Walsenburg - Trinidad : Miners Gravel Rush

This mountain route connects Walsenburg and Trinidad via a corridor steeped in socio-economic history. The Raton Basin extends from Huerfano County through Las Animas County into Colfax County (NM). It is a structural basin with deposits of coal, oil and gas, and coal-bed methane.
The Colorado Coalfield War (1913-14) took place along the route. This was a significant labor uprising between the United Mine Workers of America and the Rockefeller owned Colorado Fuel & Iron. Deadly working conditions were at the center of the dispute, and strikes by miners were met with force.
Arriving along Trinidad Lake State Park, the South Shore Trail is a section of rough double-track. If seeking a smoother, paved option while heading into Trinidad, Highway 12 at Cokedale is an alternate road choice.