San Isabel Scenic Drive in Southeastern Colorado

Fantastic mountain roads and epic views await visitors to Southeastern Colorado, where you can build your own San Isabel scenic drive around and through the beautiful San Isabel National Forest and its nearby towns.

Spectacular as it is, the scenery is only half the appeal. Marquee attractions like Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods may get all the press; however, just to the south lie roadside oddities well worth a stop. Therefore, allow plenty of extra time for the many quirky attractions along the way.

San Isabel

Begin at Lake Isabel, located 40 miles southeast of Pueblo along the Frontier Pathways Scenic Byway on state Hwy 165. This 35-acre lake (actually a reservoir, with a dam built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps) is surrounded by hiking trails and rustic 1920s cabins, with nearby campgrounds and picnic sites if you’re tempted to stay a while.

Want to stretch your legs? Check out the Cisneros Trail, with a trailhead at the far end of the campground access road – the well-trodden but fairly steep trail intersects the Marion Mine Route to create a 4-mile loop hike through an alpine forest to an abandoned mine.

In summer, you can fill up on a Texas burrito or chicken-fried steak at the CCC-built, family-run San Isabel Lodge (open 8 am-8 pm Wed-Mon Jun-Aug, 8 am-3 pm Sat & Sun Sep), where you can also rent boats, kayaks, and cabins.

Bishop Castle

From Lake Isabel, it’s just a couple of miles north on Hwy 165 to reach the truly amazing Bishop Castle. Local eccentric Jim Bishop began work on this wonder in 1969, adding to it bit by bit over the years without using heavy equipment – just his own two hands and a wheelbarrow. It’s hard to describe the effect of seeing a full-size, multi-story, turreted stone castle, complete with a fire-breathing dragon atop it, rising from the middle of a national forest.

Adding to the surreal effect are the building’s multiple obvious safety hazards, including large holes in key areas on sagging wrought-iron stairs, crumbling sections of wall here and there, and a noticeable amount of movement that feels unsettling. Hand-painted signs alert visitors to the Bishops’ disdain for governments, authority figures, and rules in general. Entry is free, and the castle is open 24 hours.

Westcliffe & Silver Cliff

Continuing northwest along Hwy 165 for 12 miles, follow the route of the Frontier Pathways Scenic Drive, turning west on Hwy 96 and continuing for 16 miles toward the small, adjoining towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff. The sudden view of the peaks lined up before you as you leave the forest is a breathtaking sight.

Westcliffe offers a gas station and a handful of eateries (try the Sugar & Spice Mountain Bakery for fresh pastries). If it’s a summer weekend, stop at the Silver Cliff Museum, located in the old fire station, to learn about local history. Silver Cliff has dwindled to a ghost town, but in the 1870s, it thrived with streets bustling with miners, saloons, and dancing girls. Unfortunately for the town, as silver dwindled and taxes increased in 1885, most residents moved into Westcliffe, literally relocating their houses.

Royal Gorge

Leaving Westcliffe, head north on Hwy 69 for 24 miles until it meets Hwy 50, where you turn east and continue for about 20 miles. The next stop is the tourist-friendly Royal Gorge, boasting the highest suspension bridge in the United States, which was built in 1929. The gorge complex includes gondolas, ziplines, and a new via ferrata, a cabled climbing route featuring iron rungs that allow visitors to scale the steep canyon walls, led by a trained guide.

If your road-trip party includes kids or fans of the Jurassic era, be sure to stop at the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience to see its collection of fossils and interactive science displays. A ropes course outside the museum provides a fun break from being cooped up in the car.

Florence & Cañon City

As you leave the Gorge, turn right toward Cañon City – home to the Royal Gorge Museum & History Center and the somewhat bleaker Museum of Colorado Prisons, which details this area’s primary industry. Cañon is also a great place to stop and refuel, with plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, and hotels.

Continue heading east on Hwy 50 for 15 miles, then follow signs to Florence (state Hwy 67 south).

Florence features a small town with an attractive, walkable historic center; nevertheless, it’s mainly known for the prisons surrounding it (including the country’s only supermax, where the Unabomber and El Chapo have been incarcerated). Most visitors, however, come for the galleries and antique stores that line the main street.

Completing the Scenic Drive Loop

From Florence, you can either wrap up your San Isabel scenic drive by heading directly to Pueblo along Hwy 50 or continue the tour by driving south along Hwy 67 for 12 miles to the cluster of ramshackle buildings that is Wetmore, a small community established by settlers in the 1870s.

From Wetmore, it’s a 10-mile stretch of glorious, winding road (along Hwy 96) through a tree-lined, cliff-edged canyon to the intersection with Hwy 165 and the completion of the loop.

One note of caution before you set out: these roads are all at high elevation, which means weather can be unpredictable, so be sure to check the forecast and road conditions at COtrip.org before heading out.