20 | Gold Belt Tour

Length: 131 miles. Driving time: 5 hours.
Open All Year
Designated a National Scenic Byway

In the early 1890s the mining towns in the shadow of Pikes Peak enjoyed the greatest gold boom the state has ever known. This 131-mile circuit tours historic Cripple Creek, Florence, McCourt, Adelaide, Wilbur, Victor, and other former gold camps. The roads are narrow and rugged in places – one stretch of the Shelf Road clings to a canyon wall 200 feet above the stream bed – but the payoff comes in the outstanding scenery: majestic Pikes Peak, the unspoiled Beaver Creek Wilderness Study Area, spectacular Royal Gorge, and miles of high-country beauty. Two significant fossil areas – Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and the Garden Park Dinosaur Fossil Area – lie along the route.

The Gold Belt Tour follows historic railroad and stagecoach routes leading to North America’s greatest gold camp, three world-class fossil sites, and numerous historic sites. The Shelf and Phantom Canyon Roads cut along unpaved routes through winding canyons. Five byway communities allow a glimpse into this area’s rich heritage.

Features include:

• Main Towns: Cripple Creek; Canon City
• Called “The Greatest Gold Camp in the World”, surpassing the production of the entire California and Alaska gold rushes combined
• Royal Gorge Bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Mueller State Park
• Arkansas River
• 3 world-class fossil sites
• Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
• Designated a National Scenic Byway

Wildlife: Elk