Frontier Pathways Scenic Byway

I seldom feel like I've done justice to the absolutely gorgeous scenic byways in Colorado, although we've traveled all or part of several of them, and some sections multiple times. Frontier Pathways is one of the foremost byways I struggle to photograph well even though I've traveled its full length. The scenery includes steep, narrow canyon country, wide valleys

Golden hour light and a storm along the byway

leading up to the 13- and 14,000-foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo range, historic ranches, and Bishop Castle, likely the most eccentric edifice in this part of Colorado.

This 103-mile scenic byway is shaped somewhat like a wishbone, with the ends of the

Abandoned cabin found along the byway

wishbone forks leaving Interstate 25 at Pueblo in the north at State Highway 96 and Colorado City in the south at State Highway 165. The forks trend westward, meeting about 15 miles east of the little town of Silver Cliff, and following Highway 96 west to its terminus in Westcliffe.

The byway deserves its full name -- Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway -- and its designation as one of the 13 America's Byways in Colorado, because of the area's long history and importance. The Ute people inhabited this region for centuries before Europeans came. For a time, this frontier south of the Arkansas River was explored and utilized by the Spanish, French and Americans, who changed the boundaries of

Map of Zebulon Pike's route in Colorado

the territory more than once. From July 1806 and until February 1807, Zebulon Pike (for whom Pikes Peak is named) and his party, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson's War Department, explored the area; Pike's map is recreated on a highway marker just south of Westcliffe. Pike made a number of misinformed decisions during his journey in Colorado that pushed his exploration through the winter months -- from misidentifying rivers as he searched for the Red River (its source is much nearer Amarillo, Texas than Pueblo, Colorado, or the mountains north of Pueblo) by which to return east; to making a large loop that put him back at today's Canon City where he started after a month of winter travel; to his party not being properly equipped for mountain terrain or Colorado's winter weather, the likes of which they might never have experienced before. The expedition force spent several days in mid-January 1807 in the vicinity of today's Silver Cliff and Westcliffe, finally crossing over the Sangre de Cristos at Medano Pass as they traveled south. They ended up building a

Herd of elk seen near Westcliffe, Colorado

stockade to overwinter just south of present-day Alamosa before a Spanish military force found them and escorted them to Santa Fe, and later, Chihuahua.

While under Mexican control in the 1820's through 1840's, vast tracts of Colorado land were divided into land grants designed to encourage settlement in these boundless western spaces (such grants were also made in California, Arizona and New Mexico). Some of these grants still have some effect on land ownership today, even after the enormous holdings have been broken into ever-smaller pieces. The largest of these

Little Horn Peak (L) and Horn Peak (R) as seen from Westcliffe, with Fluted Peak between them

in Colorado -- more than 4 million acres -- extended from just south of Pueblo, west toward Silver Cliff (including portions of today's Frontier Pathways and the nearby Highway of Legends byways) and over the Sangre de Cristo range, following the range south toward the

Cliffs along Colorado Highway 96

Great Sand Dunes, then southeasterly to Trinidad, and east as far as Las Animas, and finally following the Arkansas River north nearly to Pueblo.

Later, in the 1870's, silver was discovered near what is now Silver Cliff, and by the 1880 census, the town's population was recorded at just over 5,000 people. However, not long afterward, the largest mine fell victim to speculators, and production declined steadily. Today, there are a number of small mining operations as well as ranches (some quite large) in the area, and the population of the entire county is less than 5,000 people.

Scenically, the byway goes from the plains in the east at Interstate 25, through the North Hardscrabble Creek canyon on Highway 96, the northern fork of the wishbone. The canyon is steep and narrow, heavily timbered and rocky, and sometimes difficult to photograph. The southern fork of the wishbone begins at Highway 165 at Colorado City and winds westerly through Rye below Greenhorn Mountain, then curves northerly to Lake Isabel between Greenhorn and St Charles Peak in the Wet Mountains. The small lake provides a frequently used recreational break from the heavily forested curves along this stretch of the byway.

Lake Isabel, a recreational opportunity along the byway

Then, just a few miles further on, the 160-foot Bishop Castle rises alongside the road -- the unconventional dream of its late builder. While many people climb to the turrets and the metal bridge between turrets, I've always been too cautious to do so, preferring to keep my feet firmly on the ground in the lower levels. Although the builder was known as a master

Bishop Castle is found along Highway 165

welder, and became quite the stonemason during his 60-odd years of working on it, I've never fully trusted the castle's features.

Interestingly, the fire-breathing dragon came about due to the donation of a large amount of scrap stainless steel left over from a different project. The dragon's scales are made from thousands of small plates fashioned from that trove. It stands 80 feet above the "Grand Ballroom" of the castle; the burner from a hot air balloon was later installed in the dragon's throat. A notable donation of old school bells led to building the tallest, square tower during the 1990's.

Several miles after Bishop Castle, Highway 165 meets Highway 96, and a left turn brings us to Silver Cliff and Westcliffe and the Wet Mountain valley. This is also one of several certified International Dark Sky communities in Colorado. The Smokey Jack Observatory holds one of the most powerful telescopes in Colorado and hosts events and workshops throughout the year. On our last visit, we noted a few of the Planet Walk markers -- these were designed at a 4-billion-to-one scale, as if the

Bay horse grazing below the Sangre de Cristos

sun was only 14 inches across, which still means that Pluto and the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft markers are 3.5 miles out of town! The in-town walking portion of the exhibit is just over a mile.

Besides those points of interest, Westcliffe also features this whimsical sculpture of a cowboy reading his new Sears Roebuck catalog with his worn-out boots behind him.

Whimsical sculpture found in Westcliffe

The wide, Wet Mountain valley where Silver Cliff and Westcliffe sit can be windy from the downslope flow off the Sangre de Cristo range just to the west, but the rugged peaks just outside town provide a beautiful vista for tourists and locals alike. We've seen these peaks on hot summer days, chilly fall days, winter days when the snow was blowing off the 13,000-plus-foot peaks as seen in the earlier photo, and when the rain poured down so hard it was difficult to see them at all. We've been over the various parts of this byway in different seasons over the past several years, and because this post has only scratched the surface, we can easily find reasons to visit again.

Now that it's officially spring you can order something from my online store to give your walls a bit of spring pick-me-up! I have several spring-themed images available such as Furled, White Beauty, or Spring Buzz. I'm extending free shipping until the end of April 2025, but I can't do it past then. So pick what you'd like, and if you have any questions, please contact me! I'll be happy to discuss your preferences to beautify your space.

#art #artphotography #naturephotography #homedecor #decorating #wallart #nature #coloradophotographer