Colorado Scenic Drives where you get to choose what you see and do during your visit to the beautiful Southwestern Colorado region. Colorado Scenic Drives. Find tips, itineraries, things to do, hotels and more travel deals for planning your next Colorado Scenic Drive.
Colorado Scenic Drives- Southwest Region.
Serendipity: The gift for making fortunate discoveries while searching for something entirely unrelated. For some people, luck just seems to happen, and for those that let it; oftentimes even fate or destiny --- or whatever you want to call it --- steps in to lend a helping hand. Such is the situation of stumbling upon those peaceful, carefree times while seeking out something entirely unrelated.
Scenic Drives in Southwestern Colorado.
We'd love to recommend six colorful, adventure-based drives that take you through the back roads in Colorado's southwest region.
My personal favorite is one that will take you through the northern San Juan Mountains in Colorado. The Alpine Loop takes you many historic districts, sites and ghost towns along mining roads created during the gold rush in the late 1800's. You can begin or end this circle route from Lake City, Silverton or Ouray. Hiking trails along the Alpine Loop gives you access to five of Colorado's fourteener (over 14,000 ft) peaks. This jeep tour, yes four-wheel drive is required for most of this trip, drives through wildflower meadows, box canyons and hot springs.
Another 7 hour picturesque drive both begins and ends in Durango. The San Juan Skyway, considered one of America's finest drives, will take you through the majestic San Juan Mountains. The scenic "Million Dollar Highway" takes you through the communities of Silverton and Ouray and Telluride. Carved out of the side of a mountain in the 1930's it's beauty and majestic peaks are otherwise known as the Switzerland of America. As you head toward Ouray you will pass along some of the most amazing waterfalls in the state. Be sure to include a visit to the Ouray Hot Springs and Pool which is open year round and a great place to relax those road weary muscles. From the mountains you travel through rolling hills where you will find ancient Indian pueblo ruins. A visit to the Mesa Verde National Park is a definite must see. These amazing feats were built and abandoned 200 years before Columbus even discovered America! Today twenty-four tribes in America can trace their roots back to these ancient cliff dweller known at the Anasazi. Wildlife and bird watching are just some of the rewarding act ivies you will find in the park. Also available are hiking, camping, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
This brings us to Trail of the Ancients, a truly historical route that will enable you to further explore the roots of the cliff dwelling Puebloan People along the Colorado Plateau. You can take up to a week to further explore this breathtaking, colorful and diverse desert region. Explore the archaeological history of the Native American Indians along the many hiking trails in the region. Learn about the Anasazi's with a stop in Delores at the Anasazi Heritage Center Canyons of the Ancients National Monument which is a primitive reserve that contains over 6,000 archeological sites near the town of Delores. Among these sites you will view ancient villages, towers, check dams and dwellings called kivas. Loop through the southeast corner of Utah through the Four Corners near the town of Cortez. This brings you to the end of this byway and the only location in the Unites States where four states (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona) meet at a common point. A new iterative center was completed in 2006 on the Utah side at the site of the Four Corners Monument. Here you can sample traditional Navajo foods and purchase wares crafted by native americans. Lodging is available in Delores and Cortez.
Your journey down the West Elk Loop begins just off Highway I-70 in the community of Glenwood Springs. The first stretch of the drive takes you along the the beautiful Roaring Fork Valley in Carbondale to the historic town of Redstone. Tour a 42-room Cleveholm Manor and be sure to stop to see the renowned marble quarry that provided the stone for the Lincoln Memorial in the nearby town of Marble. Farm fresh apples and cherries can be found in the North Fork Valley just over the remarkable McClure Pass. This 205 mile drive skirts the north rim of a 2,700 foot deep chasm in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison national park. Head north along highway 135 to the ski resort of Crested Butte which is also known for its Victorian architecture. Complete this loop known for is beautiful groves of aspen along the Kebler Pass. Please note that this pass is closed in the winter months. Allow 7 hours for this drive.
If you truly want to experience the wild beauty of the southwest then the Silver Thread route is for you. Drive through vast public lands behind the Blue Mesa Reservoir passing into the picturesque San Juan Mountains into the town of Lake City. Explore the areas historic past with a tour through the Hinsdale County Museum where walking tours let you experience the past with walks along wood-plank sidewalks which take you to the courthouse where Susan B. Anthony once gave a speech and the infamous Alferd Packer stood trial for murder in 1883. Travel over Spring Creek Pass into the silver boom town of Creede where I recommend you tour the Underground Mining Museum or watch a show at the Creed River Repertory Theater. This drive wraps up by a drive along the Rio Grande River to South Fork. This drive is 3 hours and covers 117 miles.
The last, but not least, scenic drive in the Colorado southwest is known as the Unaweep Tabeguache. This 133 mile byway travels along an amazing sandstone canyon that reaches elevations of 2,000 feet. The well known Hanging Flume is located at about the halfway point of your drive and was built in 1891 to carry water up to seven miles to the mines through the canyon. Near the former site of Uravan is an area that was mined for not gold and silver, but for uranium. You will also pass along the passageway taken by Spanish friars traveling from mission in New Mexico to California. Plan to allow 3 hours for your scenic drive through this region.
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