Explore the rich legacy of western expansion along the Santa Fe Trail as it enters Colorado from Kansas, traverses Colorado, and then enters New Mexico. This route transported many people across the West, and the resulting mesh of cultures and traditions will greet you at every turn. Participate in numerous colorful local festivals and visit museums honoring the many men and women who have lived and traveled in this area. Early Native Americans, military personnel, ranchers, miners, and railroad passengers all left their distinctive marks.
On clear days, sharp observers can discern the wagon-wheel ruts of the Santa Fe Trail winding their way across the prairie. The cultural legacies of this historic trade route, which saw its heaviest use between the 1820s and 1870s, remain just as vibrant today. The byway, which comprises a 188-mile portion of the Santa Fe Trail, traverses one of the last strongholds of the nomadic Plains Indians and one of the first toeholds of Anglo-American pioneers who began homesteading along the Arkansas River in the 1860s. Many historic sites along the Trail were critical in the expansion of the West, such as Raton Pass, Bent's Old Fort, Cimarron, Fort Union, Wagon Mound, Point of Rocks, McNeese Crossing, Las Vegas, Pecos, and Santa Fe.
Today, travelers on the history-rich Santa Fe Trail enjoy the area for the variety of historic sites and museums that they may visit. Interpretive kiosks about the inhabitants of this great land are placed along the corridor of the byway at historic sites such as stage stops, historic river crossings and wagon rut sites. Experience what life in the Old West was like at Bent's Old Fort, which offers year-round living history activities. Afterwards, take the byway to Rails tour from Bent's Old Fort over treacherous Raton Pass and on into the bustling city of Santa Fe.
In addition to these historic sites, there are plenty of recreational opportunities for the entire family. Watchable wildlife areas are abundant, and fishing, camping, hunting, biking and hiking are all popular activities. John Martin Reservoir is the largest body of water in southeastern Colorado and provides a great deal of recreational opportunity for modern-day travelers of the Santa Fe Trail. Plan a weekend full of living history activities, such as the trail talks at Trinidad Lake State Park. Here, you can cook bread in a real Native American orno, take a self-guided tour on one of the park's hiking trails, or stop by the ranger station to borrow some wildlife-watching gear. Kits include a day pack, park viewing guide, binoculars, and a field guide to the park's watchable wildlife.
Comanche National Grasslands, maintained by the U.S. Forest Service, offers visitors a peek into the lives of the area's past inhabitants. Here you'll learn about everything from prehistoric creatures to Native American life. Picketwire Canyonlands Dinosaur Track site on the Comanche is the largest dinosaur track site in North America. Have an extreme experience on one of their guided four-wheel drive tours. Alternatively, you can take a self-guided tour of the canyon on the hiking and biking trail which follows the Purgatoire River to historic Rourke Ranch, also known as the Wineglass Ranch. Three generations of the Rourke family lived and worked on the ranch, ensuring its survival over a span of a hundred years.
Take a stroll through the El Corazon De Trinidad National Historic District of the Santa Fe Trail and enjoy the incredible architectural wonders of such greats as Bulgar and Rapp. The Old West town of Trinidad is nestled under a convergence of mountain ranges at the Colorado-New Mexico border. Doc Holiday gambled here, and Billy the Kid and Black Jack Ketchum's gangs visited the town far too often. Batt Masterson was even Town Marshall for a while. Stay and enjoy Western hospitality at quaint restaurants, shops, galleries, inns, and many museums. Be sure and stop at the byway visitor center at the Trinidad History Museum in the Barglow building, where you'll learn about the families who built the kingdoms of ranching and coal on the Santa Fe Trail. Tour the historic Baca House and Bloom Mansion or the Santa Fe Trail Museum and stroll through the Victorian gardens of the complex, complete with a carriage house and courtyard.
The Santa Fe Trail offers a conglomeration of exciting cultures, regional history, and distinctive scenery. From hiking to festivals, wildlife watching to living history activities, the byway promises hours of excitement found nowhere else.
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