Gold Belt Tour

Length: 131 miles
Driving time: 5 hours

Colorado’s greatest gold boom in the 1890s underscores the Gold Belt Tour story. The journey passes through historic Cripple Creek and Victor, where gold mining continues today. The route loops by the Royal Gorge Bridge, Cañon City, Florissant and Florence.

Phantom Canyon Road was once a railroad route moving gold ore and mining supplies. The route climbs 4,550 feet in elevation over a short 30 miles, requiring key stops to move a train uphill. Cramer was a stop where the train added a Helper engine to help pull the train uphill. Adelaide station stop kept a water tank for the train to refill its steam engine. To manage train travel, telegraph messages were sent from McCourt Station.

Construction included two tunnels cut through granite rock (no timber supports needed!). Many bridges were built, including Steel Bridge, in 1897.

Shelf Road was a toll road constructed in 1892 for stagecoach and wagon travel. One stretch of Shelf Road clings to a canyon wall 200 feet above the stream bed. Adding to the scenic views, Window Rock sits high above the road while bighorn sheep live among the rocks. Both Phantom Canyon and Shelf Road are narrow and rugged in places.

High Park Road views are expansive and open, dotted with historic cattle ranches. Distant views of the Sangre de Cristo Range to the southwest and Pikes Peak to the northeast add to the appeal of this paved route.

Interested in fossils, dinosaurs, and geology? Visit Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Garden Park Fossil Area, Indian Springs Trace Fossil Site, Cripple Creek Heritage Center and Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center.
Byway Designations

• National Scenic Byway, 2000 (one of 13 America’s Byways© designated in Colorado)
• BLM Back Country Byway, 1989
• Colorado Scenic & Historic Byway, 1989
• Colorado Electric Byway, 2024

Gold Belt Photo Tour