Gold Belt Tour is in central Colorado about one hour’s drive from either Colorado Springs or Pueblo. The byway follows a series of roads between Cripple Creek and Canon City. From Colorado Springs, the byway is reached by following US 24 west to CO 67, then south to Cripple Creek. The southern end of the byway is off US 50, about 50 miles west of Pueblo.
Much of the 122-mile route follows two-lane paved roads suitable for all vehicles. Phantom Canyon road is a rough, gravel-surfaced road. Vehicles over 25 feet should not attempt this segment of the byway. The upper portion of Shelf Road is also a gravel-surfaced road; it requires the use of a four-wheel drive vehicle. All the roads are usually passable year-round; heavy snow can close portions of the route. Phantom Canyon Road and the upper portion of Shelf Road should be avoided in wet weather.
In the 1890s, mining towns of the region enjoyed the greatest gold boom Colorado has ever known. The back country byway is named for the historic Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad, the “Gold Belt Line,” which linked the gold camps with Florence and Canon City. Phantom Canyon Road follows the old railroad grade.
Shelf Road is so named for the narrow “shelf” on which it rides. At one point on the upper portion, the road clings to the canyon wall 200 feet above the stream bed. Climbers come from around the world to scale the limestone walls of Shelf Road. South of the rock climbing area is Red Canyon Park, a 500-acre park containing unusual red rock formations. Some spires reach heights of 100 feet.
High Park Road is an alternate route to the narrow confines of the others. It travels across wide open meadows with scenic mountain vistas.