The Long Way
Rio Grande, Mineral and Hinsdale Counties County
Historic photo showing a busy dirt street in a frontier town with wooden buildings and mountains in the background.
Plate I. Historic Creede, Silver Thread Scenic Byway. From silverthreadbyway.com
Historic black and white photograph showing a lumber mill with workers and a truck.
Plate II. South Fork stop, Silver Thread Scenic Byway. From silverthreadbyway.com
A person sits overlooking a landscape of eroded rock formations and sparse trees under a cloudy sky.
Plate III. Wheeler Geologic Area, Silver Thread Scenic Byway. From silverthreadbyway.com
A waterfall flows through a rocky canyon with green trees and hills in the background.
Plate IV. Clear Creek Falls along Silver Thread Scenic Byway. From codot.gov
A snowy landscape with a river flowing between rocky cliffs and pine trees.
Plate V. Wagon Wheel Gap, Silver Thread Scenic Byway. From silverthreadbyway.com

Silver Thread Scenic Byway

Lake City, Rio Grande, Mineral and Hinsdale Counties County, Colorado. Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway.

Details

Map. Lake City, Rio Grande, Mineral and Hinsdale Counties County, Colorado. Larger map
Where
Principal office at Creede Visitor Center, 904 S. Main St., Creede, Lake City, CO 81130. Directions
Getting there
This historic route carries you on a 117-mile journey from the town of South Fork, through Creede and Lake City and ends at Blue Mesa Reservoir.
Access
Driving the byway crosses parts of the La Garita, Weminuche and Powderhorn Wilderness Areas through the Gunnison and Rio Grande National Forests. Per CDOT, mining structures around Creede and Lake City are accessible via rugged backcountry roads.
Phone
719-658-2374
Website
silverthreadbyway.com
Managed by
Colorado Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byway Council.
Established
1990: portion of Highway 149 designated a National Forest Service and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway.

See spectacular displays of Colorado splendor, abundant wildlife, and varied and unique geology. Stop in any one of the three bustling small mountain towns for shopping, dining, arts and history!

Notable Events

  1. 1848In 1848 explorer John C. Fremont lost a third of his men in an ill-fated winter expedition in these mountains. codot.gov
  2. 1874He later confessed to killing one crazed man in self-defense and eating the remains of his five companions in order to survive. He was eventually convicted and imprisoned until 1901. His victims are memorialized at this site. lakecity.com
  3. 1880sThe 1880s brought railroad tracks and trains to haul supplies in and out, wearing tracks deeper into the soil for another fifty years. silverthreadbyway.com
  4. 1920sAutomobiles replaced toll road and most railroad traffic in the early 1920s. silverthreadbyway.com
  5. 1968Highway 149 remained a dirt road until 1968 when paving began between Lake City and Creede; the last stretch was paved in the Santa Maria Reservoir area in 1983. lakecity.com
  6. 1983The last portion, in the Santa Maria Reservoir area, was paved in 1983. silverthreadbyway.com
  7. 1990In 1990, a portion of Highway 149 was given the distinction of becoming a National Forest Service and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway. silverthreadbyway.com
  8. 2021The Silver Thread byway was designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as a National Scenic Byway in 2021. codot.gov

People

  • John C. Fremont, explorer who lost a third of his men in these mountains in 1848 (1848).
  • Alferd Packer, prospector guide convicted of killing and cannibalizing his five companions at the massacre site on the byway (winter of 1874).

Sources

  1. codot.gov/travel/coloradobyways/south-central/silver-thread
  2. silverthreadbyway.com/towns-along-the-byway/lake-city
  3. silverthreadbyway.com
  4. lakecity.com/silver-thread-scenic-byway
  5. codot.gov/travel/coloradobyways/south-central/silver-thread
  6. southfork.org/silver-thread-byway