Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways - 2024/2025

Distance: 22 miles • Allow 1–2 hours
Total elevation gain: 8,519–11,669 feet
(Note: A portion of this byway is closed during winter.)

This former burro trail gives outdoor enthusiasts from nearby Denver easy access to raw, high-altitude wilderness and 14,066-foot Mount Bierstadt. But it also offers a town built around one of Colorado’s earliest silver rushes. At the byway’s beginning lies the Georgetown-Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District. The Hotel de Paris Museum in Georgetown paints a vivid portrait of the luxury that the silver boom afforded, and chronicles the dramatic life story of the hotel’s founder. The Hamill House and Energy museums add to the town’s appeal. Up the valley is Silver Plume and History Colorado’s Georgetown Loop Railroad. Chugging along a narrow gauge track through coniferous forest, the railroad eventually crosses the Devil’s Gate High Bridge and offers the option of touring the Lebanon Silver Mine. Back in Georgetown, the byway climbs up toward 11,669-foot Guanella Pass. Bighorn sheep, golden eagles and mountain goats can all be seen en route to the pass. The south side of the byway is in Pike National Forest and provides access to several hiking trails, including the South Park, Rosalie and Bierstadt trails.