Santa Fe Trail

Brilliant green foliage surrounds the banks of the Arkansas River on the Santa Fe Trail.

Bent's Old Fort overlooks the surrounding courtyard.

Beautiful autumn colors abound at Raton Pass, near Trinidad, CO in the fall.

A historic firehouse in Trinidad, Colorado stands as a beacon to travelers on the Santa Fe Trail of days gone by.

This small log home stands at the Otero Museum in Trinidad, CO.

Trinidad Lake State Park sports a beautiful iridium layer along the Longs Canyon Watchable Wildlife Trail.

The sun sets perfectly over a shaded set of interpretive signs on the Comanche National Grasslands.

The Trinidad River Walk is surrounded by tall buildings on one side and nature on the other.

The Trinidad River Walk park provides a great place to play on green grass and fun play equipment.

A shiny red and black trolley waits to give free rides to visitors in Trinidad, CO.

Fishers Peak can be seen from the highway as clouds haze around the mountain.

Two visitors talk to an actor portraying a soldier at Bents Old Fort.

Both scenic byway and auto tour route signs are displayed just before a pullout located a short distance north of Raton Pass on I-25.

Interpretive signs "Trinidad" and "Where Coal Was King" are at a pullout located a short distance north of Raton Pass on I-25.

Interpretive signs "Challenge of the Pass" are at a pullout located a short distance north of Raton Pass on I-25.

These mountains provide a peaceful sight to supplement the interesting facts found on the signs at a pullout near Raton Pass.

This interpretive sign sits beside a newly constructed biker and pedestrian path along the Purgatoire River through downtown Trinidad.

A woman stops to read one of the interpretive signs along the Purgatoire Riverwalk that passes through downtown Trinidad.

This interpretive sign "The Santa Fe Trail", just off of Highway 350, sits in front of empty fields.

This sign entitled "Whoopee Ti-Yi-Yo..." is one of several interpretive signs located west of La Junta on Highway 350.

A National Historic Site, Bent’s Old Fort is located near Las Animas and is a living history reconstruction of the 1850s era fort and trading post.

Three black panels compose a veteran's memorial on the grounds of the Colorado Welcome Center in Trinidad.

Spring comes in green on the Santa Fe after the snow melts.

A roadrunner can be seen among green and faded grass in a field on the Santa Fe Trail.

A roadrunner darts across winter grasses in a snowy field on the Santa Fe Trail.

Aerial view of the dinosaur tracks along the Purgatoire.

Beautiful streaks of yellow, orange, gray and blue grace the sky, creating a stunning sunset on the Santa Fe Trail.

Flowers and lush greens surround a fountain at the Heritage Garden at the Trinidad History Museum.

A wildlife trail at Picketwire Canyon Overlook leads to Dinosaur Tracksite.

Costumes and tents make the Bent's Fort Santa Fe Trail reenactment come to life.

At North America's largest dinosaur track site, water fills the indents left by these large reptiles.

Bikers riding the along the byway to Bent's Old Fort.

Three men in soldier uniforms re-enact a cannon-firing over water at Bents Old Fort.

A man drives an ox cart over the dusty plains between Sierra Vista and Timpas on the Santa Fe Trail.

The grand stone entryway of Bents Old Fort casts shadows over dry grass and dirt.

Restored by the local historical society and registered as an official site along the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, the buildings here at Boggsville were constructed around 1860.

The creation of a low-watt radio interpretive message was made possible along the Santa Fe Trail through a grant. Transmitters are located in three spots along the route and provide historic tales from life along the Trail.

This mural and map depict many of the activities found along both the Santa Fe Trail and Highway of Legends.

These interpretive signs provide pedestrians with a walking tour of historic structures in the Trinidad National Historic District.

American Indians line the Palace of the Governors selling Native American wares.

On a clear day along the Santa Fe Trail, drivers can see the sky meet the horizon of the land.

Beautiful colors and tall trees grace this view of Raton Pass.

The Santa Fe Southern Railway rushes through the sagebrush-covered lands of New Mexico.

Visitors pose for pictures in front of a stagecoach at Colt Ranch.

The Koshare Dancers play their drum at the Santa Fe Trail Days Festival in Trinidad, Colorado.

Spring grasses surround the road which leads to Bent's Old Fort.

Looking at from Bent's Old Fort in the fall, autumn leaves can be seen on the trees surrounding the fort.

A stone sign marks the entryway of Timpas Trail.

A sandstone marker stands alone amidst a vast desert at Iron Springs.

The New Mexico capitol building is shaped like the Zia sun symbol.

Concrete curves and surrounding grass make the perfect skate park in La Junta, Colorado.

A cowboy rides a brown and white longhorn steer at Santa Fe Trail Days in Las Animas, CO.

Cowboys ride longhorn steers at Santa Fe Trail Days in Las Animas, Colorado.

This Native American statue greets visitors as they enter Santa Fe.

Flags hang above lit pillars in the interior of New Mexico's State Capitol building.

Slender trees stretch toward the sky in the Santa Fe National Forest.

Happy hikers grace Longs Canyon Trailhead during their watchable wildlife tour of Trinidad Lake State Park.

Koshare Dancers strut their stuff in ornate costumes during the Santa Fe Trail Days Festival in Trinidad, Colorado.

Dry grasses grace the fields outside of Bents Old Fort during the winter.

From far away the interpretive signs, which are surrounded by the Comanche National Grasslands, look very small.

This interpretive sign, designed to bring Native American traditions to mind, describes the state of the Indian camps around the time of the Sand Creek Massacre.

This carved stone monument marks the site of the 1864 battle/massacre at Sand Creek. In this photo, a red cloth wrapped around a tall stick also stands as a more personal memorial placed by an unknown person.

Visitors take in the vast openness of the battlefield at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.

The low brush and trees where the Sand Creek Massacre occurred stretch to the horizon.

The Otero Schoolhouse, built as a log cabin, remains intact. Today it functions as a museum.

Find peaceful serenity along a backdrop of grasses gently blowing in the wind at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Colorado.

The iron sculpture of a Cheyenne Indian stands on a hill overlooking the site of the Sand Creek Massacre.

An auto tour route sign on the Santa Fe Trail guides travelers along the road.

Interpretive Sign found at Iron Springs in Colorado. The sign overlooks large fields.

The Timpas Trailhead in Colorado along the Santa Fe Trail, surrounded by spots of grass, a fence, and a misty blue sky, has informational signs and a pavilion.

Flora flourishes in the historic Victorian Garden at the Baca Bloom Mansion, part of the Trinidad History Museum and Santa Fe Trail Visitors Center.

From atop Raton Pass on I-25, mountains lie scattered across the landscape below.

A mesa's silhouette outlines the horizon as the sky fills with a clouded sunset.

Fresh green trees surround the Trinidad History Museum.

Lights line the sidewalk of the Kearney Encampment Riverwalk in summer.

A panoramic view of the Sandia Mountains after a heavy snow storm.

Nature encompasses the Purgatoire Riverwalk Nature Trail with its green foliage and trees.

St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe, New Mexico stands framed by two evergreen pines. Jean Baptiste Lamy, the First Archbishop of Santa Fe, built the cathedral.

A sign on the grounds of the Bloom Mansion indicates that the mansion, the Baca House, and the Pioneer Museum are run by the Colorado Historical Society.

The archway sign of the Kit Carson Park in Trinidad, Colorado welcomes visitors with a boom!

Koshare Indian Dancers get ready to perform their circle dance at the Santa Fe Trail Days Festival in Trinidad, Colorado.

This resolute stone is one of the Daughters of the American Revolution markers. This particular stone is found at Timpas on the Comanche National Grasslands.

The Wagon Mound reaches 6,930 feet, earning its namesake because its profile is shaped like an oxen-drawn wagon. This famous Santa Fe Trail landmark sits on the horizon, past a wide golden field.

The Kit Carson Park Statue stands majestic above its surrounding fence.

Bents Old Fort, once a beacon of the Old West, still stands as a beacon today.

After the paint has washed off, this old sign for Iron Springs contrasts greatly with the new highway sign.

Green foliage surrounds the interpretive sign on the Kearney Encampment on the Riverwalk in Trinidad, CO.

A man rides a brown longhorn past a jewelry vendor at the Santa Fe Trail Days in Las Animas, CO.