On The Road
SCENIC BYWAYS
2,600+ MILES
Thirty years ago, Colorado's Scenic and Historic Byways program set out to preserve and promote the state's best drives. That initiative has grown to include 26 excursions and more than 2,600 miles of glorious roads. Here, 10 of those tripswith plenty of quaking aspens, pit stop diversions, and selfie-ready vistasto take this fall. Buckle up!
1 Cache La Poudre/North Park
101 MILES |||| FORT COLLINS ▸ WALDEN
In the early 1900s, crews of convicts helped blast away granite rock in Larimer County's Big Narrows to accommodate a stretch of road alongside one of the country's most iconic waterways. (Truly: The Cache la Poudre River is the state's only National Wild and Scenic River, a designation made by the National Park Service.) The river is so narrow it's often white water, but by September the muddy spring snowmelt has cleared and you can often see its resident rainbow trout. Drive west to crest Cameron Passwhich tops out at 10,276 feetand enter a glacial valley that is inhabited by plenty of moose (time for a game of I Spy).
Roadside Attraction: Got wiggly kids in the back seat asking, “Are we there yet?” Stop at Hewlett Gulch Trail, a three-mile (one way) gentle trek where they can run, bike, or hike. 150 Hewlett Gulch Trail, Bellvue, fs.usda.gov
'Grammable Spot: When driving west, pull over just past Cameron Pass for views of Seven Utes Mountain.
Before you hit the byway, load up on plenty of surf,
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