Leadville, CO

Sept. 5, 2010

Leadville, CO is one of my favorite towns in Colorado.  Before heading to Leadville you can go to their website and print out a self guided walking tour that lists the historic sites and a little history about each one.  I highly recommend it.  We did it and found it very interesting.

http://www.leadville.com/walktour

Leadville is rich in history and even said to be a ghost town.  On the main stretch there is actually an old saloon in original condition still standing.  It's just fascinating

Along the walking tour we discovered there is a train that takes visitors on a 2 hour tour through the old minig towns along the way.  It ranges from $20-$60 per person depending on what time of year you go and what's going on at the time.  We didn't have the time to do this the day we visited Leadville but it's definitely on my list of things to do when we get to go back.

Once we finished touring the town we wanted to explore the outdoor side of Leadville so we took a hike around Turquoise Lake. 

This trail loops around the lake and it's about 5.5 miles total.  I would classify this as a moderate trail.  There isn't really an elevation gain, but it has a lot of ups and downs and it's pretty rocky.  Along the way though there is a few old closed up mining caves.  It's interesting and the lake is beautiful.

Another thing on my to-do list for this area is to drive Independence Pass.  It runs from Leadville to Aspen and I remember it being a beautiful drive and there are a lot of old minig sites along the way.  It's only open during the summer season, but I'd like to drive it.  I'm sure that will be a blog to come!