La Junta
Road Trip Through Time
In southeastern Colorado, tucked into a bend in the Arkansas River, lies La Junta, one of the state’s first settlements.
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Some days, the sky shines crisp and cold, a cornflower blue. Others, you'll find woolen clouds drifting above and a thick layer of snow carpeting the hills—perfect for snowball fights and ski days, mulled wine and cozy nights by the fire. Here, when the mercury drops, the landscape transforms. Cascades freeze in midair. Water vapor rises from the soil and solidifies into delicate feathers of ice. Avalanches tear across distant peaks. The snow glitters. And winter adventurers take to the hills.
COLORADO IS A DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE.
Fall under winter’s spell as you explore these enchanting places.
Immerse Yourself in Colorado’s Charming Small Towns
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Antonito
Ride the Rails
This Southern Colorado town, population 647, is one of the state’s best-kept secrets.
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Leadville
On Top of the World
Perched 10,158 feet above sea level, Leadville is often called the Cloud City—and for good reason.
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Fruita
Desert Dreams
Surrounded on all sides by the stark beauty of the Colorado high desert, Fruita is a launching pad for adventures of all kinds.
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Fort Collins
Past Meets Present
Here in Fort Collins, you can hear the call of the past mingling with the sounds of the present.
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Silverton
Ski the San Juans
Silverton was born a mining-boom town, but visitors now come flocking in search of a different kind of treasure: white gold.
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Lake City
Ice Central, USA
The glistening cliffs of Lake City Ice Park, just outside of town, attract intrepid climbers from across the country.
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State St &, 285 E 10th Ave, Antonito, CO 81120, United States
If Antonito had a theme song, it would be the bold whistle of its 100-year-old steam-powered locomotives.
Antonito
This Southern Colorado town, population 647, is one of the state’s best-kept secrets. The community of Antonito sprang up around a railroad junction in the 1870s and has remained a quaint and quirky train town ever since. Today, you can still ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad—a 64-mile track that carries visitors to Chama, New Mexico—in true Western style. Let the rhythmic chug of the wheels lull you into reverie as the mountain scenery reels by.
Antonito
Ride the Rails
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad puts visitors in the shoes—and seats—of early 19th century settlers.
JASON HATFIELD
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
57 Barrell Ln Ext,
York, ME 03909
United States
Perched 10,158 feet above sea level, Leadville is often called the Cloud City—and for good reason. At that elevation, the town sits right at the gates of the high mountains, and perhaps even the heavens themselves. The surrounding 14,000-foot peaks are coveted objectives for local skiers and snowshoers, who often lace together traverses between the range’s mountain huts, built nearly 100 years ago by the 10th Mountain Division. But just because Leadville embraces its thriving mountain culture doesn’t mean all the fun is to be had up high; every winter, the town floods with joyous visitors for its Crystal Carnival. Gather along the sidelines and watch your breath plume the thin air as you wait for the main event: the skijoring competition. Listen to the crowd erupt in cheers as the competitors—horse-drawn skiers dressed in jeans and cowboy hats—rocket over an obstacle course of ramps, jumps, and edges. On festival weekend, it’s clear that Leadville never did outgrow the Old West. Here, that spirit will always live on.
Leadville
On Top of the World
Leadville gets up to 15 feet of soft, sugary snow each year, making these hills a magnet for backcountry skiers. FOWLER HILLIARD HUT, ED OGLE
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View on Google Maps
136 E Aspen Ave, Fruita, CO 81521, United States
Surrounded on all sides by the stark beauty of the Colorado high desert, Fruita is a launching pad for adventures of all kinds—and a celebration of the quirky independence that Western Colorado is known for. Fat-bikers know Fruita for the fast, swoopy turns of famed Kokopelli Trails, and snowshoers know it for Dinosaur Hill, a gorgeous, trail-laced overlook where a brontosaurus skeleton once lay. But no matter how you spend your day in Fruita, be sure to linger after the sun sets. Pack a thermos of hot cocoa and hike out amid the vast, corrugated expanse of Colorado National Monument to watch the sun set over the canyonlands. Then, sit back and enjoy the show: Clear winter skies and little light pollution make for world-class stargazing.
Fruita
Desert Dreams
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
1117 N U.S. Hwy 287, Fort Collins, CO 80524, United States
In Fort Collins, you can hear the call of the past mingling with the sounds of the present. The historic Fort Collins Trolley rattles through town just as it has for decades. Coopersmiths, the oldest pub in Fort Collins, pours foaming draughts of house-made IPAs—a 35-year-old routine—among buildings constructed at the turn of the century. But unlike some other historic cities, this one overflows with youth and energy. Vibrant murals splash across brick corners and alleyways. College students and longtime locals hone their mountaineering skills in the nearby hills, and the snow-covered trails come alive with the swish of skis and fat-bike tires.
Fort Collins
Past Meets Present
Beloved pie shop Ginger and Baker occupies a restored, 120-year-old historic mill.
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
258 15th St #252, Silverton, CO 81433, United States
Silverton was born a mining-boom town, but visitors now come flocking in search of a different kind of treasure: untouched powder. Renowned for their consistent snowfall and featherlight powder, the San Juan Mountains are a haven for skiers. To join them, head to Silverton Mountain or Kendall Mountain for a day of skiing or riding. Then, after last chair, follow the crowds to Greene Street, Silverton’s main strip. If you find yourself strolling on a quiet afternoon, perk up your ears: You may be able to hear the whistle of the Narrow Gauge Railroad in nearby Durango. During summer, the tracks take passengers all the way to Silverton. In winter, the train runs a shorter journey, albeit rebranded as the Polar Express.
Silverton
Ski the San Juans
Silverton lies amid a rugged wonderland of high peaks, snowy woodlands—and ghost towns. JASON HATFIELD
View on Google Maps
CO-149 Lake City, CO 81235, United States
Strap on a pair of cross-country skis and glide out onto the frozen surface of Lake San Cristobal.
Lake San Cristobal
The thunk of steel sinking into solid, blue ice. The click of crampons on a frozen creek. The whisper of a rope sliding through snow. This is the melodic rhythm of life at the Lake City Ice Park. The park, which attracts climbers from across the country, lines the cliffs above Hinman Creek and lies just a few minutes from town. In the winter, the park is one of Lake City’s biggest attractions—but not the only one. The Hinsdale Haute Route and the Lake City Ski Hill and Terrain Park both offer skiers plenty of quiet terrain to explore. And, starting in mid-November, nearby Lake San Cristobal becomes a favorite spot for ice fishing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
Lake City
Ice Central, USA
JASON HATFIELD
Cano’s Castle
Antonito, Colorado
Made of beer cans and other recycled metal, Cano’s Castle is a shimmering, whimsical fortress built by local Vietnam veteran Dominic “Cano” Espinoza.
Learn more
Learn more
In the 1950s, two women saved this grand theater in the Colorado mountains from demolition.
Leadville, Colorado
Tabor Opera
House
Learn more
Pay homage to Mike the Headless Chicken, a local celebrity who survived, sans noggin, for 18 months in the 1940s.
Fruita, Colorado
'Mike the Headless Chicken' Sculpture
There has been but one Leadville. Never will there be another.
La Junta
Source: Source - AO: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wiggly-bridge
La Junta
Antonito
Leadville
Fruita
Fort Collins
Silverton
Lake City
Antonito
Leadville
Fruita
Fort Collins
Silverton
Lake City
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Sponsored by the Colorado Tourism Office.
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La Junta
Road Trip Through Time
In southeastern Colorado, tucked into a bend in the Arkansas River, lies La Junta, one of the state’s first settlements. Here, history has left its mark. You can see it on the walls of the adobe architecture and on the surface of the earth itself; just south of town, dinosaur tracks lay perfectly imprinted in a panel of silvery sandstone. Beyond that, you’ll find the historic Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway, a 585-mile ribbon of smooth asphalt stretching all the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The drive isn’t just a journey south but a journey into the past: it follows the trade routes of both early settlers and the land’s Indigenous peoples.
Like an explosion of meteors on an autumn night,
Bent’s Fort would light the vast prairie, changing it forever.
- Melvin Bacon and Daniel Blegen, Bent’s Fort: Crossroads of Cultures on the Santa Fe Trail
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
State St &, 285 E 10th Ave, Antonito, CO 81120, United States
Learn more
Made of beer cans and other recycled metal, Cano’s Castle is a shimmering, whimsical fortress built by local Vietnam veteran Dominic “Cano” Espinoza.
Antonito, Colorado
Cano’s Castle
If Antonito had a theme song, it would be the bold whistle of its 100-year-old steam-powered locomotives.
Antonito
This Southern Colorado town, population 647, is one of the state’s best-kept secrets. The community of Antonito sprang up around a railroad junction in the 1870s and has remained a quaint and quirky train town ever since. Today, you can still ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad—a 64-mile track that carries visitors to Chama, New Mexico—in true Western style. Let the rhythmic chug of the wheels lull you into reverie as the mountain scenery reels by.
Antonito
Ride the Rails
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad puts visitors in the shoes—and seats—of early 19th century settlers. JASON HATFIELD
Source: Scott Sell
Perched 10,158 feet above sea level, Leadville is often called the Cloud City—and for good reason. At that elevation, the town sits right at the gates of the high mountains, and perhaps even the heavens themselves. The surrounding 14,000-foot peaks are coveted objectives for local skiers and snowshoers, who often lace together traverses between the range’s mountain huts, built nearly 100 years ago by the 10th Mountain Division. But just because Leadville embraces its thriving mountain culture doesn’t mean all the fun is to be had up high; every winter, the town floods with joyous visitors for its Crystal Carnival. Gather along the sidelines and watch your breath plume the thin air as you wait for the main event: the skijoring competition. Listen to the crowd erupt in cheers as the competitors—horse-drawn skiers dressed in jeans and cowboy hats—rocket over an obstacle course of ramps, jumps, and edges. On festival weekend, it’s clear that Leadville never did outgrow the Old West. Here, that spirit will always live on.
Leadville
On Top of the World
Leadville gets up to 15 feet of soft, sugary snow each year, making these hills a magnet for backcountry skiers. FOWLER HILLIARD HUT, ED OGLE
Source: Scott Sell
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
308 Harrison Ave, Leadville, CO 80461,
United States
Learn more
In the 1950s, two women saved this grand theater in the Colorado mountains from demolition.
Leadville, Colorado
Tabor Opera House
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
128 E Aspen Ave, Fruita, CO 81521, United States
Surrounded on all sides by the stark beauty of the Colorado high desert, Fruita is a launching pad for adventures of all kinds—and a celebration of the quirky independence that Western Colorado is known for. Fat-bikers know Fruita for the fast, swoopy turns of famed Kokopelli Trails, and snowshoers know it for Dinosaur Hill, a gorgeous, trail-laced overlook where a brontosaurus skeleton once lay. But no matter how you spend your day in Fruita, be sure to linger after the sun sets. Pack a thermos of hot cocoa and hike out amid the vast, corrugated expanse of Colorado National Monument to watch the sun set over the canyonlands. Then, sit back and enjoy the show: Clear winter skies and little light pollution make for world-class stargazing.
Fruita
Desert Dreams
The Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway provides a scenic tour of Colorado’s paleontological hot spots. JASON HATFIELD
Source: Scott Sell
Learn more
Pay homage to Mike the Headless Chicken, a local celebrity who survived, sans noggin, for 18 months in the 1940s.
Fruita, Colorado
'Mike the Headless Chicken' Sculpture
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
1117 N U.S. Hwy 287, Fort Collins, CO 80524, United States
Fort Collins
Past Meets Present
Bright murals—all by local artists—bathe downtown Fort Collins in color. JASON HATFIELD
Source: Scott Sell
Learn more
Rocky Mountain Adventures’s troupe of homing pigeons used to fly photo film to town. Today, the birds still tag along on rafting trips to keep the tradition alive.
Fort Collins, Colorado
Pigeon Express
- Carlyle Channing Davis, Olden Times, ca. 1890
There has been but one Leadville. Never will there be another.
- Fort Collins Courier, December 1893
Whoever saw more delightful winter weather than we are now enjoying?
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
258 15th St #252, Silverton, CO 81433, United States
Learn more
Pay a visit to Christ of the Mines, a 1950s-era shrine built to watch over town and its miners.
Silverton, Colorado
Christ of the Mines Shrine
Silverton was born a mining-boom town, but visitors now come flocking in search of a different kind of treasure: untouched powder. Renowned for their consistent snowfall and featherlight powder, the San Juan Mountains are a haven for skiers. To join them, head to Silverton Mountain or Kendall Mountain for a day of skiing or riding. Then, after last chair, follow the crowds to Greene Street, Silverton’s main strip. If you find yourself strolling on a quiet afternoon, perk up your ears: You may be able to hear the whistle of the Narrow Gauge Railroad in nearby Durango. During summer, the tracks take passengers all the way to Silverton. In winter, the train runs a shorter journey, albeit rebranded as the Polar Express.
Silverton
Ski the San Juans
Silverton lies amid a rugged wonderland of high peaks, snowy woodlands—and ghost towns. JASON HATFIELD
The thunk of steel sinking into solid, blue ice. The click of crampons on a frozen creek. The whisper of a rope sliding through snow. This is the melodic rhythm of life at the Lake City Ice Park. The park, which attracts climbers from across the country, lines the cliffs above Hinman Creek and lies just a few minutes from town. In the winter, the park is one of Lake City’s biggest attractions—but not the only one. The Hinsdale Haute Route and the Lake City Ski Hill and Terrain Park both offer skiers plenty of quiet terrain to explore. And, starting in mid-November, nearby Lake San Cristobal becomes a favorite spot for ice fishing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
Lake City
Ice Central, USA
Venture down the road to the famed Slumgullion Earthflow Overlook to view the jaw-dropping scar of a 4-mile-long, 300-year-old landslide. JASON HATFIELD
Source: Scott Sell
Source: Scott Sell
View on Google Maps
Strap on a pair of cross-country skis and glide out onto the frozen surface of Lake San Cristobal.
Lake San Cristobal
Whoever saw more delightful winter weather than we are now enjoying?
- CARLYLE CHANNING DAVIS, OLDEN TIMES, CA. 1890
Inside Bent's Old Fort, the air is spiced with the smell of drying herbs. JASON HATFIELD
Built in 1833, Bent's Old Fort was a critical resupply point for miners, trappers, and early explorers. JASON HATFIELD
The Cumbre and Toltec's 100-year-old locomotives, restored by volunteers, strike out across land inaccessible by car. JASON HATFIELD
Four towering grain silos bear The History of the San Luis Valley, a series of 40-foot murals by local artist Fred Haberlain. JASON HATFIELD
In the winter, most of Leadville's huts are only accessible by ski or snowshoe. ACKAL HUT, BRIAN DAVIS
Leadville's system of backcountry huts, built by the U.S. army 10th Mountain Division, have provided winter refuge for more than 40 years. MCNAMARA HU, CORNELIA CARPENTER
“Backwoods Blues” and other evocative sculptures pepper Fruita’s street corners. JASON HATFIELD
Colorado National Monument's wingate sandstone cliffs seem to glow, rosy and ethereal, in the sun's last light. JASON HATFIELD
Grab a handmade pie from Ginger and Baker and browse through the market. JASON HATFIELD
Listen to the clack of billiards balls and the fizz of the tap as you sample local craft brews at Coopersmith's. JASON HATFIELD
Silverton Mountain Ski Area offers world-class steeps in the heart of the rugged San Juans. JASON HATFIELD
Silverton's quaint, Victorian-era storefronts have remained all but unchanged since the 1880s boomtown was built. JASON HATFIELD
Drop a toprope or hire a local guide to scale the ice park's 100-foot frozen cliffs. JASON HATFIELD
Learn more
Rocky Mountain Adventures’s troupe of homing pigeons used to fly photo film to town. Today, the birds still tag along on rafting trips to keep the tradition alive
Fort Collins, Colorado
Pigeon Express
Learn more
Pay a visit to Christ of the Mines, a 1950s-era shrine built to watch over town and its miners.
Silverton, Colorado
Christ of the Mines Shrine
Venture down the road to the famed Slumgullion Earthflow Overlook to view the jaw-dropping scar of a 4-mile-long, 300-year-old landslide. JASON HATFIELD
Four towering grain silos bear The History of the San Luis Valley, a series of 40-foot murals by local artist Fred Haberlain. JASON HATFIELD
The Cumbre and Toltec's 100-year-old locomotives, restored by volunteers, strike out across land inaccessible by car. JASON HATFIELD
Leadville's system of backcountry huts, built by the U.S. army 10th Mountain Division, have provided winter refuge for more than 40 years. MCNAMARA HUT, CORNELIA CARPENTER
In the winter, most of Leadville's huts are only accessible by ski or snowshoe. ACKAL HUT, BRIAN DAVIS
Colorado National Monument's wingate sandstone cliffs seem to glow, rosy and ethereal, in the sun's last light. JASON HATFIELD
“Backwoods Blues” and other evocative sculptures pepper Fruita’s street corners. JASON HATFIELD
Listen to the clack of billiards balls and the fizz of the tap as you sample local craft brews at Coopersmith's.
JASON HATFIELD
Grab a handmade pie from Ginger and Baker and browse through the market. JASON HATFIELD
Silverton's quaint, Victorian-era storefronts have remained all but unchanged since the 1880s boomtown was built. JASON HATFIELD
Silverton Mountain Ski Area offers world-class steeps in the heart of the rugged San Juans. JASON HATFIELD
Lake City's ice is a labor of love. The piped-in water is distributed, frozen, and maintained by a team of dedicated "ice farmers". JASON HATFIELD
Drop a toprope or hire a local guide to scale the ice park's 100-foot frozen cliffs. JASON HATFIELD
The Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway provides a scenic tour of Colorado’s paleontological hot spots. JASON HATFIELD
Location Spotlight
Location Spotlight
Location Spotlight
Location Spotlight
Location Spotlight
Learn more
The largest dinosaur trackway in North America is tucked away among this canyon's ghosts and archaeological gems.
La Junta, Colorado
Picketwire Canyon
Trackway
Location Spotlight
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
2000-2162 Co Rd 25
La Junta, Colorado
United States
Explore one of the first modern structures in the West amid the gentle creak of old wood and the clucking of chickens and peacocks.
La Junta
View on Google Maps
View on Google Maps
2000-2162 Co Rd 25, La Junta, Colorado, United States
Built in 1833, Bent's Old Fort was a critical resupply point for miners, trappers, and early explorers. JASON HATFIELD
Inside Bent's Old Fort, the air is spiced with the smell of drying herbs. JASON HATFIELD
Like an explosion of
meteors on an autumn night,
Bent’s Fort would light the vast prairie, changing it forever.
Source: Source - AO: https://www.atlasobscura.com/
places/wiggly-bridge
In southeastern Colorado, tucked into a bend in the Arkansas River, lies La Junta, one of the state’s first settlements. Here, history has left its mark. You can see it on the walls of the adobe architecture and on the surface of the earth itself; just south of town, dinosaur tracks lay perfectly imprinted in a panel of silvery sandstone. Beyond that, you’ll find the historic Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway, a 585-mile ribbon of smooth asphalt stretching all the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The drive isn’t just a journey south but a journey into the past: it follows the trade routes of both early settlers and the land’s Indigenous peoples.
La Junta
Road Trip Through Time
Wander through the rustic beauty of Bent's Old Fort, a testament to the bygone era of the American frontier.
JASON HATFIELD
Explore one of the first modern structures in the West amid the gentle creak of old wood and the clucking of chickens and peacocks.
La Junta
Learn more
Made of beer cans and other recycled metal,
Cano’s Castle is a shimmering, whimsical fortress built by local Vietnam veteran Dominic “Cano” Espinoza.
La Junta, Colorado
Picketwire Canyon
Trackway
Location Spotlight
Location Spotlight
Location Spotlight
Location Spotlight
Beloved pie shop Ginger and Baker occupies a restored, 120-year-old historic mill.
Bright murals—all by local artists—bathe downtown Fort Collins in color. JASON HATFIELD
Location Spotlight
Location Spotlight
Learn more
This National Natural Landmark is one of the best examples of a “mass wasting” in the world.
Lake City, Colorado
Slumgullion Earthflow
Location Spotlight
View on Google Maps
CO-149 Lake City,
CO 81235, United States
Learn more
This National Natural Landmark is one of the best examples of a “mass wasting” in the world.
Lake City, Colorado
Slumgullion Earthflow
Location Spotlight
In Fort Collins, you can hear the call of the past mingling with the sounds of the present. The historic Fort Collins Trolley rattles through town just as it has for decades.. Coopersmiths, the oldest pub in Fort Collins, pours foaming draughts of house-made IPAs—a 35-year-old routine—among buildings constructed at the turn of the century. But unlike some other historic cities, this one overflows with youth and energy. Vibrant murals splash across brick corners and alleyways. College students and longtime locals hone their mountaineering skills in the nearby hills, and the snow-covered trails come alive with the swish of skis and fat-bike tires.
CYCCOMMUTE/ATLAS OBSCURA USER
Learn more
Sponsored by the Colorado Tourism Office.
Source: Scott Sell
Words By Corey Buhay. Photos by Jason Hatfield.
MIKE WALKER/ATLAS OBSCURA USER
David Herrera/CC BY SA 2.0
JASON HATFIELD
CYCCOMMUTE/ATLAS OBSCURA USER
Courtesy of Sarah Dae, Tabor Opera House
Courtesy of Rocky Mountain Adventures
BLINDCOLOUR/ATLAS OBSCURA USER
Lake City's ice is a labor of love. The piped-in water is distributed, frozen, and maintained by a team of dedicated "ice farmers". JASON HATFIELD
BLINDCOLOUR/ATLAS OBSCURA USER
COURTESY OF SARAH DAE, TABOR OPERA HOUSE
DAVID HERRERA/CC BY SA 2.0
COURTESY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES
MIKE WALKER/ATLAS OBSCURA USER
CYCCOMMUTE/ATLAS OBSCURA USER
Words By Corey Buhay. Photos by Jason Hatfield.
JASON HATFIELD
JASON HATFIELD
JASON HATFIELD
JASON HATFIELD
Wander through the rustic beauty of Bent's Old Fort, a testament to the bygone era of the American frontier. JASON HATFIELD