2022-12-03 09:40:10
Leadville is the country’s highest incorporated city — one of the reasons it and its neighboring town, Twin Lakes, are tops 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 late 1800s, including the recently renovated Delaware Hotel and Tabor Opera House, a stop on the new Colorado Historic Opera House Circuit. Downtown is walkable and full of places to chill and eat. Catch a ride on the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad — in 2021 their winter train returned for the first time since 1937! And don’t miss the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum and the Matchless 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 nearby Lake Fork, are Gold Medal fishing waters brimming with trout. Local outfitters can gear you up and point you to top spots. Twenty miles from town is historical Twin Lakes, where you’ll find world-class fishing and boating, B&Bs and cabins, and some spectacular scenery. Twin Lakes is close to the trailhead of Mount Elbert (our tallest peak) and is the eastern gateway to Independence Pass (Aspen is on the other side), one of the state’s highest paved roads. Driving the pass is particularly lovely in fall. Winter Fun Cooper is a family-friendly ski area with 64 trails and acres of double-black-diamond runs. Leadville’s East Side Mining District is groomed for Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking and snowmobiling. The extensive network of trails passes mining structures and unparalleled views of mounts Elbert and Massive. Twin Lakes winters mean ice fishing, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing on the legendary Colorado and Continental Divide trails.
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