It will take you to Victor. From Victor, you can continue to Cripple Creek, another 19th-century mining camp. Today, Cripple Creek has plenty of casinos that provide slots, poker and blackjack, as well as small gift shops. To go back to Colorado Springs, take Colorado 67 north to Divide, then U.S.

Southwest of Colorado Springs, in a remote area in the Wet Mountains of San Isabel National Park, is a kooky stone-and-iron castle that's been under construction because 1969. Jim Bishop began building it 10 years after he 'd acquired a little parcel for $450 at the age of 15. Visitors' donations to a 501( c) 3 non-profit called the Bishop Castle Non-profit Charitable Structure for New-born Heart Surgery money the continuous project.

To get to Bishop's Castle from Colorado Springs, take Highway 115 south to Florence, turn left at the first traffic control onto Highway 67, then ideal onto Highway 96 in Wetmore. Turn left onto Highway 165 and go 12 miles. The castle is huge you can't miss it. After your check out, double back on Highway 165 and turn left on Highway 96 and go Westcliffe.

Then follow Colorado 69 south toward Gardner, but prior to you get there, turn right at the indication for Red Wing. Before you get to Red Wing, look for a little green indication for Pass Creek and turn left onto this road. It is a remarkably smooth unpaved road that will take you to La Veta Pass.

This pass that the residents use will shave off about an hour and a half from having to go southeast to Walsenberg to get to the San Luis Valley. The highest dune in all of North America are here in the San Luis Valley. Researchers think the dunes were developed less than 440,000 years ago by winds that blew sand deposits from the Rio Grande River to the western base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

The dunes are open to the general public all year, 24/7. The park provides a lodge and cabins, which are readily available in the spring through the middle of October. There's a small corner store and a restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch and supper during the summer traveler season. When my bro and I existed in early October, it was just open for breakfast.

If you do not go during the summer, you might wish to bring your own food. The lodge staff advised that we not venture on foot from the lodge in the dark because black bears live in the location. Information and reservations: Great Sand Dunes Lodge, 719-378-2900; www.gsdlodge.com The next early morning, my sibling and I dined on delicious pancakes and huevos rancheros at the dining establishment, and our friendly server was the third regional to suggest that we require time to see the nearby waterfalls before we continued our travels north through the San Luis Valley.

The tracks are very tiny and shallow and even a light wind will blow them away. The dunes were my favorite part of the entire trip. After walking on the ridges of the dunes, we headed 10 miles south on Highway 150 and pulled off onto the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

This road is steep and bumpy, and Deer Trail parks & recreation we discussed whether seeing the falls deserved all this problem. We finally reached a parking lot. From there, it was a quarter-mile hike up a rough and high path to a stream, which we had to cross 5 times to reach the falls inside a narrow crevasse.

Caution: The rocks are slick, and residents stated the stream can be fast and deep throughout early summertime. On our drive below the falls, I asked my brother to stop so I might find out what people were doing on the side of the roadway. I approached a woman and introduced myself.

Archeleta told me that the trees only produce nuts every 5 or 6 years. If you loved this post and you wish to receive details relating to Deer Trail Colorado please visit our web site. The nuts must be toasted before utilizing in a variety of dishes. The next stop on our experience was 47 miles away. We took Colorado 150 North, then Lane 6 West, then Colorado 17 North. The sign alerts: "No trespassing.

The secret is to offer them with geothermal water that stays at a comfy 87 degrees. Providing alligators to many zoos throughout the nation, Colorado Gators Reptile Park contains little bit, medium-size, big and extra-large gators, arranged by size so they do not consume each other. It likewise has 5 albino alligators (we were informed there were just about 50 in captivity). Colorado Gators Reptile Park likewise uses a class in alligator fumbling.

It's just a couple of miles north of the Colorado Gators Reptile Park on the west side of Highway 17. Owner Judy Messoline declares that many psychics have felt the existence of a pair of vortexes that work as portals into parallel universes. The Vortex Garden is certainly a strange place, with sunglasses, empty bottles, watches and bracelets, beaded lockets, silk flowers, combs, religious signs and other things.

We motivate visitors to leave something in The Garden to get their energy there as well. PLEASE do not move or eliminate anything in The Garden bad, bad Karma if you do." Info: 719-378-2296; www.ufowatchtower.com. To go back to Colorado Springs, go north on Highway 17 and turn east on to Highway 285 to Salida.

50 East, which is a very picturesque path alongside the Arkansas River in the middle of steep canyon walls. Driving through these canyons as well as through the aspen-covered mountains on the Gold Camp Road were my sibling's preferred parts of our trip. When you reach Penrose, take Colorado 115 back to Colorado Springs.

These unbelievable rock developments are a popular destination for professional photographers, hikers, rock climbers and bird watchers. Invest the morning exploring The Kissing Camels (a formation that looks like 2 camels), The Three Graces, the Cathedral Spires in the Cathedral Valley and Balanced Rock. Details: 719-634-6666; www.gardenofgods.com. You have actually probably heard of Cheyenne Mountain, the former website of NORAD (The United States Northern Command, and the Flying Force Space Command).

On another part of the mountain, above the surface area, is the home of many unique animals. At an elevation of 6,800 feet above water level, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only zoo in the United States on a mountain. It's southwest of Colorado Springs, above the Broadmoor resort, which you can see from the zoo.

It's best understood for its giraffe herd. The zoo presently has 18 giraffes, and its breeding program is the most effective worldwide, with 199 births because 1954. The giraffes are permitted outside when the temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. For a couple dollars, you can acquire a handful of lettuce to feed the giraffes and get a close encounter with their sweet and curious personalities in addition to their 20-inch, dark purple tongues.

24 East, then turn south on 21st Street. Follow signs to the zoo. Details: 719-633-9925; www.cmzoo.org. Consider this four-day travel plan as simply a tasting of remarkable websites southern Colorado has to use. My sibling and I are already making strategies for next year's roadway adventure that includes a check out to the amazing cliff homes at Mesa Verde National Park.