If you love a good road trip, Colorado's newest scenic and historic byway is great news. Officially designated in November 2007, the Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway takes drivers on a 57-mile tour through the heart of the Upper Arkansas River Valley.

The route is flanked by the towering Sawatch Range to the west and five of its famous Fourteeners - Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and Oxford, from which the scenic byway takes its name. To the east, it's the Mosquito Range and the legendary Arkansas River.

Around its mid-point, the Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway passes Mount Antero, the highest shoulders of which are the only place where aquamarine is found, the alluring ice blue-green State Gemstone.

The new Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway is a natural connector to two other spectacular state Byways, Top of the Rockies and the West Elk Loop. A grand tour incorporating all three allows drivers to enjoy areas of exceptional scenic, historic, cultural, recreational and natural values including the treasures of Red Cliff, Minturn, Leadville, Buena Vista, Salida, Poncha Springs, Gunnison, Crested Butte, Marble, Redstone and Carbondale.

Drive slowly and stop often to smell the roses, or sage or pine forests, as the case may be. Happy Trails!