This rest area is clean and relatively quiet. There are electrical plugs in the rest room and…read moreoutside. This is nice for charging your devices especially if you are on the road. Vending machines are available. Plenty of parking.

Well placed and maintained we were happy to have a place for a break. We arrived after dark so the…read moregreat lighting was appreciated. There was ample auto parking at 10:00 pm. Often this is not the case. The semi truck area was full. There were trash bins available and the grass was mowed! Husband said men's room was immaculate and smelled like it had been recently cleaned. That said I'm going to agree with the ladies who gave the women's restroom a big thumbs down ! It was filthy dirty and obviously looked like some gross idiot traveler had a mental health issue and smeared two of the stalls with nasty. The bins were overflowing. So not someplace I'd recommend for ladies needing freshening. Otherwise it was great. Thank you

The now ghosttown of Ludlow, pays homage and rememberance to the Ludlow Massacre…read more It certainly shows the consequences that occurred when going on strike as a coal mine worker. About two dozen miners, wives and children were killed by the Colorado National Guard and private guards from the Colorado Iron and Fuel Company for striking due to poor labr conditions. Shameful. After reading about the massacre, you can then drive up the road and see what's left of the town. It's not much, but interesting to see the history.

The Ludlow Memorial and the remnants of the town of the same name Capture a little known chapter in…read morethe history of labor rights in the United States. An escalating standoff between striking coal miners, and coal company management of Rockefeller ownership... Later strengthened by the Colorado national guard... Culminated in a massacre on April 20, 1914, in which 25 men, women, and children were gunned down or burned alive in tents soaked in kerosene and set ablaze. The monument itself is a work in progress, with a modest construction, and a few informational signs with timelines and such. Just up the road, the ghost town of Ludlow still has a few structures standing from that time period, although much of it has been consumed by weather and time. The story of these early labor union organizers was, candidly, more inspiring to me than the monument that stands in their vigil, but it also served as a reason for us to learn more about this dark and a little known chapter of our history as a country, and for that, it was worth a stop on our road trip, even for just a couple of minutes to stretch our legs and expand our minds.

It's always interesting to make a quick stop to stretch and see something interesting and new on…read moreroad trips. The scenery on both sides of the interstate is interesting and beautiful. So if you're tired of driving and feel like stretching stop and see the lonely Butte and the ominously large mountains on the other side.

I'm all about the historical markers and this one was odd. It is way out in the middle of nowhere…read moreon a road I drove between Colorado Springs CO and Taos NM. Surprising I spotted it, but the sun hit it just right and so the marker reads: The oldest continuously used ditch in Colorado, with court decree priority No 1, and dating from April 10 1852. Dug by the pioneer settlers of Colorado. Colorado's greatness is built upon irrigation. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado, the Heirs of the Pioneers and the Irrigation Centennial Commission. April 10, 1952. The website gives a bit more info: Discover "acequias" (gravity-fed irrigation systems) in one of the oldest communities in Colorado. Serving the village of San Luis de la Culebra before Colorado was a Territory, the People's Ditch was initially a shallow hand-dug irrigation channel. Later, oxen pulling a plow widened and extended the ditch. Operating under Water District 24 of Division 3, the People's Ditch holds the first adjudicated water rights in Colorado. The People's Ditch serves 16 "parcientes" (affiliated water users) and irrigates approximately 2100 acres of hay & other row crops. A majority of parcientes are descendants of the original founders of the acequia.

It's pretty and functional! This the view from down the road... The mountains in the distance are…read morebeautiful. I recommend seeing the sun rise over them from the mesa.

We finally got the opportunity to visit this Colorado landmark and structure. We were fortunate…read moreenough to be visiting the area, and they had just opened up Hwy 160 the day before (closed for more than a month due to the Aspen Acres forest fire). The castle was larger and taller than I expected, and we spent hours wandering around it taking photos (there were some areas like the tallest tower, we were not brave enough to quest). They had a nice gift store on location where I got to meet Jellybean the small dog, and they also have portable toilets on site which were well maintained. After visiting the area and even living in Colorado in the past, we had never thought about visiting Bishops Castle and now regret we did not do it earlier. Definitely, a must see landmark in Colorado and they do take donations.

In the traditional sense. But definitely historic as in something that you should see. It's about…read morean hour south of denver. And well worth the drive. If you go in Winter make sure you have snow tires or chains. Be smart about this. This is colorado. Was much more advanced and creative than I had been told. I would go back again to see what kind of advancement has been made. Appears to be pretty much structurally sound. Although if you weigh over 130 lb I would be cautious in going on the scaffolding. What's that being said the majority of the structure is very stable and very secure. While you were there, please be respectful. Respectful of others. Respectful of the property and respectful of the effort that has gone into this work of art. This is one man's dream that has come to fruition. There is a donation box. It is advisable I would leave a donation. I left $20 which I thought was more than worth it to see this marvel.

If you're heading north on Interstate 25 coming from New Mexico, you'll notice this Welcome to…read moreColorful Colorado Sign of Raton Pass off to the right hand side of the highway. There'll be a small pullover area to park where you can safely exit your car and grab a photo with the sign. For any person looking to say they've "arrived" in Colorado, it's a playful picture moment, lol. Also, for stopping by around 10am the sun was in perfect positioning in the sky for photos. It'll be at your back and the Colorful Colorado Sign will stand out exceptionally. So...therefore, if you show up in afternoon time, it'll be a poor time to visit as you'll obviously be facing the sun, lol. If anyone out there is actually really reading this...make sure to be driving in the morning. Hahaha And when getting your pictures in, you may notice the Huerfano Butte situated in the backdrop making for a scenic setting, especially in summertime. It's actually a pretty photogenic moment. Lastly, when finishing up driving 13 miles north into the town of Trinidad, Colorado, don't forget to visit Simpson's Rest, a fantastic overlook viewpoint from high above the downtown suburbs of Trinidad. It's a terrific introduction into your Colorado explorations and wherever your next destination may be. Overall, I give two thumbs up for this Welcome to Colorful Colorado Sign of Raton Pass.

Iconic and absolutely worth the stop! The "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign is the perfect photo…read moreop to kick off your Colorado adventure. We pulled over for a quick picture and it felt like a classic road trip moment. Beautiful backdrop, easy to access, and a fun way to mark your journey. Five stars for this memorable roadside landmark!

On your way to Bent's Fort up the road, I hope you take an hour or so to visit this fine museum in…read moreFowler. Or it's just a great day trip destination. What caught our eye was the weathered 1800s cabin, jail cages and wagon next to the museum. We thought..."this could be interesting"-and it was! Monty McCanless, who is a tireless worker and member of the Historical Society, gave us a personal tour. First, the 1800s kitchen complete with wood burning stove, side board, table, utensils and pantry staples. There is much in this museum that relates to early pioneering women: their dress, quilting, and a club -The International Federation of Women's Club (that my mom belonged to several states west) scrapbooks and memorabilia. Fowler blossomed with introduction of a canal and sophisticated irrigation systems in the 1800s. You see pictures of the irrigation pipes as well as the pipes and maps. Many trades, occupations are chronicled. There are doctor and optometrist tools, branding irons and brands, saddles of popular locals, inside of a post office, old electric gas station signs, sharks tooth and arrowhead collections and a few Native American artifacts. This hardly scratches the surface of what's there...well displayed BTW.

Las Animas nearly died due to Covid, the sad fact that history gets lost when little towns suffer…read morefinancially. Somehow this museum survived. Make sure you set aside a couple of hours when you come to visit. The history of Las Animas and the characters that made the town are well documented here. The tour guide at the museum is a wealth of knowledge, and the presentation is simply spell binding. If you have noticed the museum and wondered, make a point to go. Enjoy and learn of Las Animas' unique yet important place in the history of Colirado. If you think you will be boared, you are soo wrong, this place is well done and fascinating.

Great Lake with camping spots and Beautiful views. A little on the windy side. The lake is long so…read moregood for wakeboarding or tubing. Bathrooms are clean and have lots of toilet paper! South shore camping is known to have more nature. There was a mountain lion spotted in the area before our arrival. There are critters so make sure food is secure when you leave the site for the day. Not good if you want your dog off leash. Even well behaved dogs, they are very strict.

We stayed at this campground, in Colorado but close to the New Mexico border, for one night in our…read moresmall Class B camper van in late April, 2024. We actually had reservations further along at a national park but decided to shorten our driving distances for the day. We were able to make our reservation online. This is a very nice campground, with sites nicely spaced out and some nice amenities. We were in the Carpios Ridge campground which has 63 sites for RVs, trailers, and tents on a ridge 150' above the lake. We're actually pleased that our mapping app took us on an indirect route to the campground as our site did not have a water-view and we might have missed the lake otherwise! My understanding is that this is an Army Corps of Engineers (COE) campground that is managed by the state of Colorado. In April, 2024, the seven sites with full hookups were $41, with only 50 amp electricity: $36, and basic: $28. You also need to purchase a state of Colorado daily vehicle pass for $10. (This is expensive as we've stayed at other COE campgrounds for 1/2 off as holders of the NPS interagency senior pass, and without the need for a vehicle pass. $46 with state of Colorado management vs $18 were it COE management -- plus we had already paid for a site at Zapata Falls Campground that we wouldn't be using. The campground has clean restrooms and free showers (for campers only), as well as laundry facilities (in theory) and a book exchange. There are shared water spigots, as well as walking trails in the vicinity. There is also a shared dump station. The Visitors Center was already closed when we arrived and wasn't open yet when we left the following morning but we were able to buy our vehicle pass at a kiosk. We saw rangers patrolling the area. Only two concerns are worth noting. First, as already mentioned, the discrepancy between pricing of state and COE campgrounds. Also, the washing machine ate my $2 without the machine starting. More than the irritation of losing the $2, we really needed to do laundry after having been on the road for few week.