Location: Rocky Mountains, Colorado near Vail Length: 75 miles (121 km) Time To Allow: 2 hours, 15 minutes Description/Highlights/Points of Interest With altitudes seldom dipping below 9,000 feet (2,743 m), the Top of the Rockies Byway is worthy of its name. It crosses the Tennessee Pass en route to the historic mining town of Leadville, the highest incorporated community in the United States. Old mining camps attest to the state's rich mining heritage. The route crosses the Continental Divide twice and traces the Arkansas River nearly to its source in the vicinity of Fremont Pass. The byway provides access to one of the largest concentrations of congressionally designated rare wilderness in the nation, passing through four National Parks. Suggested Itinerary Your Top of the Rockies tour begins in the town of Dowd, which is about five miles (8 km) west of Vail along Interstate 70. The Byway briefly passes through the small mountain communities of Dowd and Minturn then quickly gains elevation as it winds its way up and over rugged mountain passes. Be sure to bring a camera because views from the road to the valleys below are incredible — especially in the fall! Near milepost 160, the Camp Hale Memorial and Historic Interpretive Site features several plaques detailing the history of the Tenth Mountain Division who trained here before serving in Europe in WWII. Further along the byway in Leadville, the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum at 120 West Street is dedicated to the memory of the men and women who pioneered the American mining industry. Here, visitors can see displays of hundreds of fine specimens of gold, silver, ore and minerals, including spectacular examples loaned from the Smithsonian Institute and the Harvard Mineralogical Museum. Also in Leadville is the Tabor Opera House on East 3rd street. When it opened on November 20, 1879, the Tabor Opera House was said to be the finest theater between St. Louis and San Francisco. This building is one of only a few "Tabor"-associated buildings still standing in Colorado. On the southwest corner of Poplar and East 7th street in Leadville is the Annunciation Church. Started in 1879, this historic church was dedicated on New Year's Day, 1880. The church's steeple has become a prominent landmark of this area. It houses an enormous bell which weighs over 3,000 pounds.