COME TO LIFE / See America SEE AMERICA 8 5 TRAIL OF THE Colorado’s Scenic & Historic Byways Our 26 byways connect the dots between historic sites and majestic scenery from red-rock canyons to the Rocky Mountains to sun-kissed prairie. ANCIENTS Witness the cliff dwellings and petroglyphs of the Ancestral Puebloans. i HIGHWAY OF THE LEGENDS Arc around the Spanish Peaks, where gold-seeking conquista-dors once traveled. 6 COLORADO RIVER HEADWATERS Trace one of North America’s mighti-est rivers to the source. o LOS CAMINOS 7 DINOSAUR DIAMOND Hunt for fossils and footprints made by dinosaurs and rock art left by Fremont Indians. ANTIGUOS Drift through the San Luis Valley, the rugged Sangre de Cristos and the Great Sand Dunes. p MOUNT EVANS Travel the highest paved road in North America on a serpentine ride to the summit. 8 TRAIL RIDGE ROAD Make your way above treeline through Rocky Mountain National Park. a PAWNEE PIONEER Journey atop the world’s largest flattop mountain for wide-open vistas and 300 lakes. a s PEAK TO PEAK Get q FRONTIER PATHWAYS Glimpse relics of frontier life along a route that climbs ever upward. close with the Continental Divide, ghost towns, Victorian opulence and Longs Peak. w SANTA FE TRAIL d SOUTH PLATTE Traverse the famed lifeline between Missouri and Santa Fe traced by 1880s fortune-seekers. RIVER TRAIL Imagine the sounds of the galloping Pony Express horses and Overland Trail settlers. e ALPINE LOOP Guide f TRACKS ACROSS your 4WD over 1880s roads past wildflower meadows, old mines and ghost towns. r CACHE LA POUDRE – NORTH PARK Travel alongside one of Ameri-ca’s few Wild and Scenic Rivers. BORDERS The newest by-way follows the creation and development of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, the nation’s largest narrow-gauge railroad system. g UNAWEEP t COLLEGIATE PEAKS 4 VIRTUAL VERSION Visit COLORADO. com/Guide for a virtual version of the byways guide and download the iPad version in the Apple App Store. Take this old stagecoach route through canyons carved by the Arkansas River. TABEGUACHE Look for remnants of those who tried to tame wild lands with copper and uranium mines. h WEST ELK LOOP Dip in and out of lush river valleys along the loop’s colorful passes. y FLAT TOPS TRAIL 1 LARIAT LOOP Drive one of the first routes developed to help Coloradans experience its mountain parks. 3 GOLD BELT TOUR See canyons dotted with the petrified remains of life from 35 million years ago. Immerse yourself in the land that inspired the government to preserve its wilderness areas. j SILVER THREAD Roam wonderfully isolated swaths of the San Juans, stopping to sample historic towns. u GUANELLA PASS Tour the preserved mining town of Georgetown before rising in elevation to alpine wilderness. 2 TOP OF THE ROCKIES Cross the Continental Divide three times on this dramatic mountain route. 4 SAN JUAN SKYWAY Behold the multihued San Juans as you travel through silver-boom towns. VISIT COLORADO.COM/SCENICBYWAYS TO SEE TRAVEL ITINERARIES FOR EACH BYWAY. 76 / COLORADO.COM CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: TRAIL RIDGE ROAD, MILES/ANDREA BUROLLA; GROVER DEPOT ON PAWNEE PIONEER TRAILS, MILES/ANDREA BUROLLA; SAN JUAN SKYWAY, JASON LEWANDOWSKI. 9 GRAND MESA TRAILS Meander along what was once a thor-oughfare for ambitious settlers, entrepreneurs and bison.
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