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The past meets the future in this relaxed area at the northern portion of the Santa Fe Trail. DAY 1 Start at the Colorado Welcome Center in Lamar, which is a bit of an attraction itself, featuring a train engine, 100-year-old windmill and water tank — the only spot in the nation to include all three alongside a historic depot. Afterward, head over to the Great Plains Reservoirs, a collection of seven glassy lakes perfect for boating, fishing and water-skiing. Bring binoculars — the reservoirs and surrounding prairie have hosted almost every bird species ever documented in Colorado. On any given day, you can spot terns, piping plovers, lesser sandhill cranes and maybe even a bald or golden eagle. Grab dinner in Lamar before exploring the town’s historic district. Check out the Big Timbers Museum’s collection of old wagons, fire engines and cars. Or check out the Madonna of the Trail Monument, an homage to the courageous women of the frontier days. If the timing’s right, catch a movie at the Lamar Theater, a chrome-and-mirror art deco wonder built in the 1940s. DAY 2 Head west on the Santa Fe Trail to Las Animas and the Boggsville Settlement (2). Built in the 1860s, it was one of the first areas in Colorado to begin livestock trading and included some 20 structures, including frontiersman Kit Carson’s last home. Two have been restored and can be toured. Continue on to Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site (3), a re-created buffalo-trading post. For years, it was the only permanent settlement on the trail between Missouri and Mexican settlements. From Bent’s Fort, detour south to the Picketwire Canyonlands (1) along the Purgatoire River in the Comanche National Grassland, where you can explore ancient Plains Indian rock art, early Spanish settlements and North America’s largest dinosaur tracksite. Hiking, biking and horseback riding are permitted, and you can also arrange for a guided auto tour through the U.S. Forest Service. Later, continue west to La Junta and take in some of the local culture at the Koshare Indian Museum, home to an astounding collection of Western art as well as a massive kiva that hosts the world-famous Koshare Indian Dancers. The Otero Museum, is dedicated to documenting the day-to-day life of early La Junta. The historic building collection includes a turn-of-the-century grocery and a primitive log schoolhouse. For even more history, take a ranger tour of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site northeast of La Junta, were in 1864, 675 cavalrymen changed the course of history. STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Hasty (page 199), La Junta (page 199), Las Animas, Lamar (page 200), Rocky Ford QUICK TIP Vogel Canyon is another of the area’s hidden gems, where a placid, French-named river meanders through the landscape and affords glimpses of petroglyphs and the remains of an 1870s stagecoach stop.
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