COME TO LIFE Cripple Creek & Victor In central Colorado, find Cripple Creek, famous for its some-22 million ounces of mined gold. Experience this history firsthand on the Vindicator Valley Trail , a 2-mile gravel hike that highlights more than a dozen former mines. Downtown, find the Outlaws & Lawmen Jail Museum . This unassuming red-brick building features in-depth exhibitions that unravel the stories of people who were incarcerated within its walls — many who sought the grandeur of gold. In sharp contrast is the Old Homestead House Museum , once considered the most luxurious, expensive parlor house in Cripple Creek’s red-light district. Learn about the city’s 19th-century elite who visited the glamorous madams within. Southeast Colorado Perhaps the best place to see Colorado’s switchgrass-covered valleys and horizon-hugging plains is in the southeast, where history is just as unique. Start in La Junta at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site , a reconstructed 19th-century adobe fort that played a pivotal role in international trade and cultural exchange among Americans, Europeans, French-Canadians and Native American tribes. In Granada, the Amache National Historic Site was one of 10 incarceration camps used to imprison innocent Japanese Americans during World War II, and now serves as a memorial where citizens can recommit to the pursuit of freedom and justice. Boggsville , a key stop on the Santa Fe Trail, was a town that shaped the history of the American West through its extensive commerce and trade. Visitors can investigate the grounds and tour the home of founder Thomas Boggs. Leave It As You Find It Enjoy observing plants? Rocks? Historical and cultural items? Be sure to leave them as you found them so everyone can experience the joy of discovery. Vindicator Valley Trail near Cripple Creek 134 1-800-COLORADO RUTH ZALEWSKI
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2025: Page 134
