Goodwin Lake near Westcliffe

Big Horn Sheep

When silver was king in 1881, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad expanded from Canon City west and built Westcliffe. After silver went bust, Westcliffe managed to hang on as a ranching and farming community. Silver ore was first discovered in black stained cliffs in 1878.

The new Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway connect Rye/San Isabel, Westcliffe and Colorado City/Pueblo via Colorado Highways 165 and 96.

SUGGESTED STOPS ON THE FRONTIER PATHWAYS
SCENIC AND HISTORIC BYWAY

Be sure to stop and see The Colfax Colony Experiment 4.5 miles south on SH69. Carl Wulsten formed this German Colony bringing 100 families from Chicago in March 1871 by December the colony fell apart. The "Westcliff" Schoolhouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located on 4th street, was dedicated on Christmas Eve 1891. No one knows why the school name, still visible above the door as "Westcliff" spelled without the 'e'. Mingus Homestead, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located on Forest Service Road 383 near mile marker 11, stay to the right when the road forks, about 1 mile off Highway 165. The town of Ula is nothing more than a cemetery and cabin you can see from Highway 69 near mile marker 63.2. Ula was the first settlement in the valley boasting a post office, general store and hotel.

Just north of town is Lake DeWeese, in the bowl of the Wet Mountain Valley, which offers fishing and water sports. Grape Creek, which flows below the reservoir, has rainbow and brown trout. Lake Isabel, in the San Isabel National Forest, is ideal for picnicking, fishing and hiking. Lakes of the Clouds, at 11,200', are accessible by four-wheel drive or hiking in 5 miles. But the trip is worth it as the remote beaver ponds below the lakes have brook and cutthroat trout while the upper lake has rainbow trout.

In the winter, try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in the area.

Westcliffe is near: Royal Gorge & San Isabel