5 | Colorado River Headwaters

Length: 80 miles. Driving time: 2 hours
Open All Year
Designated a National Scenic Byway

Dropping 1,700 feet in elevation from end to end, the Colorado River Headwaters Byway follows the Colorado past reservoirs and lush ranchlands, and through narrow canyons flanked by the railroad. Wildlife abounds and access to miles of public land offers year-round recreation and views of mountain landscapes and geology.

A snowmobiling trip in the Grand Lake area of the Colorado River Headwaters Scenic Byway is the perfect opportunity to catch beautiful views of the snow-covered Rockies. Wind in and out of trees and up and down powder-blanketed hills as you ride along in Colorado’s winter wonderland of snow. Snowmobiling is the perfect way to become acquainted with the byway and venture to places that you never could in your car.

The Colorado River Headwaters Byway will bring you closer to the Colorado, a supreme Mountain stream that tumbles across greenish meadows and down cramped red rock gorges.

Downstream the Colorado is a mighty river irrigating and providing power to the Southwestern United States. But up here, at its source, it is no different from dozens of other Rocky Mountain waterways, a clear brook tumbling across greenish meadows and down cramped redrock gorges. This stretch between Grand Lake and State Bridge offers first-class fishing, canoeing, and rafting, along with plenty of quiet spaces where you can sit on the banks and contemplate. The route begins at Grand Lake, an old resort town on the shores of Colorado’s largest natural lake, and ends on a gravel road through spectacular Upper Gore Canyon

Colorado River Headwaters was designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as a National Scenic Byway in 2005. It is one of ten America’s Byways® designated in Colorado.

Features Include:

Main Towns: Granby, Kremmling
Rocky Mountain National Park
Arapaho National Recreation Area
Hot Sulphur Springs
Grand Lake – Colorado’s Largest Natural Lake
Colorado River; Granby Lake; Columbine Lake; Meadow Creek Reservoir; Junco Lake; Monarch Lake; Lake Dorothy; Shadow Mountain Reservoir

Wildlife: Pronghorn Antelope. Deer, Elk, Muskrats. Eagles, Bighorn Sheep, Moose

Special Considerations: The road between Kremmling and State Bridge has gravel surface and limited visitor services.