Silver Thread Scenic Byway

The colorful old mining camps of the Silver Thread offer history, scenic beauty, and a heavy dose of authenticity. The heights around Creede and Lake City remain strewn with abandoned mining structures, most of them accessible via rugged backcountry roads. Between the two towns, Highway 149 shadows the upper reaches of the Rio Grande, serving up a bounty of natural wonders - sparkling North Clear Creek Falls, the Slumgullion earth slide, and the shark-like fin of Uncompahgre Peak. These mountains can be unforgiving: In 1848 explorer John C. Fremont lost a third of his men - and a quarter of a century later the infamous Alfred Packer cannibalized his companions - in two ill-fated winter expeditions.

Navigating the Byway: To drive the byway, start at the Blue Mesa Reservoir and Highway 50 junction. Follow SR 149 south from there for 117 miles until the byway ends at South Fork. The byway begins at the Blue Mesa Reservoir and Highway 50 junction. Travel on SR 149 about 117 miles south until South Fork. It ends in South Fork just before the junction with U.S. Hwy 160.