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Mineral Belt National Recreation Trail

National Recreation Trails in ColoradoProtected areas of Lake County, ColoradoUnited States trail stubs
Mineral Belt National Recreation Trail
Mineral Belt National Recreation Trail

The Mineral Belt National Recreation Trail is an 11.6 mile all-season biking/walking trail that loops around Leadville, Colorado and through its historic mining district. The trail's setting is quintessentially Colorado Rocky Mountain landscape. Groves of aspen, conifer forests, wildflower meadows, and open vista sage parks are interspersed with once-booming mine sites. Ever-present views of the Sawatch and Mosquito mountain ranges provide perspective and a sense of permanence to the area. Several signs along the way provide historical snippets about Leadville's colorful past. The trail is designed for bicycles, longboards, walkers, wheelchairs, strollers and in-line skaters. When the snow falls, snowcats groom the trail to provide access to Nordic skiers, snowshoers and winter-bikers. About six miles of this trail meanders through the historic Leadville Mining District. In part the trail follows old mining-camp railbeds. "What makes this trail unique is that it goes through one of the greatest mining districts in the world," says Lake County, Colorado Assessor Howard A. Tritz, an original member of the group which spearheaded trail development. "It has some of the best scenery anywhere, and it's accessible and available to everyone, visitors and locals alike, regardless of age or ability."

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Mineral Belt National Recreation Trail (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Mineral Belt National Recreation Trail
Mineral Belt Trail,

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Wikipedia: Mineral Belt National Recreation TrailContinue reading on Wikipedia

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Latitude Longitude
N 39.24793 ° E -106.30343 °
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Mineral Belt Trail

Mineral Belt Trail
80461
Colorado, United States
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Mineral Belt National Recreation Trail
Mineral Belt National Recreation Trail
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Top of the Rockies National Scenic Byway

The Top of the Rockies National Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in the high Rocky Mountains of Eagle, Lake, Pitkin, Summit counties, Colorado, United States. The 115-mile (185 km) byway showcases the two highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains: Mount Elbert at elevation 14,440 feet (4,401.2 m) and Mount Massive at elevation 14,428 feet (4,398 m). The byway connects with the Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway at the junction of Colorado State Highway 82 and U.S. Highway 24. The byway has two northern extensions. The northwestern extension extends from the historic mining town of Leadville over Tennessee Pass to Interstate 70 near Minturn. The northeastern extension extends from Leadville over Fremont Pass to I-70 at Copper Mountain. The two extensions can be driven together as a tour from I-70 to Leadville and back to I-70. The byway crosses the Continental Divide at Independence Pass at 12,095 feet (3,687 m) elevation, Fremont Pass at 11,318 feet (3,450 m) elevation, and Tennessee Pass at 10,424 feet (3,177 m) elevation. Independence Pass is closed from October to May. The gold mining ghost town of Independence is a historic townsite 2.2 miles (4 km) west of Independence Pass. The Leadville Historic District is a National Historic Landmark. History Colorado operates the Healy House Museum and Dexter Cabin in Leadville. The City of Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America with a downtown elevation of 10,152 feet (3,094 m).