A peek around the Rocky’s foothills

 

Driving from the southeast, visitors to Colorado quickly realize they are in for a treat! Mountain views start wowing nearby Trinidad, a town packed with history about the Native Americans, the Santa Fe Trail, the pioneers, and the westward expansion. Italian builders left their marks in the Courthouse, public buildings, and a handful of mansions made out of limestone. Trinidad is also a stop in the historic rout 66, and the beginning of a scenic drive through the Cuchara Mountains. The drive, that includes vistas of coal mines, lakes, and impressive rock walls, ends on highway 160.

As visitors drive westward, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains show off their grandeur. The foothills of the Rockies shape the land, dotted with cattle, farmhouses, and pine forests. These are the surroundings of San Isabel National Forest. The RV resorts, campgrounds, and inns along the road offer a constant reminder of the state's motto: The playground of America. This forest alone contains the majority of 14,000 feet peaks in Colorado. The southernmost portion offers fishing, camping, boating, and an auto tour that explains in detail the findings of dinosaur tracks and other prehistoric treasures in the canyon lands.
Pass the picturesque surroundings of Blanca, and you will start to question your eyes: is it a sand hill what sits at the bottom of those mountains? There, at the edge of the San Luis Valley, the Great Sand Dunes shine in their uniqueness. Sand surfers, sun lovers, hikers, and curious stop to find an explanation to this Saharan landscape. For the last 44,000 years, wind and a variety of water streams have taken mineral deposits to this very spot, filling the western side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with 150 feet of changing dunes. The National Park Service manages the area, which includes also alpine lakes, aspen forests, and wetlands.   

After contemplating, playing and shaking off sand, travelers find food, lodging and even more entertainment options in the town of Alamosa, the commercial center of the valley. Then, after a short drive through the communities of Monte Vista and Del Norte, highway 160 enters the Rio Grande National forest. Here, the road meanders along creeks, mountain passes, and pine forests. Soon, Chimney Rock and Companion Rock show up between the mountain slopes. On the mountain, the ancestors of the Pueblo tribe built gathering places called kivas, and a multi-family dwelling. Auto tours and hiking trails are available.

If, and when visitors are ready to move away from this land of enchantment, Bayfield welcomes them to the Animas River Valley, where Durango, its history, and recreation opportunities await.
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