For anyone who was ever thrilled by soaring snow-capped peaks or enchanted by old Indian legends, a trip to Colorado's Spanish Peaks country is a bit like coming home. A landscape that's best described as Wagnerian inspired prehistoric Indians, and those who came after them, to create a trove of heroic legends about mighty entities who worked and played here.
The twin cones of the Spanish Peaks stand east of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range and west of I-25 between Trinidad and Walsenburg, about 180 miles south of Denver. Rising above misty pine and spruce forests, they dominate the landscape, soaring more than a mile above the prairie. Prehistoric Indians called the peaks Wahatoya, "the breasts of the world," and supposed them to be the world's source of rain.Like spokes on a wheel, more than 400 volcanic dikes radiate from the peaks, some extending over 25 miles. A unique geological feature, the Spanish Peaks and their dikes are igneous masses, lava that intruded into layers of sedimentary rock and solidified without erupting. Over eons, the volcanic rock was revealed by erosion of the softer sedimentary overburden. The dikes are now mostly serene forested ridges, but as if to remind you of their volcanic origin, here and there volcanic rock erupts from the forests like the spine of some serpentus gigantus.
Colorado Highway 12, nicknamed the Highway of Legends, a National Scenic and Historic Byway, heads west out of Trinidad into the land of the Spanish Peaks and their dikes and winds through grand mountain vistas garnished with a potpourri of dikes, sandstone formations, mountain lakes and streams, picturesque ranches, quaint Hispanic villages and a liberal sprinkling of resorts. Ending at Walsenburg, the highway is about 80 miles long.
A good place to start a tour is in Trinidad, at the Welcome Center at Exit 13 on I-25, where you can collect maps and the stories that go with the scenery.
A few miles west of Trinidad is Cokedale, once the country's largest producer of coke. Not quite a ghost town, it's a National Historic District and is in the process of being restored. An era of less environmental concern than today is marked by the huge pile of waste coal beside the highway. Across the highway, an army of brick coke ovens that once filled the air with acrid, pungent odors line up like sentinels.
With a backdrop of the snow-capped peaks of the Sangre de Cristo, the highway follows the Purgatoire River into the foothills, picturesque ranches nestled in its curves.
At Stonewall, a thin monolithic sandstone wall miles long, broken only where the Purgatoire River had cut a path through it, undulates across the hills, standing over 200 feet above the surrounding forest. Once a beach on an island sea, the sand was compressed into stone and tilted vertical by mountain building. The village of Stonewall, a former mining town, is now a resort center.
Passing through the sandstone wall, the highway swings north to Monument Lake. So named because of a volcanic plug that stands above the water, Monument Lake is to many people the jewel in the crown. This gem is surrounded by high, forested dikes except at the north end, where the ridges fold to reveal a delightful view of West Spanish Peak. At sunrise, the lake reflects the peak.
Legend has it that the "monument" is two chiefs who met here while searching for water during a drought. Hugging in greeting, they were covered with lava from a nearby volcanic eruption. The lake that they stand in was formed from the tears that they wept because their people were suffering.
Monument Lake Park and Resort, owned by the City of Trinidad, is a full service resort designed in the charming Pueblo style popular in the Southwest. The lodge and cabins sport vigas and the resort restaurant is filled with Southwest motif, including huge timbers and bancos (thick adobe benches). Soft light glows from fixtures made of Mexican tin artwork. Blue and white Mexican tiles top pine tables and the walls are decorated with paintings and drawings of Indians and cowboys, and landscapes of the Spanish Peaks. Andy Popejoy, the contractor who operates the resort for the city, entertained us at dinner with stories about encounters with bears. The possibility of an unplanned meeting with Bruin lends a feeling of wilderness to an area that might otherwise seem overly civilized.
From Monument Lake, the highway passes North Lake, where the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo are reflected at sunrise, and then climbs sharply to Cucharas Pass. Here, overlooking the Purgatoire Valley, we enjoyed one of those views that seems to go on forever over stacked ridges receding into blue distance.
Legend has it that this spot on the flank of West Spanish Peak was a hangout for warriors who met here to swap tales of courage illustrated with dances. By firelight the warriors chanted their stories, spinning and whirling to the beat of the tomtom, weaving in and out of the smoke curling from the fire until they became one with it and were transformed into spruce trees. Those trees are here today. Some say that at sunset, when the trees seem to be lighted by firelight, you'll see the warriors spinning and whirling yet as they dance their stories of courage.
Nearby, the Cucharas Valley Ski Resort has winter recreation, and the Cucharas River Recreation Area offers camping and fishing at Blue Lake and Bear Lake.
Continuing north, we were suddenly confronted by a massive dike that resembled a giant staircase rising beside the highway. Here, the devil is rumored to have climbed up from the underworld on the Devil's Stairsteps. A little way north, Goemmer's Butte, a volcanic plug standing like a sentinel in the Cucharas Valley, represents the warrior who God appointed to guard the devil's exit place after he was forced to return in shame to the underworld.
As you arrive in La Veta, watch for Cuchara Road exiting to the right of the highway. A couple of jogs will put you onto an unmarked, unpaved road heading south toward West Spanish Peak. Driving through ranch country with Texas Longhorns in the pastures, we enjoyed unobstructed views of the snowcapped Spanish Peaks and Sangre de Cristo towering overhead, an imposing unnamed dike and Goemmer's Butte.
Stop at the Fort Francisco Museum in La Veta for a good overview of the area's history. The museum is housed in the original adobe buildings of the Francisco Plaza, which John Francisco built when he arrived here in 1862 and declared, "This is paradise enough for me!"
North of La Veta, turn east on U.S. 160 to Walsenburg to return to I-25.
These hills are alive with centuries old stories and new ones being created every day. Some residents told us that the peaks really are mystic, that they exude a special energy that is absorbed by the people who live here so that they appear younger than their age. While I can't testify to the veracity of this claim, I did sense a magic in the presence of these great peaks that I have found in few places.
IF YOU GO
Getting there - Colorado's Scenic Highway of Legends consists of State Road 12 from Trinidad to La Veta and U.S. 160 from La Veta to Walsenburg. A loop of 81 miles, enter from I-25 at either Walsenburg or Trinidad and exit 37 miles further along I-25. Resorts and outfitters are available on the Highway of Legends and both Trinidad and Walsenburg are well supplied with hotels and motels.
Information - write to:
Scenic Highway of Legends
P.O. Box 46
Trinidad, CO 81082
Other attractions - The Fort Francisco Museum at La Veta is open daily from 9-5 from Memorial day to Labor Day. Admission is $2 adults, $1 children.
Trinidad Lake State Park, just west of Trinidad on State 12. Activities include water skiing, fishing, camping, hunting, hiking and nature trails, and a "watchable wildlife" area. Admission is $3 per vehicle. Write or call:
Trinidad Lake State Park
32610 Highway 12
Trinidad, CO 81082
719-846-6951
Lathrop State Park, just west of Walsenburg on U.S. 160. Activities include those at Trinidad Lake plus 9-hole golf course. Superb views of the Sangre de Cristo and the Spanish Peaks are available here. Write or call:
Lathrop State Park
70 Country Road 502
Walsenburg, CO 81089
719-783-2376
Trinidad has numerous museums and Victorian buildings in La Corazon de Trinidad ("The Heart of Trinidad") National Historic District. Write or call:
Trinidad/Las Animas County Chamber
309 Nevada St.
Trinidad, CO 81082
719-846-9285.