Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce

Two miles after Trout Creek Pass there is a handy road turn-out to the right for an excellent view of the very photogenic Buffalo Peaks to the northwest.  Although not Fourteeners, they are beautiful mountains and a popular big game hunting area in the fall.

From the same turn-out the Castle Rock formation can also be viewed several miles ahead to the south, beyond the notch where the highway will cross Trout Creek.

After 3 to 3 1/2 miles there are turn-outs on both sides of the road, providing one of the best viewpoints of Buffalo Peaks, overlooking the broad grassland of Chubb Park.

At 5 miles on the left you pass the Castle Rock and the other Castle formations below it.  At that point ahead you have the first full view of Mt. Princeton, a massive mountain with great shoulder peaks on each side of the summit. 

On approaching the valley you come to the most spectacular view of all as you face the entire Collegiate Range, a wall of peaks from north to south.  For the best viewpoint--at 10 miles--signs will direct you to the right turn into the Scenic Overlook.  A large panoramic sign identifies the 14,000 foot peaks and other points of interest across the valley.  Make this scenic point with a covered picnic area a definite stop!   

1.8 miles beyond the overlook at the bottom of the valley, you follow US 24 as it branches off to the right.  Now heading north you are parallel to the peaks on your left.  Camera buffs: at certain seasons about 1 mile after US 24 turns right, look for small ponds in the meadow near the left side of the highway.  When the surface is still they become ideal reflection ponds for reflection shots of the peaks, especially in the bright pink cast of the sunrise each morning.

As US 24 goes through the town of Buena Vista and for another 3 miles north of town, the road passes 3 or 4 miles from the Fourteeners and you have a close up view.  After Mt. Yale look for the beautiful view up North Cottonwood Basin to the Continental Divide, with the pointed Birthday Peak at the far end, standing on the Divide about 10 miles away.

Just north of town you have a close view of the avalanche fingers of Mt. Columbia--an unusual series of avalanche courses that fall vertically more than 2,000 feet.  In the early spring as the snow starts to melt some locals believe the fingers spell the word God and refer to the mountain as "God" mountain.  After Mt. Columbia, Frenchman's Creek lies just before the great ridge that ascends west eventually to the summit of Mt. Harvard.  This point is the north and west end of the Highway of the Fourteeners tour.

Brought to you by the Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Tourism Office