Like the Gold Belt Scenic and Historic Byway, which traces the history of gold mining in Colorado, the Silver Thread Scenic Byway connects old mining camps, old toll roads, stagecoach lines and railroads which produced and carried the lode of silver found in the Colorado mountains.
As you wind along the banks of the Rio Grande on Highway 149, watch for wildlife in the surrounding scenic beauty. Visit the Underground Mining Museum in Creede to climb down the mine shafts, wander through tunnels cut from solid rock, and visit with former hard rock miners who once worked the veins of the silver underground.
Stop at Post Office Rock where settlers left notes for miners in the camps. All along the route, you’ll be treated to spectacular views of the rugged mountains and peaks of the American Rockies and timeless landscapes in the Wilderness Areas and San Juan National Forest that surrounds the road.
