Colorado lays claim to some of the most incredible driving routes in America. The Rocky Mountain National Park is home to the highest continuous paved road in the U.S., which peaks at over 12,000 feet above sea level as it snakes through elk-filled plateaus. Then there's the Flat Tops Trail, which knits together verdant valleys and wildflower meadows over 80 incredible miles. And then, of course, you've got the Highway of Legends — a scenic byway that's certain to stoke the wanderlust as it unfolds
amid the highlands of southern Colorado between Trinidad and Walsenburg.
Along just 82 miles of roadway, folk cruising that last route will skirt the nearby nigh-on-13,000-foot massif of the Spanish Peaks through a montage of ancient mining settlements and abandoned frontier towns, navigating old tribal trading routes and wildlife reserves laden with iconic mountain creatures. History flows from every bend in the asphalt — expect tales of sacred summits and stories of Spanish conquistadors as you follow in the footsteps of some of the Wild West's most iconic figures (they say even Wyatt Earp came this way).
Getting on the route means detouring off Interstate 25. Heading north from the Colorado-New Mexico state line, simply veer westward at Trinidad. Coming southbound, look for the junction onto Highway 12 at the town of Walsenburg. Flying in? The relatively small Colorado Springs Airport is just under a 1.5 hours' drive from the start of the route, while Denver International Airport is about a 2.5-hour drive away.
Read more: 12 Destinations And Attractions That Should Absolutely Be Considered Wonders Of The World
The Enthralling History Of The Highway Of Legends
The history and folklore of the American West are defining features of the Highway of Legends, which takes you through countryside peppered with adobe forts and abandoned mining settlements alike. The town of Walsenburg starts things rolling with a small center brimming with old-timey antique emporiums and coffee joints. A local museum there chronicles the rise of the coal industry in the region, alongside exhibits that tell the story of the assassination of the outlaw Jesse James.
On the other end of the route is Cokedale, a former boomtown where the ruins of over 300 coke ovens can still be seen lined up below the Colorado mountains. They say the place churned out a massive 1,500 tons of coal every day at its peak and was rewarded with some real luxuries for the effort — think trolley car transport, phone lines, big concrete housing for the miners, and more.
There are myths in these mountains, too. Somewhere in the hills, the legend goes, is a mine that had lumps of precious metal large enough to keep a prospector in the money for a whole year. And, long before gold was even found, the mighty Spanish Peaks that dominate the skyline of the drive were revered by the Utes and Apache people as the birthplace of mankind itself.
Majestic Colorado Backcountry Along The Highway Of Legends
This isn't called a scenic byway for nothing, folks, and the views are just as enthralling as the history along the Highway of Legends. As one past visitor put it on TripAdvisor: "This is the way to travel through the peaks! Winding, more time but beautiful scenery! Slabs of rock that are unreal!"
At one point, you'll whizz right below the great Devil's Staircase, a series of cathedral-like bluffs that, some say, lead the way out of hell. At another, you'll zoom beside the long Sangre de Cristo Mountains, a southerly extension of the Rockies that has multiple summits soaring to over 14,000 feet.
The centerpiece of the route is the duo of sleeping giants that are the Spanish Peaks. They loom high to the west above the underrated mountain village of Cuchara and were forged by great geological movements millions of years ago. Trails — challenging ones, thanks to the huge altitude gains — meander through the forests to the top of West Spanish Peak to offer some of the finest views in the region, spanning out all the way to the soaring Front Range of the Rockies.
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Read the original article on Islands.
