Phantom Canyon Road and Victor, CO, July 8, 2021
The day after we arrived in Cañon City, Colorado, we had to figure out what we wanted to do to round out our trip. We started off by visiting some of the shops along Main Street, but nothing really caught our interest.
Lunch time was getting close, so we headed to the Gooseberry Patch Restaurant in nearby Penrose. (Good apple pie.) While we ate we plotted and planned, and following my usual modus operandi, I began searching Google Maps for a local scenic road to explore.
I came across Phantom Canyon Road, which starts about halfway between Cañon City and Penrose on U.S. 50. The road looked paved–even the Google Street View showed pavement–and it runs up into the mountains. “This is great,” I thought. An easy drive up to a mining town called Victor, Colorado. So, we decided to go explore Phantom Canyon Road that afternoon, then head back to the hotel.
A little way down the road we spotted a sign: “No trucks or RVs over 25 ft beyond this point.”
No problem. We’re under 25 feet.
A little further and we spotted another sign. This one looked more serious, though, as it was yellow with “WARNING” printed on a red background across the top. “Narrow bridges, sharp curves, no units over 25 feet in length.”
Right. We’re still under 25 feet. And we’re a small truck. We can handle narrow bridges and sharp curves.
“Watch for rock on road.” “Limited winter maintenance.”
OK, look out for the rocks. We’re in summer, so no worries.
“Narrow mountain road, next 22 miles.” Yes. Mountains. We’re in Colorado.
“Pavement ends 1/2 mile.” Oh, this wasn’t expected. I thought it looked paved, but that was on my phone’s tiny screen. No problem, though. We know how to drive on dirt roads.
Only, this was no East Texas dirt road. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
Another little sign on the side of the road stated, “CRAMER, Elevation 5,785.” Yep, Colorado is high. (I mean, in elevation.)
The terrain started to become more…mountainous? I guess that’s how to describe it. The rock was fascinating to us. We’re used to the mostly gray and white limestone that covers much of Texas. A lot of this rock was a much deeper red than we were used to seeing.
Finally, the pavement ended, and then the real adventure began. We drove into Phantom Canyon, which was carved out by Eightmile Creek. Wow! What a sight!
There are several long stretches of the road that pass through BLM land. Camping is permitted here, and there are several clearings that are large enough for a small RV. The photo below is of the cliffside at one of the camping spots.
Phantom Canyon Road was once the railroad bed of the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad. It served several small mining communities along its route.
The road rose in elevation as we continued along. As we climbed higher the temperature went down. Clouds came and went, sometimes bringing a little rain. The forests also became thicker as we went up, and we eventually reached a region where aspens mixed with various conifers. The air was cool and pleasant, despite the fact that it was July. (July in Texas is hot and humid. Mostly hot. But, also mostly humid.)
We came to a wide area in the canyon where the creek and the road made a big loop. We stopped for a little while to take in the scenery. This area felt very remote.
I only spotted two mines along the way but may have missed others because some areas along the road are narrow and high up on cliffsides and thus require extra attention. One thing I did notice, though, was that the few Coloradans we met along the way had a much more relaxed attitude about driving on Phantom Canyon Road. I guess there’s a reason that the Colorado state animal is the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep: like the sheep, the people are comfortable in their mountains.
We came to the ruins of Adelaide, elevation 6,950 feet, which was washed away in a flash flood in 1895. Just north of this spot is the Adelaide Bridge, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
We pulled over into a little camping area along Eightmile Creek and took some photos. The spot was one of many idyllic locations along the route.
The road continued for a few more miles through the forest.
Then, the road climbed up out of the canyon via a switchback. But the scenic experience was not yet over.
The route’s elevation topped out around a little over 9,700 feet. That’s about a 4,000 foot climb from where we started. It was at this point that we began to see signs of civilization. Before long we were in the town of Victor, Colorado.
Victor was founded in 1891, shortly after gold was discovered in the area. The mines shut down in the early 1960s, but a new mining company came in during the mid-1970s. There is a large open-pit mine nearby.
We stopped for dinner at the very excellent Fortune Club Restaurant and Lounge. We had such a good time there that we have often said that we wish it was closer to home!
After dinner it was time to head back to the hotel. We still had quite a drive ahead of us, though. (Remember, there are no straight lines in Colorado!) Along the way the sun began to set, casting golden light on the mountaintops. What a great sight at the end of a fun day of exploring!
This is the end of the series on our trip. The next day we began our drive back home. We drove 600 miles, altogether, and spent the night in Henrietta, Texas, where we had visited the Clay County Courthouse a few days earlier. As soon as we stepped out of the truck, we knew that we were home in Texas as the warm, humid air lovingly enveloped us. (I’m sorry to say that we don’t love the warm, humid air back.)
The next day we drove the remainder of the way home.
We’re glad that we were able to salvage the Colorado portion of our trip, and in such a spectacular way. We hope to return again, soon, and have another Colorado Dirt Road Adventure!