Guanella Pass Day Trip
So, with no international travel anywhere on the horizon, how do a couple of travelers fill their time? Easy, shift to Plan B, drive trips! Colorado is one of the most beautiful states in the Union. Mountains, rivers, forests, lakes and streams all form a natural collage of amazing sites. All one needs to do to enjoy these sites is fill the tank, make a nice picnic lunch and head off on one of the 26 scenic byways of this great state.
Our first such adventure is the drive over Guanella Pass to the old mining town of Georgetown, Colorado. The drive itself is pretty easy now that the road is paved. The only bad part is getting out of Warm Springs where we have to drive down dirt roads to reach County Road 5 to start our adventure. Since our new road’s manager has taken over, the roads in Warm Springs have never been better. But, the half-mile between Warm Springs and County Road 5, on Breakneck Pass road, is pure hell! Washboards, pot holes, rocks, you name it and that road has it. Beats the crap out of your car while shaking everything loose and out of alignment. Fortunately, it’s only a half mile!
We took this trip mid-week to avoid the weekend camper traffic so the drive was very easy. 65mph all the way to Grant, Colorado, about 40 minutes, and our turn off for Guanella Pass. Not much here in Grant, a beef jerky trailer, liquor store, motel and pot store.
The road winds its way through a beautiful gorge that parallels several streams all the way to the summit. Once there, there are numerous hiking trails to lakes, meadows and Colorado famous 14’ers. If you’re not familiar with a “14er”, it’s a mountain that has a peak elevation of 14,000 feet, or more. Colorado has 58 mountain peaks that are over 14,000 feet! Better be in pretty good shape if you plan to climb one of these bad boys!
Heading down the back side towards Georgetown is just as easy as the drive up. Picturesque, little traffic and a chance to see a small group of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep grazing by the roadside. Not very attractive this time of year since they are losing their winter coats. Still, pretty cool.
We reach the vista for Georgetown and take a quick break for a photo opportunity. There is a commemorative plaque at the vista explaining the view and a bit of the town’s history. Doesn’t look too much different from the 1890 photo at the overlook, except for the gas stations and Interstate 70.
We decide to take a lunch break in Georgetown, but before we do, we need to explore a bit of the town. There are several historic sites here, Hotel de Paris, Hamill House, the Firefighting Museum, and probably most notable, the Georgetown Loop Railroad. The railroad is a steam powered train that travels between the towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume, about 4.5 miles. If you have children or are in to trains, this is a fun ride but not real cheap, adults’ cost $27.95 and kids $20.95 (under 3 are free). The railroad runs all year and has many theme rides during certain times, check out their website for more info. https://www.georgetownlooprr.com/
Hamill House was built by Joseph Watson in 1867. Watson sold the house to his brother-in-law William Hamill, a successful silver miner, in 1874. The house fell into decline during the Silver Crash of 1893 and was used as a cow stable in the early 1900’s. The property was purchased by two families in 1954 and was opened as a museum. It was acquired again by Historic Georgetown, Inc. in 1971 who maintains the property today as a museum.
The Aspen Hose House Museum (Firefighters Museum), is a restored building from 1874 that was a working fire station for Georgetown. This small museum originally housed the second hose company while the “Old Missouri” hose house held the first company. The museum was closed at the time we visited.
And finally, the Hotel de Paris. It started out as the Delmonico bakery until around 1875 when Louis Dupuy, a French immigrant, rented the first floor of the building to make a restaurant and kitchen. Interesting story about Mr. Dupuy. Seems he originally wanted to make his fortune mining for silver but one day there was an explosion in the mine. Dupuy shoved his friend to safety but was injured in the blast which meant he was through being a miner. The townspeople were impressed by Dupuy’s heroic act and took up a collection to reward him. Dupuy promptly put the money down to rent the bakery and the rest is history.
After a quick lunch, back on the road to Fairplay. Nice drive and the weather couldn’t have been better. Next trip: Taylor Lake via Cottonwood Pass.