Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway
Colorado Scenic & Historic Byway 81 mi in Colorado.
About the Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway
This byway cuts through the heart of the original White River Plateau Timberland Reserve, set aside in the late 19th century as the second unit of what eventually became the National Forest system. Two decades later, in a foreshadowing of the 1964 Wilderness Act, development of any kind was banned around Trapper's Lake (the "Cradle of Wilderness"). The area's long-standing history of preservation and multiple-use land management makes for pristine scenery and superlative wildlife viewing. Yet this remains very much a "working" byway, dotted with active mines, ranches, and timber-producing woodlands. Meeker and Yampa, the route's two endpoints, embody the rugged individualism that lies at the heart of western lore.
Colorado Department of Transportation's own description, in its words. Byway page on codot.gov.
Designations: Colorado Scenic & Historic Byway, National Forest Scenic Byway.
Camping along the byway
- Mile 0 · 1.6 mi offMeeker City Park Camping · City, county or regional park
- Mile 32 · on the roadNorth Fork Campground · Forest Service · 28 sites · reservable
- Mile 32 · 3.2 mi offEast Marvine · Forest Service · 10 sites · reservable
- Mile 32 · 3.5 mi offMarvine Campground · Forest Service · 23 sites · reservable
- Mile 39 · 3.7 mi offHimes Peak Campground · Forest Service
- Mile 47 · on the roadVaughn Lake Campground · Forest Service
- Mile 65 · 2.6 mi offSheriff's Reservoir Campground · Forest Service
- Mile 68 · 0.7 mi offChapman Reservoir Campground · Forest Service
- Mile 69 · 2.7 mi offTrout Creek Campground · Forest Service
- Mile 70 · 2.3 mi offCrosho Lake Camground · Forest Service
Public campgrounds within 5 miles of the road as the crow flies, in order along the byway; each one's page has its facts, season and weather by month.
About this page's facts
The line is the Federal Highway Administration's scenic byways layer (HEPGIS, a snapshot of 2022-06-24, a US government work), cut at the state line and simplified for the map; the length is the line's. The designation is the program's own: the national tiers from FHWA's America's Byways roster, the rest from the layer's designation field. Road conditions, closures and seasonal gates change: check the agency's own page and the state's road conditions before you go.