It rises in northeastern Mesa County, in the Grand Mesa National Forest and descends through a narrow canyon to the WSW, passing north of Vega State Park. It enters the Plateau Valley at Collbran, the largest community in the valley. It flows generally east along the north edge of the Grand Mesa uplands, past Molina. State Highway 330 follows the creek through the valley, crossing it several times. Near the junction of State Highway 330 and State Highway 65 it enters a narrow canyon for the lower 8 miles (13 km), followed by State Highway 65. It joins the Colorado from the east in De Beque Canyon approximately 15 miles east of Grand Junction.