Things to Do in Leadville, Colorado, a Place for Miners, Muckers, Mean MF’ers…and YOU!
“Over 120 lawyers made Leadville their home, while almost half that number of doctors attempted to correct, medically, the effects of alcohol, altitude, cold, and 120 lawyers.” – Edward Blair, Leadville: Colorado’s Magic City (summing up Leadville in its prime)
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List of Things to do in Leadville, Colorado
Map of Things to do in Leadville, Colorado
Larissa Bodniowycz here (as always, this is after-all, my blog). I’m a few days back from a trip to Colorado with my parents that included two nights In Leadville, Colorado, the highest incorporated city in the United States.
Sitting at 10,200 ft elevation, with a population under 3,000, Leadville has always been and remains, a mining town. A mining town that was described by Ken Chlouber, co-founder of the infamous Leadville Trail 100 race as “a home for miners, muckers, and mean motherfuckers,” in Christopher McDougall’s landmark endurance running book, Born to Run (ask your runner friends about it and prepare for a controversial discussion re: barefoot running).
Perfect place to visit on your family vacation with your parents who are over 60 years old and former smokers, right? Turns out, yeah, it was. Leadville is home to less traveled natural beauty, is easy to navigate, and holds a unique place in Colorado’s history. It is unique among the other towns I’ve visited over my four Colorado trips.
Leadville is hardly undiscovered. There are tourists, like us, that travel to Leadville and its elevation makes it an attractive training ground for endurance athletes looking for a competitive edge or to prepare for the Leadville Trail 100. But Leadville is ultimately, still a small town and it still feels like one. There is a decidedly small-town, blue collar vibe to the city. It has what you would call “character.” It is worth visiting.
WHY LEADVILLE, COLORADO?
Soo…with only a week in Colorado, how did we decide on Leadville as a place to visit? It all started 40 years ago…
For years, my dad has told a story about camping out at a lake in a mining town in Colorado in the 1970s and finding gold! And subsequently finding out that it wasn’t exactly the type of gold he had hoped. It was “Fool’s Gold,” the nickname for the mineral pyrite which resembles gold.
I had heard the story for years and perhaps, my dad even mentioned the name of the town, but it never stuck. It was only after reading Born to Run that it clicked the next time he told the story – “That’s the town in the book!” And that was it. We did not rush to book a trip to Leadville but when we booked a trip to Colorado this year, it got added to the itinerary.
My dad wanted to visit, share this place from his youth with us, and perhaps, redeem himself with a better mineral finding. I love a unique, less-heavily traveled location so I was game. And my mom, well, she’s a good sport.
My cousin Max, who moved to Colorado a few months ago, affirmed that Leadville was a cool town to visit further cementing our plans and enthusiasm for our side-trip to Leadville. And, it was indeed a cool town that each of us enjoyed despite varying ages and interests. It’s not a large town, but with a little research and creativity, everyone can find something to love about Leadville.
THINGS TO DO IN LEADVILLE, COLORADO
Explore the Mining Culture & History.
Leadville’s boom and bust history is inextricably tied to mining. The city was formed after gold was discovered nearby, turned to silver mining after the gold was quickly depleted, and drew substantial economic support from Climax, a nearby molybdenum mine in the 1980s. Although the city is working to be less reliant on mining, the city’s highs and lows have historically tracked highs and lows in the mining industry.
Given its history, exploring Leadville’s mining culture and history in some manner is virtually a necessity when you visit. You can visit a local mine, check out a mining museum, talk to locals about it, or at least, read about the city’s mining history while you are there.
Matchless Mine
Above ground tour of a former mine and cabin of local legend “Baby Doe” Tabor, located about a mile from Leadville city center.
Location: E 7th Street, Leadville, CO 80461 (Apx 1.25 miles up East 7th street from Harrison Avenue, look for the sign)
Website: https://www.mininghalloffame.org/page/surface-tours-matchless-mine
Suggested Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Admission (2018): Guided Tour: $12 general, $10 student, 65+, military; Self-guided tour: $6 general, $5 student
National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum
25,000 square foot museum in the heart of Leadville.
Location: 120 W 9th St, Leadville, CO 80461
Website: http://www.mininghalloffame.org/
Suggested Time: At least 2 hours
Admission (2018): $12 general / $10 Student, 65+, Military
Climax Mine Roadside Exhibit
Small roadside exhibit with scenic view, old mining equipment, and explanations re: molybdenum. Climax Jerky sometimes available for sale at stand.
Location: Side of Highway 91 (“Top of the Rockies Bylaw”), approximately 12 miles north of Leadville.
Suggested Time: 15 minutes
Admission: None
Hopemore Underground Mine
Tour of old mine 600 feet underground with historical stories and explanation of mining tools.
Location: 2921 County Road 1, Leadville, CO 80451
Phone Number: (719) 486-0301 (Call for reservations)
Admission: Price unknown
If you’re claustrophobic like me, you might prefer this YouTube video of the tour by John Nack:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/eWG-kT1apjY
Hike, Camp, and/or Backpack.
Search for Leadville, Colorado on your favorite map application. Zoom out a little. You’ll notice something. The town is literally surrounded by forest making it an ideal area to launch a hiking or camping expedition from.
San Isabel National Forest
Website (Turquoise Lake Area): https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/psicc/recarea/?recid=81960
Access to San Isabel National Forest, which spans a total of 1 million acres, is only about 3 miles from Leadville. Once there, you can take a leisurely flat stroll around Turquoise Lake, take a more aggressive trail up into the mountains to get a more bird’s eye view of the lake, or some combination of the two. The National Forest also offers lake front and other camping sites.
If you like your hiking and camping with more trees than people, you’ll like the (relative) seclusion of the forest which is not as heavily traveled as many of its more famous Colorado counterparts but still offers Instagram worth views. Oh, and because it’s a National Forest, not a National Park, no entry fees (though campsites and some day-use areas do charge fees).
Mineral Belt Trail
Website: http://www.mineralbelttrail.com/
The mineral belt trail is an 11.6 mile ADA accessible trail that loops the entire city and offers a mix of views that allows you to take in the city, its mining history, and the surrounding natural beauty. If you’re not up for nearly 12 miles of walking at 10,200 ft elevation, there are multiple easy to locate access points so you can easily explore just a section of the trail.
Other Nearby Hikes
AllTrails.com offers a solid listing of hikes in and near Leadville. Perhaps most notable is nearby Mt. Elbert, Colorado’s highest peak. Although staying at a hotel or campsite in Twin Lakes provides quicker access to the trail, it’s certainly do-able from Leadville as a “base camp.” Our AirBnB neighbors were doing just that.
Other Nearby Campsites
There are multiple campgrounds within the Forest Service’s jurisdiction, including Molly Brown Campground, Crescent Mining Camp, and Matchless Campground, most of which are in close proximity to Turquoise Lake. Some are first-come first-serve while reservations for those that take them can be made at recreation.gov.
There are also some private campgrounds/ RV grounds, some of which offer cabins that can be easily located with a quick Google Search. Sugar Loafin’ RV/Campground & Cabins is one of those that looks particularly appealing because of its cute name and nightly ice cream socials!
Go Fish!
I’d usually lump fishing in with hiking, camping, and backpacking but there is such a scene for it in the Leadville area that I think it deserves it’s own section. Unfortunately, I don’t fish (I do eat though, so feel free to invite me to fish fries!) so all I know about fishing in the Leadville area is this: (1) there are trout; (2) a lot of people fish there; (3) people are territorial about their fishing spots. For more, I’d suggest hitting up one of the outdoor shops on Harrison Avenue or hiring a guide (easy to find)
Take a Scenic Drive or Train.
Taking a scenic drive when visiting Leadville is unavoidable. Any route you drive into Leadville will offer scenic views with roadside look-outs that you should take advantage of.
Once in Leadville, you can drive around Turquoise Lake inside San Isabel National Forest stopping at the viewpoints to see panoramic views without having to embark on a grueling uphill hike. This was great for traveling with my parents and would likewise be a good option if you are traveling with kids.
And there’s yet another unique way to see scenic views: the Leadville Train. The train offers daily trips during season (very late May to early October) that run along an old rail line through San Isabel National Forest. There is an even split of enclosed seats and outdoor seats, first-come first serve, and restrooms on board. Throughout the drive, the conductor shares stories of Leadville’s history and explains what passengers are looking at.
Leadville Scenic Train
Location: 326 E. 7th Street, Leadville, CO 80461
Website: http://www.leadville-train.com/
Tickets (2018): Adult: $41, Child: $22, 14% military discount
Duration: 2.5 hours
Explore the Historic Downtown.
The city-center section of Leadville is incredibly easy to navigate. It is basically one road, Harrison Avenue, with numbered cross-streets. The bulk of the shops, restaurants, and in-town historic sites are located between 2nd and 9th streets on or just-off of Harrison Avenue.
Food
We ate breakfast at our AirBnB and were only in Leadville two days so we did not get to too many restaurants. The stand-out was High Mountain Pies, a pizza joint with a cute outdoor seating area, that is well-known by locals and even got a shout-out in a recent edition of National Geographic.
Runner-up was a basic, Mexican meal at Casa Sanchez 2. I enjoyed the carnitas de puerco, which their menu boasts is a “best plate,” whatever that means, and “Mexican Dessert” (i.e. tequila shot).
High Mountain Pies
Address: 115 West 4th Street, Leadville, CO 80461
Website: https://www.highmountainpies.com/
Casa Sanchez 2
Address: 422 Harrison Ave, Leadville, CO 80461
Menu: http://places.singleplatform.com/casa-sanchez-2-0/menu?ref=google
Based on our experience, I’d recommend sticking to more basic food orders when in Leadville. The one meal I tried to order something a little more unique – gnocci in cream sauce – I was less than satisfied.
Shops
If you like old book shops, antique shops, kitsch-ey souvenirs, and the other usual trappings of small USA towns, you’ll enjoy walking through Leadville’s historic downtown and popping in and out of some of the shops. The Delaware Hotel‘s entire lobby is a multi-vendor antique shop and is particularly worth checking out.
Historic Sites
The National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum, mentioned above, is located in the downtown area of Leadville as well as the following:
Tabor Opera House
Address: 308 Harrison Ave, Leadville, CO 80461
Website: https://www.taboroperahouse.net/
Temple Israel Museum
Address: 201 W. 4th St., Leadville, CO 80461
Website: http://www.jewishleadville.org/
House with an Eye Museum
Address:127 W 4th St, Leadville, CO 80461
Website: https://leadville.com/the-house-with-the-eye-museum/
Healy House & Dexter Cabin
Address:912 Harrison Ave, Leadville, CO 80461
Website: https://www.historycolorado.org/healy-house-museum-dexter-cabin
Heritage Museum
Address: 102 E 9th St, Leadville, CO 80461
Website: https://leadvilleheritagemuseum.com/
Tabor Home Museum
Address: 116 E 5th St, Leadville, CO 80461
Website: https://leadville.com/explore-the-original-tabor-home/
Ready for your Leadville, Colorado trip? Check out these Leadville, Colorado Hotels, or check prices for flights to Denver on Skyscanner. Looking for other Colorado destinations to hit on your Colorado trip? Check out the Colorado Archives for ideas.
GEAR CHECK: ESSENTIALS FOR LEADVILLE, CO
In addition to your usual active travel essentials, don’t forget to bring a warm jacket (nights are chilly, even in summer), hiking sandals for enjoying the lake, and of course, sport sunscreen (I like La Roche Posay). REI Outlet, REI Sales, & Moosejaw are great places to look for a deal on outdoor travel essentials.
