Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways - 2024/2025

Distance: 103 miles • Allow 4 hours
Total elevation gain: 4,695–9,350 feet

This “Y”-shaped route traces the progression of Colorado’s life zones, as well as the evolution of making a living on the frontier in the 1800s. The history lesson begins in Pueblo, where History Colorado’s El Pueblo Museum documents the life of a mid-19th-century trading post. The Union Avenue Historic District seamlessly blends this city’s cattle-and-railroad past with its sophisticated present by offering shops and restaurants along the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk. The byway heads west of the city and climbs through Hardscrabble Canyon into the Wet Mountains and down into the Wet Mountain Valley. The mammoth, saw-toothed peaks lining the valley’s western horizon are the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, a row of peaks that stretch to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Throughout much of the drive, travelers pass ranches that have been in operation for more than 100 years. Silver Cliff and Westcliffe have long served as town centers for the ranching community. One stop of note is the historical Westcliff Schoolhouse, which has a museum devoted to life on the frontier. From here, the byway returns toward Pueblo, but veers south at McKenzie Junction toward the towns of Rye and Colorado City. Take a detour to the Squirrel Creek Recreational Unit within the San Isabel National Forest. One highlight is Davenport Campground, which was one of the first Forest Service campgrounds and has been rebuilt to showcase its original 1920s design.