Total Number of Days/Nights: One
Itinerary Summary: If time is on your side and you’re driving south on I-25 to New Mexico, skip the interstate stretch from Walsenburg to Trinidad and take the road less traveled—the Highway of Legends. The lore of this area is vivid, swirling in the spiritual myths of the Native Americans and the history of their violent clashes with Spanish explorers. Like much of Colorado, where the promises of fortune led, trouble followed, and tales of outlaws “settling their differences” are common.
Destinations Inlcude
Cuchara Pass
Cuchara Valley
Cokedale
Day
Start by taking U.S. Highway 160 west from
Walsenburg and branch off on Colorado Highway 12 to
La Veta. Along this stretch of two-lane highway, you can view unusual volcanic formations radiating outward from the Spanish Peaks. The highway rises to Cuchara Pass, on the shoulder of the Spanish Peaks. The Tarahumare Indians held these summits as sacred and believed that all life on earth originated from the area. Below the pass is the glorious Cuchara Valley, a hidden wonderland even most Coloradoans have failed to notice.
Meandering through ranchland and forest, the highway eventually leads to Cokedale, a National Historic District. Here you’ll find the surreal sight of what appear to be ruins from the Roman Empire. These arching alcoves are actually the remnants of what used to be “coke ovens” for smelting coal from the nearby mine.
Back on the highway, drive just a short distance to
Trinidad, where the town’s Victorian architecture preserves a civilized slice of Southern Colorado’s rough and tumble past.
Total distance: 82 miles
Suggested time: 2 hours
Scenic & Historic Byways Overview
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