If you’re looking for some of the best views in Colorado, then you don’t have to get out of your car.
Colorado is home to 26 different scenic and historic roads, traversing mountain towns, peaks, valleys, and archaeological sites.
Eleven of the roads are also federally designated as the United States, more than any other state in the nation. This is a distinct group of 150 roads across the country.
Additionally, two of Colorado’s back roads are considered all-American roads. Ten are scenic trails of the national forest. Two are Backwaystry Byways, designed by the Bureau of Land Management.
What this means is that Colorado’s back roads are famous on many levels and on some of the major highways in the country.
Beyond excellent road trip routes, these roads also help preserve Colorado’s history, culture, and environment.
This month, the national celebrates the 25th anniversary of the National Scenic Roads Program.
In honor of the occasion, here are some of our favorite scenic and historic roads in Colorado, in no particular order.
1. Trail Ridge Road
Trail Ridge is a popular tourist destination in the warmer months that takes you far, high above Estes Park and deep into Rocky Mountain National Park, even above the treeline where it is too tall to grow much. more than the tundra.
Trail Ridge is famous for being the highest paved road in North America. It will take you past the continental divide (a must in Colorado; that’s the divide on the continent where the water flows in two different directions, like being on top of a pointy roof) and connects you all the way to Grand Lake. , another mountain town where it is worth staying a few nights.
Trail Ridge is iconic and one of the most scenic spots in the state. It is also a member of the National Register of Historic Places.
Learn more about planning a road trip to Trail Ridge here. Don’t miss our insider guide on a less traveled way to get to the top of this famous trail.
2. Top of the Rockies
If you’re in the mountains visiting the popular resort towns of Vail or Beaver Creek, take the Top of the Rockies for a spin. This incredible highway passes two of the highest peaks in the state, Mount Elbert and Mount Massive, as you drive between the mountain towns of Leadville (the highest incorporated city in the country, at 10,521 feet), Minturn, Twin Lakes, and The Village of skiing, Copper Mountain.
See historic mining structures, mountain lakes, museums, and breathe fresh air in quaint, humble little towns that are an interesting juxtaposition with the area’s rich and luxurious ski towns.
Bonus: You will also cross the Continental Divide three times.
3. Grand Mesa
While Trail Ridge takes you to the highest highway in the nation and Top of the Rockies takes you to the highest incorporated city in the country, Grand Mesa will take you to the top of the largest flat mountain in the world, Land’s End Overlook. – 6,000 feet above the valley.
This is a side of Colorado that many travelers are unaware of. In the south, between I-70 and Cedaredge, Grand Mesa passes through old forests, orchards, expansive views, and lakes of more than 300 lakes.
Although the lookout is closed for the winter, Grand Mesa will take you to the lesser-known ski area, Powderhorn, which claims to have some of the gentlest snow in Colorado, natural runs, and short lines.
4. Mount Evans
While Trail Ridge can boast that it is the highest paved road in the country, the Mount Evans Byway is the highest paved road in North America, hitting an insane 14,262 feet at the top of Mount Evans.
So even if you can’t climb a “winner fourth” (which is a mountain that is over 14,000 feet above sea level), you can still see the view from above, without even breaking a sweat. (Well, that’s assuming these winding roads don’t make you break a sweat. Get ready for crazy setbacks with no guardrails.) In perspective, this path is higher than many clouds.
The views will surprise you with mountain lakes, ancient trees and the possibility of seeing some bighorn sheep.
This beautiful trail begins in Idaho Springs, a mountain town west of Denver and not far from Blackhawk and the pocket of Colorado casino.
