Experiences
Alamosa
Head over La Veta Pass from Walsenburg and discover Alamosa and all it has to offer, from authentic local cuisine to historic train rides through the Rocky Mountains. This city has a unique combination of attractions, most notably the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, which brings nearly half a million visitors annually. Other [...]
Trinidad Lake State Park
Trinidad Lake State Park, just west of Trinidad and nestled in in the foothills of the Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is an ideal hub for exploring beautiful Southern Colorado and for escaping the crowds that tend to fill other Colorado State Parks. Although the park sits at 6,3000 feet in elevation, [...]
Custer County
Custer County lies directly northwest of Huerfano County and is joined with Spanish Peaks Country via Highway 69. The towns of Westcliffe/Silver Cliff are the most populated towns in Custer County, although they are still very rural with many of their residents still relying on ranching for their income. Westcliffe/Silver Cliff are tucked in the [...]
OHVing in Spanish Peaks Country
Relieve stress, enjoy Southern Colorado's great weather, spend time with family and friends, and have loads of fun on a four-wheeling adventure. Spanish Peaks Country offers miles of trails for the novice and experienced rider. From open meadows to forested trails, an OHV ride will showcase the region’s famous landscapes. #1 & #2 - Cuchara [...]
Biking in Spanish Peaks Country
Spanish Peaks Country is gorgeous, and what better way to soak it all in than on a bike? Whether you’re into a mellow ride or something more intense, the towns of Walsenburg, La Veta, and Cuchara have the trail for you! For more information, visit www.LaVetaTrails.com. Take your cruiser or road bike on the following [...]
Frontier Pathways Scenic & Historic Byway
The wishbone-shaped Frontier Pathways Scenic & Historic Byway starts in Pueblo, travels west into Westcliffe/Silver Cliff, and then south into Colorado City. The two-lane highway is 103 miles long and showcases pastoral landscapes, the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, sharp mesas, Hardscrabble Canyon, and the Arkansas River. Once in the San Isabel National Forest, views [...]
Francisco Center for the Performing Arts
The Spoon River Players performed its first play, The Silver Whistle, on July 31, 1976 in an old, 1892 Presbyterian church on Francisco Street. William H. Adamson built the white, wooden church for $1,200. It initially contained two rooms, a 38-foot by 40-foot audience room, and a second 16-foot by 22-foot room. In 1893, the [...]
Spanish Peaks Birding Trail
Colorado Parks and Wildlife began building the statewide Colorado Birding Trail in 2000, connecting points rich in birds and wildlife. The trail now consists of three regions—Western Colorado, Rocky Mountains, and Eastern Plains. It's in the Rocky Mountain region that you'll find the Spanish Peaks Birding Trail. The Spanish Peaks Birding Trail follows the Highway [...]
La Veta Pass
La Veta Pass (more properly known as North La Veta Pass) bridges the Sangre de Cristo Mountains between the eastern plains and the San Luis Valley at an elevation of 9,413 feet. It lies 1.6 miles northeast of Old La Veta pass and is now accessed via Highway 160. Old La Veta Pass was once [...]
Walsenburg and La Veta Parks
Spanish Peaks Country’s public parks serve a vital role for locals and visitors alike. From baseball fields and playgrounds to skate parks and basketball courts, there’s something for everyone. Whether you live in town or are visiting for a day or two, be sure to check out one of our parks to play, relax, or [...]
Walsenburg Wild Waters
Beat the heat at Walsenburg Wild Waters, Spanish Peaks Country’s family-friendly water park. With three different pools, a lazy river, two giant water slides, and interactive water features including fountains, sprays, and dumping bucket, you’re sure to have a splashin’ good time at Walsenburg Wild Waters! The water park’s zero-entry pool allows the youngest of [...]
Rio Grande Scenic Railroad
The Denver and Rio Grande Railway first crossed the Rocky Mountains over La Veta Pass as a passenger train in 1877. Though that passenger train ran for only a few years, the route reopened in 2006 as the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad, a passenger train with trips starting in La Veta and Alamosa. Enjoy a [...]
La Veta Art Galleries
La Veta may be small and laid-back, but it’s also the art hub of the Spanish Peaks Region. Galleries featuring local, national, and international artists dot La Veta’s quaint Main Street. Art lovers are encouraged to spend time in La Veta and check out the following galleries. #1 - Shalawalla Gallery, Gift Shop, and School [...]
Cuchara Trails
Cuchara, with its lush, pine forests, is made for hiking. Plan your next weekend getaway to Cuchara and spend your days lost in nature on any one of the following trails. #1 - Spring Creek Trail 10 miles | Moderate to Difficult The Spring Creek Trail is a moderate to difficult trail that winds up [...]
Walsenburg Trails
From Walsenburg, take a quick hike in Lathrop State Park or head north for the more arduous, yet adventurous, Lily Lake Trail. #1 - Hogback Nature Trail 2 miles | Gentle The Hogback Nature Trail at Lathrop State Park winds through sandstone formations before climbing up the rocky Hogback Ridge that forms the park's northern [...]
Highway of Legends Scenic Byway
State Highway 12, the Scenic Highway of Legends, ties Walsenburg, La Veta, Cuchara, Stonewall, Trinidad, and Aguilar together with a ribbon of asphalt that journeys through some of the nation’s most beautiful national forests, state parks, wildlife areas, and mountain ranges. Highway 12 was designated a Colorado State Byway in 1987 and a National Forest [...]
Fishing in Spanish Peaks Country
With a wide range of waters from high mountain lakes and streams to rivers, reservoirs, and lakes, you’ll find a variety of cold and warm water fish in and around Spanish Peaks Country. Check out the following Spanish Peaks fishing holes: #1 - Lathrop State Park Fish for largemouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie, walleye, rainbow [...]
Lathrop State Park
Colorado’s first state park, Lathrop State Park features two lakes and nearly 1,600 acres of recreational land nestled among the pinyons and junipers of the Spanish Peaks' foothills. Martin Lake offers water skiing, power, and sail boating. It’s also a warm-water lake, making it great for swimming. Horseshoe Lake is a peaceful haven for canoeists, [...]
Walsenburg Mining Museum
Walsenburg was called the “City Built on Coal” during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and nowhere else in Spanish Peaks County will give you as much opportunity to learn why than the Walsenburg Mining Museum. Follow the battles between the coal miners and mine operators, examine artifacts associated with the mining industry, and [...]
Museum of Friends
Manhattan expat artists Brendt Berger and Maria Cocchiarelli Berger opened the Museum of Friends in 2006 in a 6,000-square-foot building in the heart of downtown Walsenburg. While they wished to bring art and culture to Walsenburg, they also believed there was more meaning to collecting art than as an investment. For them, art was to [...]
Pueblo
Take a quick and easy drive north of Walsenburg and discover Pueblo, a culturally and historically-rich Colorado city made famous by being one of the largest steel-producing cities in the U.S. Built in 1881, Pueblo's Colorado Fuel and Iron Steel Mill attracted a large number of immigrant laborers, resulting in Pueblo becoming the most ethnically [...]
Twelve Must-Dos in Spanish Peaks Country
There’s so much to do in Spanish Peaks County, where does one start? Good thing we compiled a list of some of our favorite activities. Take our challenge and try to do all 10! Find that one-of-a-kind item on Walsenburg’s Main Street and at the Antique Mall Go four-wheeling over Medano Pass to the Great [...]
The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Nestled in Southern Colorado, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve features North America's tallest dunes, which rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This fragile and complex ecosystem, which receives roughly 300,000 visitors annually, is an outdoor playground unlike any other. Hiking is the most popular activity at [...]
La Veta School for the Arts
Treat yourself to a creative experience you won't soon forget at La Veta School for the Arts. With well-known, respected instructors, La Veta School for the Arts has established a strong reputation for offering quality educational artistic experiences in one of the most breathtaking undiscovered parts of Colorado. Workshops include anything from photography and painting [...]
La Veta Trails
La Veta is a pocket of pristine beauty in the heart of Spanish Peaks Country. While a variety of recreational opportunities are available to all visitors, it’s the city’s trails that bring people back again and again. Whether you like to walk, run, or bike, there’s a trail for you ranging from easy to difficult. [...]
Trinidad
Drive half an hour south of Walsenburg and check out Trinidad, a place where no one is a stranger, art thrives, and history runs deep. Just 12 miles north of the New Mexico border and Raton Pass, Trinidad offers visitors grand, historic architecture, a unique blend of culture, wildly fun events, and lots of opportunities [...]
Mission: Wolf
Mission: Wolf is a peaceful sanctuary for captive wolves and wolf-dog crosses in the mountains of Huerfano County. The more than 30 wolves and wolf-dog crosses living at Mission: Wolf all have one thing in common—they were born in a cage. At Mission: Wolf, these animals are given a second chance at a happy life [...]
Fox Theatre
The Fox Theatre, a Walsenburg historic landmark, dates back to 1917 when it was named the Star Theatre. Upon its opening, the Walsenburg World reported, “Besides being a high-class picture show-house, the Star is now Walsenburg’s largest and best-equipped hall for plays, vaudeville or conventions.” In 1929, the theatre began showing talking pictures, its interior [...]
Francisco Fort Museum
Colonel John M. Francisco founded a trading post at the foot of the Spanish Peaks in Colorado Territory in 1862, around which the small town of La Veta grew. Legend tells us that upon reaching the verdant Upper Cuchara Valley in present-day Huerfano County, he declared, “This is paradise enough for me,” and settled down. [...]