This amazing journey down the southwestern corner of Colorado counts as both a Scenic and Historic Byway because it's distinguished by unique characteristics and resources of regional, state, national, and global significance. Spanning more than 130 miles from Whitewater to Placerville, Colorado, along state Highways 141 and 145, the route includes numerous side roads, trails, and turnouts providing access to attractions like Paradox Valley
(via the byway spur along Highway 90), the Hanging Flume, and Unaweep Seep. Much of the byway is within and adjacent to the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area, a nature preserve of more than 200,000 acres managed by BLM.
The name of the byway comes from the Ute language. Unaweep is from a word meaning
"canyon of two mouths" or "parting of the waters." It's the only canyon of its kind in the world where there is a low divide within the canyon; the waters of East Creek and West Creek separate and flow in opposite directions (East Creek to the Gunnison River and West Creek to the Dolores River). Tabeguache (pronounced TAB-uh-wahch) is named for the Tabeguache Ute band and means People of Sun Mountain, or possibly, "people living on the warm side of the mountain."
The attributes and geology of the canyons change multiple times throughout the drive. From some of the oldest visible rocks on earth to far more recent sedimentary formations, the byway's geologic variety is entrancing. For example, along the northern section, there's
incredibly ancient metamorphic and igneous rock visible; some is dated as far back as 1.7 billion years. Enormous pegmatite seams can be seen almost everywhere you look -- most are creamy or even pink. Then as the highway sweeps around a bend, Thimble Rock comes into view, standing about 1,200 feet above the valley floor. This formation is made up of granite with beautiful black granite seams where magma was squeezed through and into cracks of the older rock by incredible forces about 1.4 billion years ago.
Farther south, we find the deep-red sandstones familiar to anyone who has traveled through southeastern Utah and its many national parks. Some of these include Chinle, Kayenta, and Morrison Formations, along with Wingate, Entrada, and Dakota sandstones. These were historically and currently exploited for the uranium, vanadium, gold, copper, and other precious minerals found in them.
The change from predominately metamorphic and igneous formations to red sandstone happens pretty close to Gateway, Colorado. This tiny burg is dominated by the towering formation called The Palisade, with a prominence nearly 2,000 feet above the town, and extending for 3 miles. The butte is part of The Palisade Area of Critical Environmental Concern and The Palisade Wilderness Study Area, both of which are managed by BLM.
For history and engineering buffs, the remnants of Hanging Flume, one of the historical wonders of the area can be seen in a red rock canyon above the Dolores River. This flume
was built in the late 1880's to transport water for a placer gold claim nearby. The 5-mile long engineering feat took about 3 years to complete. The flume was 4 feet deep and 5 feet, 4 inches wide, and could carry more than 23 million gallons of water every 24 hours to power the high-pressure hydraulic nozzles used to separate gold from gravel. It's on the National Register of Historic Places as well as the State Historical Fund and the World's 100 Most Endangered Sites list. This was as far south as we got during this trip, so we'll have to visit again.
Since prehistoric times, these canyons were home to many native peoples, with several caves and rock shelters listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. Additionally, there are multiple locations where petroglyphs and hieroglyphics can be seen.
Other historical notes include the many remains of uranium mines that can be seen high on the steep slopes. A radioactive mineral called carnotite was discovered in this area in 1898. It's a uranium and vanadium ore-carrying mineral that was particularly sought-after from the 1920's through the 1940's, with some of the product even having been used for the Manhattan Project. In fact, from around 1910 through 1922, this area produced half the world's radium supply. At one point, a company town called Uravan existed to house miners and their families; today it is a Superfund site. One of the
distinctive mesas near many of the uranium-vanadium mining sites is called Blue Mesa (not to be confused with the Blue Mesa near Gunnison and Blue Mesa Reservoir). This Blue Mesa is even identifiable on Google Maps because of the distinctive blue-green mudstone visible all around its rim -- literally iron deposits that remained underwater for a very, very long time. It's an especially recognizable feature of Morrison Formation geology, and is apparently common in regions where uranium deposits are found.
Not to be completely shut out by the unique geologic and historic aspects of this byway are some of its biological features. Possibly the most interesting of these is the Unaweep Seep Natural Area, a noticeable and relatively large wetland habitat in this arid, semi-desert region. The Seep is actually marshy, and the information sign warns that there are no paths or easy hiking within it. As seen in the photo below, the Seep is clearly marked by the riot of
vegetation below the arid slopes, where the groundwater is close to the surface and drains into West Creek next to the highway. The abundance of water just beneath the surface is seen by the hummocky meadow area in the lower right of the photo. This wetland is habitat for Nokomis Silverspot butterflies (Speyeria nokomis nokomis) because bog violets, the only food eaten by their larvae, grow here. There are few habitats suitable for them and only 10 documented populations, so they were listed as 'threatened' under the Endangered Species Act in early 2024. The Seep also supports giant helleborine orchids (Epipactus gigantea), which prefer the hot weather and higher altitude but need wet soil. Dozens of bird species can be observed here at various times, including wetlands-loving redwing blackbirds, ducks, sandhill cranes and belted kingfishers.
Others, such as yellow chats, several species of swallows and sparrows, and swifts nest here.
We didn't actually camp in the canyons or valleys however. We took Divide Road to the top of the cliffs and found a quiet, out-of-the-way spot on top of the plateau. This photo shows the cliff that Divide Road follows for a short time -- between the red rocks at the top and in the narrow belt of trees by the cliffside. And yes, there are several places where you can look straight down more than 100 feet to the highway and valley below! I suspect that soon I'll be writing about some of what we explored and found up there. Altogether this entire region is a scientific and historical treasure trove for the curious!
On a practical note, I've been making a few changes to the images I'm offering for sale to account for a new avenue I'm trying. I plan to keep you informed as that effort becomes a little more established over the next few months. In the meantime, be sure to review my Shop Open Editions page at https://www.denisedethlefsen.com/shop. Next year I'll be adjusting pricing and the sizes I offer to better reflect actual costs. As always, feel free to contact me with questions or comments. I'd love to help you find suitable images for your home, office, or commercial space.
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