Get Lost in Leadville

Fourteeners, rafting, Leadville 100’s, no roundabouts and solitude: Leadville is calling your name

 CMC Leadville bachelor’s degree student Becky Aurora explores Leadville’s advantages in a recent post in her blog, Life at 10,200 feet.

I’d be lying if I said that I love Leadville 100% of the time.  There are definitely times when I wish that it didn’t take close to 4 hours just to go to a movie (Skyline Cinema in Dillon is about 45 minutes away and the Edwards movie theater is just over an hour away); when I wish that the grocery store were open after 10PM; or when I would love to have McDonalds, Burger King, Arby’s, Wendys, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, or Orange Julius without having to drive to Summit County.

Leadville does have its’ advantages though.

If you’re into saying that you are higher than most people, Leadville is calling your name.  We have the highest college campus, golf course, incorporated city, and airport in the country along with Colorado’s two highest peaks.  Leadville also has 7 museums and an opera house.  For the outdoor enthusiast, Leadville offers, skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, ice climbing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, snowmobiling, horseback riding, longboarding, four-wheeling, rafting kayaking, swimming, snow tubing, dog sledding, ice skating, backpacking, hiking, skijoring, Leadville 100 races, and disc golf.

I absolutely love that there are zero roundabouts in Leadville.  I only know of one in Summit County and it’s one lane and pretty self-explanatory but Eagle County is an entirely different story.  Vail, Avon, and Edwards are over-flowing with two lane roundabouts and it is a rare occasion when I don’t get lost because I took the wrong “exit” or decide that I want to be in the other lane NOW (luckily my South Dakota plates seem to scare away other vehicles, making my lane cutting easier to accomplish) or circle the roundabout a second time to get where I didn’t end up the first time.

Leadville also has fewer people.  Several weeks ago I took a walk at a “look out” on Swan Mountain Road in Summit County and had to share the trail with 10 other people.  While 10 might not sound like that many, I rarely have to share the path with anyone during walks in Leadville.

As far as “getting lost in Leadville”, I have my fair share of “secret hideouts” for when I need an hour or two away from homework.

1. Leadville Fish Hatchery.  A few weeks ago I made the 0.3 mile (each way) stroll to the picnic area, which offers swings, BBQ pits, and a labyrinth which was enough solitude for me.  For a slightly longer walk, you can take the mile long loop offered by the nature trail which also visits the picnic area.  For those wanting to skip the picnic area, you can hike a mile (each way) to Rock Creek Dam, 1.1 miles to the Highline Trail, or 2.6 miles to reach the Colorado Trail.
2. Trails on the CMC campus.  I stick to the Fitness Trail for fear of getting lost if I venture off on a different trail, but there are plenty of options.  Student Government is in the process of investing funds into improving signage on the school’s disc golf course.
3. The “rail yard” located behind the residence hall
4. Mineral Belt Trail.  Good for a 12 mile bike ride, some longboarding, or a smooth surface to run on.
5. Leadville’s mining district.  High on the east side of town are the remains of over 60 mines.  You can also drive the Route of the Silver Kings through the mining district.  Word of advice: Do not climb in the mining remains as there are no guarantees as to their stability.
6. Turquoise Lake.  Sometimes driving around the lake is enough solitude, other times I opt for pulling off at one of the three “look outs”.  From Turquoise Lake road you can also access a couple of hiking trails, including the trail to Timberline Lake.
7. If you feel like venturing south on Highway 24, you’ll come to Twin Lakes after a while.  While you can’t drive around these lakes, you can hike or mountain bike around a portion of them, to an abandoned “vacation village”.
8. If you continue on Highway 82 past Twin Lakes, you begin to ascend Independence Pass.  Independence, Hagerman, Weston, and Mosquito Pass provide breathtaking views accompanied by a lack of cell phone service.  Slightly further down Hwy 24 is the town of Buena Vista and from there you can access Cottonwood Pass, Mt Princeton Hot Springs, and Cottonwood Hot Springs.
9. The town library.  Ok, actually I tend to use this for doing homework on my laptop, minus the effect of my friends distracting me at the school library.
10. When you get really desperate, go back to your room, put in earbuds, crank your iPod, pull the blankets over your head, and pretend that the rest of the world doesn’t exist for a while.  This probably works best if you don’t share a room with someone who is likely to return in the next hour.

Have a “hide out” not listed here?  I’d love to hear it!