Leadville, Colorado July 25 – August 2, 2024
Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States. It is approximately 10,200 feet above sea level. Since we have been traveling above 5000 feet for 6 weeks, breathing was harder, but not bad. The drive to Leadville from Denver was very scary towing a camper!
Leadville has a very small downtown and it is not quaint like many towns in the Colorado Rockies. I think a sign at a local restaurant said it best — “Keep Leadville Shitty” . The downtown contains restaurants and shops. Most of the shops are for ice cream or sports attire and equipment. The sidewalks are uneven or non existent. But it did have a quite a few restaurants and bars. We went to Tennessee Pass Cafe a couple of times for drinks and the most delicious mushroom soup. Quincys Steak and Spirits is the local steak place that only serves prime rib on Friday and Saturday and filet the other days of the week. Since steak is the only thing on the menu, the steak is delicious.
We took a day trip down to Buena Vista ( or “BV to the locals) to wander around and shop. Steve and I had been to BV years and years ago and it has really changed a lot. The downtown was still very cute but much larger than before. We stopped for lunch at Eddyline Brewery. Steve really liked the beer.
Hiking and biking are the main attractions in Leadville. Steve and I hiked around Turquiose Lake which was beautiful. We took some chairs and sat beside the lake for a picnic.
The highlight of Leadville was the Mineral Belt Trail. We road this trail almost every day while in Leadville. The trail was a 15 mile paved trail that looped around Leadville and had spectacular views!
Next stop Gunnison, Colorado
“Above the Timberline” by Five for Fighting