The Flat Tops Trail byway is a high-country scenic drive between Meeker and Yampa

The Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway connects Meeker with Yampa over the high country southeast of town, and it is one of this county’s signature drives. The route carries you past sparkling high lakes, golden aspen, and the broad, flat-topped peaks that give the range its name. It is also the gateway to Trappers Lake and the Flat Tops Wilderness, so the scenery is the reason to come.

It rewards a little planning. A good share of the route is gravel and dirt rather than pavement, and it climbs over a high pass. In summer a regular passenger vehicle can usually make the trip, though rain or an early snow can turn the surface slick and the going slow. Weather in these mountains changes fast and services along the way are thin, so it is worth bringing fuel, a spare, and a paper map. Plan for a long mountain drive, not a quick shortcut, and you will enjoy every mile.

Good to know: the byway is not a year-round through route. The center section closes for winter and is not maintained for cars in those months. You can still reach parts of it from each end, and the closed stretch becomes a corridor for snowmobiles and skiers, so think of cold-season travel as two separate ends rather than a Meeker-to-Yampa through trip.

Before you go, check the route, the season, and conditions for the Flat Tops Trail byway with the Colorado Department of Transportation.