Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway

A scenic drive with more than natural beauty? Come to the Lariat Loop near Denver, Colorado, for scenic beauty and more: diverting museums, good entertainment, tantalizing cuisine, and the open range with elbow room for hunting, hiking, and horseplay. Here is diversity with density; the byway's forty miles are crammed with cultural, natural, and historic landmarks. Best of all, as Colorado's only urban byway, it's less than half an hour from downtown Denver.

Join the thousands of motorists who converge on the byway every June for its annual Road Rally. It's not a race: it's a scavenger hunt of "clues and dos" to engage both brain and funny bone. Folks in puttering old Model T's and shiny new Mitsubishi's come together to calculate the elevation of Morrison in millimeters, then spend exactly $1.72 at the old Foss Drug Store.

The Basics

Length:

40 miles (64 km)

Map

Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway Colorado Scenic Drive Map

Points of Interest

Astor House Museum (CO)

This 1867 handcut stone hotel has now been converted to a museum and is owned by the city of Golden, CO.

Directions

Easily accessible from Denver via Highway U.S. 6 or Interstate 70 and then to State Hwy. 58. Exit south onto Washington Avenue to 12th Street. Go west on 12th Street. We are located on the northeast corner of 12th and Arapahoe Street.

Buffalo Bill Grave & Museum (CO)

Burial place of William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Nearby are the museum and Pahaska Tepee. All are located within Lookout Mountain Park.

Directions

987 Lookout Mountain Road

Buffalo Herd Overlook (CO)

This is the best place to view buffalo from the Genesee Buffalo Herd.

Directions

I-70 at exit 254.

Clear Creek History Park (CO)

This is an 1870s "living history" site complete with restored family cabins, outhouse, one-room school, log barn and chicken coop, and other related structures.

Directions

From State Hwy 58 go east on CO-58E. Take the Washington Avenue exit. Turn right onto Washington Ave. Turn right onto 12th St. End at 822 12th St.

Dinosaur Ridge (CO)

Internationally famous for dinosaur bone fossils and the "trace fossils" of dinosaur tracks, Dinosaur Ridge is a journey into the past relished by young and old alike.

Directions

16831 W. Alameda Pkwy, Morrison, CO

Golden (CO)

Golden is located near Denver, CO. The Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway traverses most of Golden.

Directions

The byway runs through Golden.

Golden Oldy Cyclery (CO)

This includes a cycling research library and museum of cycling history. Its mission is to make bicycle history live in the minds of its visitors. Their slogan: "The world is a happier place when you ride a Penny Farthing bike."

Directions

17224 West 17th Place, Golden, CO

Hiwan Homestead Museum (CO)

1880s-1890s era heritage center featuring exhibits, tours, events, and educational programs.

Directions

4208 S. Timbervale Drive, Evergreen, CO.

Humphrey Memorial Park and Museum (CO)

This elegant, two-story, Victorian structure, once the home of Rocky Mountain News editor "Hump" Humphrey, contains family collections from around the world. Special events and tours are available by prior reservation.

Directions

320 Soda Creek Road

Morrison (CO)

Morrison is a small, thriving town with an abundance of tourists coming to enjoy the wonderful restaurants, brilliantly colored rocks, and summer rock concerts. Museums are enticing and dinosaur remains are awe-inspiring. Plan to join the residents for their Jurassic Adventure Weekend in May at the Morrison Natural History Museum.

Directions

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