Location: Central Colorado, south of Pike National Forest, near Colorado Springs Length: 135 miles (217 km) Time To Allow: 8 hours Description/Highlights/Points of Interest The Gold Belt Tour follows historic railroad and stagecoach routes leading you to North America's greatest gold camp, three world-class fossil sites and numerous historic sites. The Shelf and Phantom Canyon Roads offer adventurous driving experiences along unpaved routes through winding canyons. Paved roads lead to high mountain ranges. Travel along Teller 1 and gaze at majestic Pikes Peak. Five byway communities allow a glimpse into this area's rich mining heritage. Suggested Itinerary This tour of the Gold Belt Tour Scenic Byway assumes the traveler begins in Cañon City, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Colorado Springs. Visitors beginning the tour at the town of Florissant at the north end of the byway would want to follow the itinerary in the opposite order. The first place you'll want to stop is the Royal Gorge Bridge. Travel south out of Cañon City on High Park Road for about 8 miles (12 km), turn right and you'll come to the bridge and Royal Gorge State Park in about a half mile (.8 km). The Royal Gorge Bridge is the world's tallest suspension bridge, spanning the Royal Gorge some 1,053 feet (321 m) above the waters of the Arkansas River. Visitors can walk or drive over the bridge, have a picnic in the surrounding park, or take the world's steepest incline railway to the bottom of the Royal Gorge. As you drive back through Cañon City, take time to stop at Dinosaur Depot on Royal Gorge Boulevard. The Depot is a museum that shows some the fossils found at the Garden Park Fossil Area. Visitors can take a guided tour of the museum that includes an informative video showing the removal of famous dinosaur fossils. This is also the place to set up a tour of Garden Park Fossil Area, located just north of Cañon City. Garden Park Fossil Area has been the location of the some of the most important discoveries about dinosaurs in North America. Tours for Fossil Area should be made in advance. Self-guided trails and exhibits are also available. As you travel Shelf Road north to Cripple Creek, you will be treated to a beautiful vista of the west slope of Pikes Peak, named for explorer Zebulon Pike. Pikes Peak towers 14,110 feet (4301 m) and is one of the most breathtaking sites in Colorado. Take the Shelf Road north out of Cañon City and you'll drive through a scenic canyon and across "the shelf," a narrow section of road perched high above Fourmile Creek. When you are 26 miles (42 km) out of Cañon City, you'll reach historic Cripple Creek, the center of the Cripple Creek Mining District. Cripple Creek is a National Historic Landmark, and many of the buildings that were built during the early 1900s have been restored to their original likeness. Cripple Creek is a great place to stop and have lunch and see a true piece of American history. From Cripple Creek, travel west on Bennett Ave. to Teller County Road 1. At 17 miles (27 km) from the junction on Teller 1, stop at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. This National Monument offers walking and guided tours. The fossils found here are renowned for their variety of species. There are over 80,000 fossilized specimens of tree stumps, insects, seeds and leaves. The historic Hornbek Homestead is also located here. Picnic areas, a visitor's center and hiking trails are available. The Wild, Wild West American Driving Vacations Have you ever wanted to live in the Wild, Wild West for a day? No where else in the world can you find such vivid images of cattle rustlers, gold miners, wildcatters and other characters that have come to live in the memories of the old West. There's such fun to be had that Traveling America has designed a special 4-day, 3-night Break Away for you to explore the old West, everywhere from ghost towns to gold mines and living history ranches. Beginning with the Museum of the American Cowboy, you'll visit a mining town, have dinner at a working ranch, tour a gold mine, take a trip on a narrow gauge railroad, visit the 46-room mansion of one who "struck it rich" and much, much more. Accommodations at Cheyenne Mountain Resort place you conveniently ready to explore in all directions. This package includes admission to: the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame/Museum of the American Cowboy, Western Museum of Mining and Industry, Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, Flying W Ranch, Cripple Creek District Museum, Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, Ghost Town Museum and Miramont Castle.