Guanella Pass Road will be open from Georgetown to Grant and Park County by the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, May 27, 2011.

Weather permitting, road construction will begin again in May and include the following closure schedule:

• Monday-Friday–days, 8-11am and 1-3pm
• Sunday-Thursday–nights, 8pm to 6am
• No closures on the weekends.

Entire project completion date estimated to be September 24, 2011.
Until this Memorial Day weekend, the road is only open to Clear Lake Reservoir.

The Lebanon Mining Company finally strikes the Hise Lode 1,100 feet from the portal. Profitable veins are found and the company enjoys an excellent reputation as a solid producer.

In 1885, the Lebanon is one of only 50 mines in the Georgetown area still producing ore. The tunnel reached its greatest length of 1,200 feet in 1886, but drastic silver prices declined ending further work. By the end of the decade, the mine was silent.

Today you can enhance your Georgetown Train Ride with an optional walking tour of the Lebanon Silver Mine, located at the halfwy point on the railroad. The tour takes you 500 feet into a mine tunnel bored in the 1870s. Your guide will point out rich veins of silber and tell you about early mining.

The temperature inside the mine is a constant 44 degrees Fahrenheit, so bring a jacket.

This is a walking tour lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes so comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

The tour also includes visits to the manager’s office, the miners’ change room and the tool shed.

www.georgetownlooprr.com for complete tour information.

Echo Lake Park, established in 1921 at the foot of Goliath Peak, contains an impressive Rustic style lodge designed by prominent Denver architect J.J.B. Benedict. Two other structures, the stone pavilion and the concession stand, represent the work of the Depression-Era Civilian Conservation Corps. The property is associated with the Denver Mountain Parks and The Architecture of Jules Jacques Benois Benedict in Colorado Multiple Property Submissions.

Colo. Hwy. 103 & Colo. Hwy. 5, Idaho Springs vicinity
National Register 2/24/1995, 5CC.646

Take a drive up “Oh My Gawd Road”, the hair-raising shortcut to nearby Central City, another historic gold rush town known as the “richest square mile on earth”.

Take I-70 to exit 241 in Idaho Springs.

Follow Colorado Blvd. into town.

At the fork in the road stay to the right and then take the second right onto Virginia Canyon Road.

This scenic dirt road gets its name from its spectacular views as well as its narrow and curving lanes.

The canyon is filled with old mining sites, and like the travelers of yesterday, many people drive the road in search of gold as they drive between Idaho Springs and the gambling communities of Central City and Blackhawk.

Four 14,000 foot peaks

• Mt. Evans,
• Mt. Bierstadt,
• Gray’s Peak
• Torrey’s Peak

Scenic and Historic Byways

• Mt. Evans and
• Guanella Pass,
• Oh My Gawd Road,
• Loveland Pass
• Berthoud Pass

Three National Historic Districts (2 of which combine to form a National Landmark Historic District)

Hundreds of Historical Landmark properties in and around Idaho Springs, Georgetown & Silver Plume, and Empire

Hundreds of recreational trails including a bike path that runs completely through the county from our border with Jefferson County to our border with Summit County, the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail

The Continental Divide
Water falling on one side of the divide eventually travels to Pacific Ocean, and water on the other side travels to the Atlantic Ocean.