Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic & Historic Byway

1. Cumbres Pass
Cumbres Pass is the southern gateway to the San Luis Valley and to Los Caminos Antiguos. For thousands of years, nomads gathered berries, herbs, roots, and nuts on this high pass, hunting antelope, bear, and bighorn sheep. Colorado/New Mexico border on Colorado Highway 17, Rio Grande National Forest.

2. Cumbres and Toltec Railroad Section House
The Cumbres & Toltec Railroad Section House. The Nation’s longest and highest narrow gauge railroad passes this way between Antonito, CO and Chama, NM. CO HWY 17, near mile marker 4.

3. Cumbres and Toltec Water Tank Meadow
The coniferous forest along this mountain stretch of the Byway are home to many small mammals and songbirds. In winter, these habitats are buried under a deep blanket of snow. CO Hwy 17, near mile marker 8.

As the byway does a switchback high above Conejos Canyon, the overlook wayside site provides an unbelievably beautiful view. The byway then drops off the mountain and follows the Rio Conejos through the montane forest of ponderosa pine and aspen, out onto the dry Valley floor. CO Hwy 17, mile marker 14, 24 miles southwest of Antonito.

Conejos River Canyon Bighorn Release Area. Look for deer and bighorn sheep in areas along the Conejos, west of Antonito. Once out on the Valley floor, the habitat changes dramatically. Pronghorn antelope replace deer and elk in some of the dry high-desert habitats along the road, On CO Hwy 17, southwest of Antonito.

The Ruins of the San Isidro Church in Las Mesitas, Colorado. Built in 1878, destroyed by fire in 1975. sits along CO Hwy 17, between miles marker 32 and 34, 6.8 miles southwest of Antonito. While driving, hiking or floating river corridors you might see golden eagles, songbirds, woodpeckers, waterfowl, shorebirds, beavers, deer and porcupines.

7. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
In Conejos, there is a beautiful mission church, the oldest parish in Colorado and on the National Historic Register of Historic Places.Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish was founded in 1858 the parish is the oldest in Colorado. The foundation of this pioneer church were those of a log “jacal”(vertical logs lashed together and plastered with adobe). A larger adobe structure with prominent bell towers was built around the church in 1863. The original statue of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, brought by the first settlers of the area, sits above the exterior entrance. The church is open daily for worship or visitation.

8. McIntire Springs and Pike’s Stockade
The water table here abuts hard, volcanic formations creating warm natural springs and streams. In the winter of 1807 Lieutenant Zebulon Pike built a small stockade nearby, now a National and Historic Landmark, where the warm springs thawed the frozen Conejos River, assuring a water supply. Located northeast of Sanford, CR 20 & CR Y. A side trip from Manassa.

9. Jack Dempsey Museum
Visit the Jack Dempsey Museum in Manassa, then explore the Sego Springs State Wildlife Area. Sego Springs is 3 miles east of Manassa on CO 142, then .5 miles north on a dirt access road.

The dark, rocky slopes of the San Luis Hills rise from the Valley floor near the Rio Grande Gorge in New Mexico, located 12 miles east of Manassa on CO Hwy 142, 19 miles west of San Luis. Watch out for rattlesnakes!

11. Rio Grande Crossing
A century after Columbus’ landing, Don Juan de Onate claimed all lands drained by El Rio Bravo del Norte (The Rio Grande) for King Phillip II of Spain. Trails and traces of Spanish Entradas (probes) are evident in this area.  This crossing is 11.5 miles east of Manassa on CO Hwy 142. just east of mile marker 14 BLM. From the Rio Grande crossing, the scenic Byway crosses the dry, cold desert of the Velley floor to the foothills of the Culebra Ranch, an offset portion of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. This area was once part of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant and since the 1840’s has been private land. One of Colorado’s largest and most successful Ranching for Wildlife Projects, the Trinchera Ranch, occupies the northern part of this range.

A new outdoor classroom and enhanced visitor area at the Historic Lobatos Bridge is helping connect people to the natural and cultural heritage of the San Luis Valley. Through support from the Great Outdoors Fund, Great Outdoors Colorado, and numerous community partners, improvements have been made to the site to create a welcoming place for learning, recreation, and exploration along the Rio Grande. Located where the bridge connects Costilla and Conejos Counties, the new outdoor classroom and visitor area are designed to encourage residents and visitors to experience the river while learning about the history, ecology, and culture of the San Luis Valley.

12. San Pedro Mesa Overlook
The Stations of the Cross Shrine is a series of bronze sculptures by Huberto Maestas along a trail leading to the exquisite All Saints Chapel at the top of San Pedro Mesa.  Located at Intersection of Hwy 142 and Hwy 159. in San Luis, Colorado’s oldest town and oldest business, R&R Market (on the list of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places.)  The San Luis Museum and Cultural Center and villages of San Acacio, Chama, San Pablo and San Francisco are very special. The pilgrimage up the side of the mesa that borders the main street of San Luis is worth the effort. Along the meditative journey, the 3/4 life size bronze statues, by local sculptor Huberto Maestas, depict Christ’s last hours. The Capilla de Todos los Santos, the ‘Chapel of All Saints”, offers pilgrims a place for meditation and prayer. With panoramic views of the southeastern reach of the San Luis Valley, the top of the mesa also offers other walks with sculptures of martyrs and saints.

13. Fort Garland and Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center
At Fort Garland, stop at the Community Park to rest. Enjoy the stained-glass master pieces in the Holy Family Church just west of the park. Take several hours to enjoy the Fort Garland Museum for a historical treat of the Valley’s Civil War days. Follow US Hwy 160 to just west of the historic railroad town of Blanca.

The Zapata Falls Picnic Area gives an outstanding view of the immense San Luis Valley floor. Take a short, steep hike through the pinon-juniper forest to the impressive natural falls along Zapata Creek. Take CO Hwy 150 at mile marker 10.5, five miles south of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, watch for the Zapata Falls Recreation Area sign on the east side of the highway, take the improved gravel road to the parking area at the falls trailhead. Then take the short trek to see Zapata Falls. The easy hike from the parking lot to the falls is rewarded with a spectacular 40 foot waterfall located in a steep, narrow crevice. This waterfall can be enjoyed year-round and is just as beautiful when it is frozen. The entrance to the crevice is accessible by walking through a stream, climbing a small ladder and walking through a gorge. There are picnic areas and restrooms available in the day use area.

15. Zapata Ranch
The historic Zapata Ranch is a National Historic Site with an old stagecoach station. This riparian area is a birder’s paradise, especially during spring and fall migrations. Take CO Hwy 150 at mile marker 12, five miles south of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. This 103,000 acre ranch is a working cattle and bison ranch that is managed privately but open to the public through prearranged guided tours and ranch vacations. Cattle and bison roam the high desert grasslands in managed grazing patterns to conserve and enhance cultural resources. Two ranches comprise the property, the Medano Ranch and the Zapata Ranch, and both are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Just to the north of Zapata Ranch is the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Plan to spend a morning, afternoon or all day.  Bring binoculars, a camera, water and some sunscreen. The Great Sand Dunes have the distinction of being the tallest dunes in North America and offers fun for families and outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to dunes, there are trails, camping, educational programs, art exhibits, special event programming, a gift shop, towering peaks and wonderful wildlife watching opportunities. Unique to the park are insect species found nowhere else in the world and some of the oldest known archaeological sites in North America. If you have a 4WD vehicle, ask Park Rangers about traveling the Medano Pass 4WD road into the heart of the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rio Grande National Forest.

18. San Luis State Park and Wildlife Area
San Luis State Park and Wildlife Area has a modern campground, picnic facilities and wonderful watchable wildlife trails and blinds. Elk, songbirds, coyotes, kangaroo rats and rabbits are common sights here. An excellent spot for fishing when water levels are high enough, with spectacular views of Mt. Blanca and the Dunes. Alamosa County Lane 6 North, 8 miles east of CO Hwy 17 and 6 miles west of CO Hwy 150/ Lane 6 North intersection. A variety of activities can be enjoyed while visiting the Colorado State Park. Hiking and mountain biking trails are suitable for most ability levels, wildlife is abundant and waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors never disappoint bird watchers. Fishing and other water sports can be enjoyed when water levels are high enough. Camping is also available through www.parks.state.co.us/parks/sanluis/pages/sanluislakes.aspx

19. Gateway to the Byway
Near the intersection of CO Hwy 17 and the “Sand Dunes Road” (County Lane 6), the Byway is surrounded by agricultural lands, often popular feeding and loafing areas for migrating cranes, geese and waterfowl. Pause to learn more of the local history at the Byway Interpretive Sign.

East of US HWY 17, seven miles north of Alamosa, take Alamosa CR 2 southeast approximately 6 miles to entrance. Closed during waterfowl nesting season.(Feb 15-July15). Rare snowy plovers nest here and the area is a birder’s delight during spring, summer and fall. The Blanca Wetlands is a series of ponds, playas, marshes and wet meadows that were once part of a larger network of wetlands connecting the desert scrub floor across the San Luis Valley. A lower water table and decreasing amount of snow in the mountains has meant shrinking wetland areas in the valley. It is a birder’s paradise with sandpipers, snowy plovers, avocets, white-faced ibis and the yellow-headed black bird. The area is closed from Feb 15-July 15 during nesting season.

21. Historic Alamosa and Rio Grande River
The byway continues along Hwy 17 into the Valley’s largest urban area at Alamosa. There is plenty of wildlife along the Rio Grande as it runs through town, and around the old oxbows, wetlands on the Alamosa Ranch, irrigated hay meadows and farm fields along the river. Visit the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, 3 miles east of Alamosa, south of US Hwy 160 on El Rancho Road.