State Highway 65 is a highway

Highway

A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...

 in Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 that crosses the Grand Mesa

Grand Mesa

The Grand Mesa is a large mesa in western Colorado in the United States. It has an area of about and stretches for about east of Grand Junction between the Colorado River and the Gunnison River, its tributary to the south. The north side of the mesa is drained largely by Plateau Creek, a...

. The highway along with a road to Lands End Overlook were designated as the Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway

Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway

Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway, also known at the Grand Mesa National Scenic and Historic Byway, runs North from Cedaredge along Highway 65, to the top of the Grand Mesa at more than 10,000 feet . It also includes Land's End Road to the Land's End Observatory from Highway 65...

 in 1996.

Route description

SH 65 runs 61.4 miles (98.8 km), starting at a junction with Colorado State Highway 92

Colorado State Highway 92

Colorado State Highway 92 is a stretch of highway that runs between the small Colorado communities of Hotchkiss and Sapinero. SH-92 is long.-Route description:...

 east of Delta

Delta, Colorado

The City of Delta is the county seat and the most populous city of Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 8,915 at the 2010 census...

. The highway heads north, crossing the Gunnison River

Gunnison River

The Gunnison River is a tributary of the Colorado River, long, in the Southwest state of Colorado. It is the fifth largest tributary of the Colorado River, with a mean flow of 4320 ft³/s .-Description:...

, through Orchard City

Orchard City, Colorado

Orchard City is a Statutory Town in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,880 at the 2000 census. The Austin Post Office serves Orchard City....

 and Cedaredge

Cedaredge, Colorado

Cedaredge is a Statutory Town in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,253 at the 2010 census. Cedaredge sits in the Surface Creek Valley beneath the southern slopes of the Grand Mesa, the largest mesa in the world...

. The highway then enters Grand Mesa National Forest

Grand Mesa National Forest

The Grand Mesa National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in Mesa, Delta and Garfield Counties in Western Colorado. It borders the White River National Forest to the north and the Gunnison National Forest to the east. The forest covers most of Grand Mesa and the south part of Battlement Mesa. It...

 climbing to the top of Grand Mesa

Grand Mesa

The Grand Mesa is a large mesa in western Colorado in the United States. It has an area of about and stretches for about east of Grand Junction between the Colorado River and the Gunnison River, its tributary to the south. The north side of the mesa is drained largely by Plateau Creek, a...

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

Palisade, Colorado

Palisade is a Statutory Town in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Grand Junction Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,692 at the 2010 census....

.

Major intersections

{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Mile
!Destination
!Notes
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|Delta

Delta County, Colorado

Delta County is the 17th most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 27,834 in the 2000 U.S. Census. The county seat is the City of Delta...

|Saunders
|0.000
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|-
|rowspan=2|Mesa

Mesa County, Colorado

Mesa County is the fourth most extensive and the eleventh most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado in the United States. The county was named for the many large mesas in the area, including Grand Mesa. The county population was 146,723 at the 2010 United States Census. The...

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|51.203
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|-
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|61.377
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