Press "Enter" to skip to content

Tag: plateau valley

Leon Peak: Returning to Mesa County’s Highest Point

Summer Solstice on the Grand Mesa | Sunday, June 21, 2026

After going on a nice overnight backpacking trip into the Flat Tops Wilderness with Jackson, I returned home on Saturday afternoon to spend some time with our new kitties. Then on Sunday morning Diane and I drove up onto the Grand Mesa so we could hike to the summit of Leon Peak, which at 11,236 feet is the highest point in Mesa County, since she had never been up there before and I was interested in returning again since the last time I was there was about twelve years ago. The area was very busy when we arrived at the trailhead by the Weir and Johnson Campground, but it seemed like everyone else was there to fish and spend time by the water because we saw no one else along the route after leaving the lakes behind.

Leave a Comment

Plateau Creek: Spring Runoff from the Grand Mesa

Fleming Point to Big Wash | Average CFS: 1,385
After Work Adventures | Tuesday, May 23, 2023

While Jackson and I were floating through Little Yampa Canyon a few days ago we were talking about where we wanted to go next and decided that it was finally time for us to paddle down Plateau Creek after work this week. This is a creek that is very close to home that we have wanted to check out for quite a long time, but some years it’s hard to catch enough water to make it happen during the short spring runoff window. This year happens to be one of those rare years where there is enough water up on the Grand Mesa to get on Plateau Creek for an extended period of time and we wanted to take advantage of that opportunity. We left from work, dropped off a car at the mouth of Big Wash, where we planned to take-out, and then drove up the canyon a couple more miles to a put-in just below Fleming Point.

Leave a Comment