2021-12-03 12:35:17
Leadville is the country’s highest incorporated city — one of the reasons it and its neighboring town, Twin Lakes, are favorites with those wanting to get close to the sky. Tour Leadville’s 70 blocks of Victorian-era buildings and shops, all part of a National Historic Landmark District. Many buildings date to the 1870s, including the Tabor Opera House. Walking tours offer fascinating cemetery and stagecoach themes and picnics. Downtown is stroll-able and full of places to chill and eat, whether you’re after organic and locally sourced menus or craft brews and tasty snacks. Catch a ride on the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad and don’t miss the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum and Hope more Underground Mine Tour. Leadville sits along the electric-vehicle-friendly Top of the Rockies scenic byway, and the town’s paved Mineral Belt Trail offers year-round recreation for bikers, hikers, snowshoers and Nordic skiers. More than 100 miles of the Arkansas River, starting at the nearby Lake Fork, are designated Gold Medal fishing waters. Local outfitters can gear you up and point you to the luckiest spots. Just 20 miles from town is historical Twin Lakes, where you’ll find world-class fishing and boating, B&Bs and cabins, and some of our most spectacular scenery. Twin Lakes is close to the trail head of Mount Elbert (Colorado’s tallest peak) and is the eastern gateway to Independence Pass (Aspen is on the other side), one of the state’s highest paved roads. It’s hard to overstate how astonishing fall colors can be if you’re able to time your trip just right. LESS THAN AN HOUR FROM BRECKENRIDGE, VAIL AND COPPER MOUNTAIN, AND ONLY 9 MILES TO SKI COOPER, LEADVILLE OFFERS A UNIQUE AND LOW-COST LODGING OPTION FOR A SKI VACATION. HAVE DINNER AT TENNESSEE PASS COOKHOUSE AND YOU’LL SKI, HIKE OR SNOWSHOE THROUGH THE FOREST TO ENJOY A GOURMET MEAL IN A CANDLELIT YURT. Stay & Play Options Leadville (page 184), Twin Lakes WINTER FUN SKI COOPER, THE FORMER TRAINING SITE OF THE 10TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION, is now a family-friendly ski area with 59 trails, including 70 acres of fresh double-black diamond runs. Leadville’s East Side Mining District is groomed for Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking and snowmobiling. It’s part of an extensive network of groomed trails, many of which are free. The area offers unparalleled views of the state’s highest fourteeners (mounts Elbert and Massive) and the chance to see mining structures. March brings the town’s skijoring festival, where horses tow skiers down Harrison Avenue. In Twin Lakes, winter brings ice fishing, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing on the legendary Colorado and Continental Divide trails.
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