Scenic & Historic Byways / COME TO LIFE NAME MAIN TOWNS ALONG ROUTE DISTANCE DRIVING TIME (RECOMMENDED) RECOMMENDED SEASONS VISITS NATIONAL PARKS/ MONUMENTS DESCRIPTION ALPINE LOOP* CACHE LA POUDRE-NORTH PARK COLLEGIATE PEAKS COLORADO RIVER HEADWATERS DINOSAUR DIAMOND FLAT TOPS TRAIL FRONTIER PATHWAYS Lake City, Ouray, Silverton Fort Collins, Walden Salida, Buena Vista, Granite, Poncha Springs Grand Lake, Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs, Kremmling Grand Junction, Fruita, Rangely, Dinosaur Yampa, Meeker Pueblo, Silver Cliff, Rye, Westcliffe, Colorado City Florissant, Cripple Creek, Cañon City, Florence, Victor Cedaredge, Mesa, Palisade Georgetown, Grant Walsenburg, Trinidad, La Veta, Aguilar Golden, Evergreen, Morrison Alamosa, Fort Garland, San Luis, Conejos, Antonito Idaho Springs Ault, Sterling, Fort Morgan, Briggsdale, Raymer, Grover Estes Park, Black Hawk, Central City, Nederland Silverton, Ouray, Ridgway, Rico, Dolores, Cortez, Mancos, Telluride Lamar, Las Animas, La Junta, Trinidad South Fork, Creede, Lake City Julesburg, Ovid Aspen, Minturn, Twin Lakes, Leadville, Copper Mountain Durango, Ignacio, Arboles Cortez, Dolores Estes Park, Grand Lake Whitewater, Placerville, Gateway, Naturita, Uravan Carbondale, Redstone, Paonia, Hotchkiss, Gunnison, Crested Butte 63 miles 101 miles 57 miles 80 miles 134 miles 82 miles 103 miles 7 hours 3 hours 2 hours 2 hours 3 hours 2 hours 3.5 hours Summer, Fall All All All All Spring, Summer, Fall All Ride 1880s roads past wildflower meadows, old mines and ghost towns. Travel alongside one of America’s few Wild and Scenic Rivers. Take this old stagecoach route through canyons carved by the Arkansas River. ü ü Trace one of North America’s mightiest rivers to the source. Hunt for fossils and footprints made by dinosaurs and rock art left by Fremont Indians. Immerse yourself in the land that inspired the government to preserve wilderness areas. Glimpse relics of frontier life along a route that climbs ever upward. GOLD BELT TOUR* 131 miles 6 hours All Spring, Summer, Fall Spring, Summer, Fall Spring, Summer, Fall All ü See canyons dotted with the petrified remains of life from 35 million years ago. Journey atop the world’s largest flattop mountain for wide-open vistas and 300 lakes. Tour the preserved mining town of George-town and rise in elevation to alpine wilderness. Arc around the Spanish Peaks, where gold-seeking conquistadors once traveled. Drive one of the first routes developed to help Coloradans experience its mountain parks. GRAND MESA GUANELLA PASS HIGHWAY OF LEGENDS LARIAT LOOP LOS CAMINOS ANTIGUOS MOUNT EVANS PAWNEE PIONEER TRAILS PEAK TO PEAK 63 miles 22 miles 82 miles 40 miles 2 hours 1 hour 2 hours 2 hours 129 miles 3 hours All ü Drift through the San Luis Valley, the rugged Sangre de Cristos and the Great Sand Dunes. Travel the highest paved road in North Ameri-ca on a serpentine ride to the summit. Meander a one-time thorough fare for ambitious settlers, entrepreneurs and bison. 49 miles 2 hours Summer 128 miles 3 hours All 55 miles 2 hours All ü ü Get close with the Continental Divide, ghost towns, Victorian opulence and Longs Peak. Behold the multihued San Juans as you travel through silver-boom towns. Traverse the famed lifeline between Missouri and Santa Fe traced by 1880s fortune-seekers. Roam wonderfully isolated swaths of the San Juans, stopping to sample historic towns. Imagine the sounds of the galloping Pony Express horses and Overland Trail settlers. Cross the Continental Divide three times on this dramatic mountain route. SAN JUAN SKYWAY 236 miles 7 hours All SANTA FE TRAIL SILVER THREAD SOUTH PLATTE RIVER TRAIL TOP OF THE ROCKIES TRACKS ACROSS BORDERS TRAIL OF THE ANCIENTS TRAIL RIDGE ROAD UNAWEEP-TABEGUACHE 188 miles 117 miles 19 miles 4 hours 3 hours 1 hour All All All Spring, Summer, Fall All All Summer, Fall 115 miles 4 hours 89 miles 116 miles 48 miles 4 hours 8 hours 2 hours ü ü ü Follow the development of the nation’s largest narrow-gauge railroad system. Witness the cliff dwellings and petroglyphs of the Ancestral Puebloans. Make your way above treeline through Rocky Mountain National Park. Look for remnants of those who tried to tame wild lands with copper and uranium mines. 133 miles 3 hours All WEST ELK LOOP * 4WD Needed for Portions 205 miles 7 hours Spring, Summer, Fall ü Dip in and out of lush river valleys along the loop’s colorful passes. COLORADO.COM / 75
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2020: Page 75
