GO! ROADTRIP: Highway lives up to its legendary name

This time of year, a cluster of Colorado’s least affluent counties are bursting with gold.

The aspen trees that sprinkle the Sangre De Christo range in Huerfano, Costilla and Las Animas counties are a rare treat. They line the windy mountain backroads that take travellers far away from the steady streams of traffic heading into Summit County and other sites along the Front Range.

If you want to see dense clusters of October aspens but want to escape dense crowds, then a road-trip down the Highway of Legends is for you.

Highway 12 lives up to its legendary moniker. It’s a Scenic Byway that stretches from Walsenburg to Trinidad, dipping into the La Veta valley and climbing over Cuchara Pass. The Sangre de Cristo mountains border the road to the west, and there are plenty of places to gawk, hike, and fish along the way.

Besides the sleepy towns the punctuate the highway, locals say the road gets most of its traffic from out-of-state tourists. The 82-mile-long highway was originally part of the Santa Fe Trail, the old west trade route that ran from Missouri to New Mexico.

Today, the road goes through three of Colorado poorest counties. Walsenburg lost a quarter of the population when a nearby state prison closed in April, and Trinidad has never recovered from the coal mine-bust in the mid 1980s.

But La Veta is a burgeoning art community. And in Cuchara, the defunct ski area is set to re-open this winter. This time of year, the aspens are golden and the hillsides are glowing with bright red and orange shrubbery.

WHAT TO DO

Sightsee.

No need to set an agenda. Just look around.

Whether its a herd of elk outside La Veta, the stone outcroppings rising above Stonewall, or coal miners making their way home in Weston, you’ll not want to for sights to see.

HOW TO GET THERE

If you’re coming from Colorado Springs, take I-25 south to Walsenburg. Get off at Exit 52. Follow signs through town to Highway 160 West. Get off 160 at La Veta. The highway cuts through La Veta, and will lead you past Cuchara, and up Cuchara Pass. Follow the highway until it empties out into Trinidad. You will pass Monument Lake, and the towns of Stonewall, Primero, Weston, and Segundo on the way.

WHERE TO EAT

George’s Drive-Inn

Just off the highway at Exit 52 in Walsenburg.

Locals love it — even if the sign is misspelled. Closed on Mondays.

The La Veta Inn

103 W Ryus, in La Veta; 1-719-742-3700

 If you’re looking for a back-country fine-dining experience, this is the place. With live music every Friday night.

The Dog Bar & Grill

34 Cuchara Ave. East, Cuchara

 Another long-time local favorite. Like many restaurants in the area, it has changed hands a few times, but it can still serve a good pizza and glass of beer. Across the street from the Cuchara Inn.

Rino’s Restaurant

400 E. Main St., Trinidad

A solid meal in a town that can be devoid of options. Take a stroll around historic downtown Trinidad while you’re there.

WHERE TO STAY

It can be tricky to find good lodgings along the Highway of Legends. If you’re up for an early morning and a long-day of road-tripping and exploration, do a day-trip.

If you’re feeling like making an overnight stop, La Veta and Cuchara have local inns, and RV sites. Trinidad has a series of commercial, but clean and affordable hotels.

La Veta Inn

103 W Ryus, La Veta; 1-888-806-4875, info@lavetainn.com

Cuchara Inn

73 Cucharas Ave. East, Cuchara; 1-719-742-3685; info@thecucharainn.com

Circle the Wagons RV Park

126 West 2nd St., la Veta; 1-719-742.3233; circlethewagons@centurytel.net

La Quinta Inn & Suites

2833 Toupal Drive; 1-719-845-0102