The highway along with a road to Lands End Overlook were designated as the Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway in 1996.

The highway heads north, crossing the Gunnison River, through Orchard City and Cedaredge.

It then drops down the north side of Grand Mesa, ending at a junction with I-70 northeast of Palisade.

The byway runs north from Cedaredge along Highway 65, to the top of the Grand Mesa at more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m).

[3][4] The byway continues along De Beque Canyon, with its colorful sandstone bluffs, and eventually meets Interstate 70 in the town of De Beque.