Frontier Pathways Scenic Byway: by Irene Francis

If you are a person interested in seeing breathtaking beauty, and learning about a by-gone era of history you will enjoy touring the Frontier Pathways Scenic Byway. Colorado’s newest and last designated byway was approved in December, 1994. As you travel the byway you will have the opportunity to experience first hand the "Splendid Grandeur" of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which mark the Western edge of the byway.

Frontier Pathways is a 103-mile route that connects Colorado Highways 96 and 165 with Interstate 25. The El Pueblo Museum in Pueblo is the jumping off point for a Frontier Pathways tour for those visitors traveling I-25. Displays housed in the facility are a "reflection of the area as a cross roads of cultures." After leaving the museum the modern day explorer will be armed with knowledge necessary to fully appreciate what makes this byway unique.

Heading West on Highway 96, the first leg of the tour crosses an expanse of grassy plains with only occasional stubby pinion to interrupt a view that stretches for miles in all directions. Lake Pueblo State Park is visible; Pikes Peak looms in the distance. Some 20 miles beyond Lake Pueblo, the sweeping curve of Jackson Hill transports travelers from grassy plains into Hardscrabble Park. Pinion are replaced by their taller cousins, ponderosa, and the communities of Wetmore and Greenwood, each dating back to the early 1870s, come into view. Several old buildings, including the general store and original post office still stand. Beyond is the route followed by Major John Fremont during his travels in the region. The Hardscrabble Canyon, with its steep rock faces, sheer road-side cliffs, sharp curves and dense pine forest is home to bighorn sheep as well as deer, black bear, mountain lions and wild turkey. The road climbs some 2,000 feet in just three miles as it passes through the Canyon and emerges at McKenzie Junction.

At this point travelers may choose to turn south on Highway 165 to follow the Southern leg of the tour into Colorado City or continue West toward the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. If continuing West the travelers pass numerous old homesteads and mines. Once across Hardscrabble Pass, the Byway begins its decent into the Wet Mountain Valley, which lies serenely between the touring jagged peaks of the Sangres and the lush green slopes of the Wet Mountains that gives the Valley its name.

The Towns of Silver Cliff, known as an old mining town and Westcliffe, for its railroad history, retain their "Old West" flavor, mark the Western end of the Frontier Pathways tour and are a good place to leave the car for some exploring, shopping, or having a bite to eat. Several museums and buildings in the towns are listed on the State and Notional Register of Historical Places, including Hope Lutheran Church, the old "Westcliff" Schoolhouse and Silver Cliff Town Hall.

There are many Centennial Ranches still owned and operated by descendants of the first settlers. Remnants of mines and railroad buildings remind visitors that the first settlers of the area weren’t all ranchers. To take the Southern leg of the Frontier Pathways tour, backtrack out of the Valley to McKenzie Junction. Here Highway 96 connects with Highway 165, and winds South to Colorado City.

The route was originally planned in 1919 by Forest Service landscape architect Arthur Carhart to connect neighboring towns with his then new recreation sites. It curves and climbs for eight miles past numerous homesteads. They tell the story of a hard life for those who struggled to farm and ranch at an elevation of 9,000+ feet. Also located along Greenhorn Highway is Bishop Castle. This one-man project has been under construction for 25 years and is open to visitors year round.

Beyond Bishop Castle lies the Lake Isabel Forest Service Recreation Area. Once past Lake Isabel, the Frontier Pathways gradually descends into Colorado City where the Great Plains spread like a grassy ocean to the East. The Cuerno Verde Rest Stop and Information Center in Colorado City marks the Southern end and completion of the Frontier Pathways tour.