Mesa is one of the largest flat top mountains in the world.
We started at an elevation of 6500 ft but the mesa itself sits at over 10,000 feet, so it was a steady climb up.
There are over 300 lakes in this area- some man made, and some natural. There are also tons of campgrounds and hiking trails.
Every so often there was a pull off with a view. Several times we had to walk a short distance to get to the overlook, which is was fine, as long as the rain held off.
In between “views”, my eyes scan all around, looking for wildlife. We did see one black bear but he was running away from the road and we were moving, so, no picture. I did get a picture of a really cool looking mushroom though.
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Our second scenic byway was part of the West Elk Loop- we took Rte 92 which took us down into Curecanti National Recreation Area.
The main attraction of Curecanti National Recreation area are the reservoirs. In fact, one of them, Blue Mesa Reservoir, is the largest body of water in Colorado.
As we drove along the scenic drive, high above the water, there were Viewpoints where we could pull off, look down, and see the water. There are also hiking trails down to the water, but we didn’t take any.
By the end of the drive we had come down so far in elevation that we were now at water level.
The following morning we had a short drive so we hiked the 3 mile trail to Dillon Pinnacles before we left for Lake City.
Makes me happy to see water in the lakes. Getting so dry down here. I especially like the picture of the water in the canyon.
ReplyDeleteYeah the water was nice. We are in NM now, and the lake here is at 7% capacity.
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