Mini Tour: Behind Pikes Peak

Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, Woodland Park
© Lori Midson

The Gold Belt National Scenic Byway

By Lori Midson

Howling winds have stripped most of the aspen trees bare, save for a few hearty groves still glittering golden in the rustling breeze. Restless llamas and loafing cows far outnumber humans along this splendid stretch of asphalt that sneaks around sharp turns and roadway twists. A small herd of deer, oblivious to the flash of my camera, lazily graze on the last greenery of fall.

The urbanized life I left behind is but a distant memory in this rugged mountain landscape of sloping hillsides, silent forests shaded with fir trees and ponderosas, and collapsed clapboard structures whose weathered woods have turned brittle and grey. I'm surrounded by small towns where friendly old-timers, bundled up in wooly sweaters, head to the corner café for all the day's gossip.

Beyond the bustling town of Colorado Springs and behind the majestic skyscraper that is Pikes Peak, there exists a swath of pavement that lures city slickers with its soft dose of tranquility and gentle congeniality. This is the Gold Belt National Scenic Byway, a one-hour drive from Colorado Springs or Pueblo and less than two from Denver.

The byway begins in Woodland Park on Highway 24, and traverses the hamlets of Divide, Victor, Cripple Creek and Florissant before looping back to Woodland Park. I start my tour nine miles east of Woodland Park in Manitou Springs, a bohemian town renowned for its mineral springs, kitschy storefronts and laid-back lifestyle, and one of my favorite Colorado towns in which to unwind.

The streaming sunlight warms my shivers as I make my way toward the Adams Mountain Café, a locals' joint that offers early riser pick-me-ups like orange spice tea and the Green Mountain Falls, a hearty plate of grilled polenta blanketed with white Cheddar and lobbed with New Mexican green chile. It's fuel for the rest of the day. I drive the short distance to the sleepy town of Green Mountain Falls and pull into the graveled parking lot on the edge of Lake Gazebo, site of numerous romantic rendezvous and weddings. The threat of rain looms, but on this peaceful morning, undeterred fishermen perch patiently around the lakefront, eyeing a mid-morning meal of trout. I amble back to my car, wondering what lies ahead.

Dinosaurs, it turns out. As I roll into Woodland Park, a thriving mountain enclave a mere five miles from Green Mountain Falls, I see the sign: Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center. From the moment I step inside, I'm utterly transfixed. The high-ceilinged space-part gift shop, part fossil lab and part gallery—is remarkably sophisticated. After purchasing a few souvenirs for my eight-year-old son, I peer around the corner into the dinosaur gallery, where a class of second graders has embarked on a guided tour.

Like me, the kids are wide-eyed at the life-size specimens that tower in groves of palm trees. I take my time journeying through the museum, stopping to watch a short video highlighting some of the displays and pausing at the fossil lab window to watch the staff painstakingly cast replicas of these prehistoric beasts.

Hanging out with dinosaur skeletons and jubilant kids makes me want to rumble and tumble, but I hop back on the road less traveled. En route to Mueller State Park, halfway between Cripple Creek and Divide, I'm calmed by the serenity of my surroundings. As I reach the Ute Pass summit, at an elevation of 9,165 feet, I can see the top of Mt. Princeton, its pinnacle shrouded in clouds. Motivated cyclists, far braver than I, are peddling past me while I stop to behold the vast landscape. Autumn's last leaves scatter across my windshield and the sprawling hillsides, powdered with light frost, shimmer under a patch of blue sky.

Mueller State Park was once a hunting area for the Ute Indians and later for prospectors hoping to strike it rich during the Cripple Creek gold rush. I stop to study the park map. There are more than 50 miles of hiking trails to consider, and I need to walk off my breakfast.

I choose the School Pond trail, which is just 1.6 miles roundtrip. Even if the hike doesn't make my heart race, the striking panoramas do. My stroll leads me past the still waters of the pond, through meadows blanketed with creeping cinquefoil and to the top of the ridge, where I'm rewarded with pristine mountain views as far as the eye can see. As I make my descent through thicketed conifers and aspens, a few mule deer roam nearby.

Feeling rejuvenated, I head back to the car with a spring in my step while plotting my next destination.

Heading toward the historic mining town of Victor—population 455—I pass by the remains of the area's rich Gold Rush history, old mine shafts and ruins that still stand as proof of Colorado's fabled mining heritage.

Today, Victor is a near ghost town, exposing far too many boarded—up store fronts to make it a legitimate tourist destination, but there's still something alluring about this antiquated town whose welcome sign is a sky-blue moose painted with puffy clouds, snow-capped mountains, fields of lush foliage and dancing butterflies. It's worth stopping into the recently renovated Victor Hotel, richly decorated with period antiques, and the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum, a two-tiered gallery showcasing books, exhibits, artifacts and photographs depicting the town's former days of glory. If you're so inclined, you can pan for gold and gems just outside the museum's entrance.

As I cruise along toward Cripple Creek, Victor's nearest neighbor, the scene gives way to graveled mountainsides, amazing rock formations and timbered homesteads. The picturesque settlement, which resides in the crater of an extinct volcano, is dotted with sherbet-hued buildings. Many contain the casinos that support Cripple Creek's economy.

I skip the slot machines in favor of checking out the Cripple Creek District Museum, a three-story building that's chock-a-block with antiques, mining memorabilia and engineering maps of the surrounding area. I also poke my head into The Butte Opera House, Cripple Creek's refined cultural icon, and vow to come back and take in a show when I have more time.

Daylight is dwindling as I make my way to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. It's a short distance, and I'm making good headway until I happen upon the llamas. There are dozens of them and I can't resist stopping to say hello. I slowly walk toward the fence and find myself inches away from a beautiful female, whiter than a unicorn and insatiably curious. Others begin to congregate and suddenly, I'm face-to-face with a whole posse of interlopers batting their eyelashes and flashing their teeth. Thanks for the memories, I say out loud, before heading back to my car.

Many llamas later, I'm at the Florissant Fossil Beds inspecting the 1,000 fossilized insects—the result of volcanic activity and ash during the Oligocene period—and the outdoor trails among huge petrified tree stumps that make this destination a must-do experience for anyone reticent to believe that Colorado once trumpeted giant redwoods. A tour guide with an unmistakable Boston accent is regaling a group of kids with stories about this fascinating ecosystem that's a thrilling sight to behold.

I never guessed that less than 100 miles away from my Denver neighborhood, there dwelled a dramatic journey that unleashed a llama farm, fossilized tree stumps, ancient mineshafts, a first-class opera house and a dinosaur museum all within an hour's drive of each other. Take your time exploring the sites and gazing at the measureless wilderness. Just make sure to bring your camera: Llamas, it seems, like getting up close and personal.

Lori Midson is the restaurant critic for the Rocky Mountain News, and a freelance travel writer.

If you go

Manitou Springs: 800-642-2567, www.manitousprings.org
Green Mountain Falls: www.greenmountainfalls.org
Woodland Park: 800-551-7886, www.woodlandparkchamber.com
Divide: 719-686-7605, www.dividechamber.org
Victor: www.victorcolorado.com
Cripple Creek: 877-858-4653, www.cripple-creek.co.us
Florissant: 719-748-3253, www.nps.gov/flfo/