The Lariat Loop National Scenic and Historic Byway is a National Scenic Byway and a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in

Jefferson County, Colorado Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 582,910, making it the fourth-most populous county in Colorado. The county seat is Golden, and the most populous city is Lakewood. ...

, USA. The byway is a loop in the

Front Range The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered ...

foothills west of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

through Golden, Lookout Mountain Park, Genesee Park,

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

, Morrison, Red Rocks Park, and Dinosaur Ridge. The Lariat Loop connects to the

Mount Evans Scenic Byway The Mount Evans Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Clear Creek County, Colorado, Clear Creek and Jefferson County, Colorado, Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States. The byway asce ...

at Bergen Park.

Route

The byway includes portions of State Highway 93 between Golden and Morrison, State Highway 74 from Morrison to Evergreen via Bear Creek Canyon, and the same road north to

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

, which bisects the loop. The Lariat Trail connects Golden with the top of

Lookout Mountain Lookout Mountain is a mountain ridge located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and along the southeastern Tennessee state line in Chattanooga. Lookout Mountain was the scene of the 18th-cen ...

and Lookout Mountain Road completes the loop back to Interstate 70. This route formed the foundation for the surrounding area’s designation as a Colorado Heritage Area in 2000; the Byway was so designated by the Colorado Dept. of Transportation and Governor Owens in April 2002. The Lariat Loop connects to the

via

Squaw Pass Road The English word ''squaw'' is an ethnic and sexual slur, historically used for Indigenous North American women. Contemporary use of the term, especially by non-Natives, is considered derogatory, misogynist, and racist.King, C. Richard,De/Sc ...

. The Lariat Loop Byway blends natural, cultural, and historic attributes in a route that has been promoted as a tourist destination since 1914 and can be enjoyed in a half-day’s drive from

. Along the route are dozens of historic sites, scenic parks, and other attractions (see list below), many of which are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Although the Lariat Loop is not listed, it comprises two registered routes, the

Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive Bear Creek Canyon Drive, a linear district, includes two miles of scenic road, which is now part of State Highway 74. The drive is between the town of Morrison and the town of Idledale. The scenic drive connects to the west border of the Red R ...

and the

Lariat Trail Scenic Mountain Drive A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...

. The Lariat Loop encompasses parts of Denver’s original “circle drives,” within the unique

Denver Mountain Parks The Denver Mountain Parks system contains more than of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas, and Grand counties in Colorado, west and south of Denver. Owned and maintained by the City and County of Denve ...

system designed by F.L. Olmsted, Jr, in 1914. The diverse geography of the foothills setting offers dense forests, mountain vistas, winding roads, rocky outcrops and ridges, and historic “beauty spots.” Many of these scenic areas have become county or city parks and are accessible to the public. All roads along the Lariat Loop Byway are accessible via passenger vehicle, with convenient services, year-round. Open Space and Mountain Parks are protected areas and all wildlife and plants are protected.

Attractions

Golden, Colorado Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Census. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountai ...

*Windy Saddle Park *

Lookout Mountain Park Lookout Mountain Park is a Denver Mountain Park located around west of downtown Denver overlooking Golden, Colorado. It consists of {{convert, 65.7, acre, m2 of evergreen wilderness atop Lookout Mountain, named for its being a favored lookout p ...

** Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave * Lookout Mountain Preserve and Nature Center *

Genesee, Colorado Genesee is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The populatio ...

* Genesee Park ** Chief Hosa Lodge *El Rancho, Colorado *Fillius Park *Bergen Park, Colorado *

Elk Meadow Park Elk Meadow Park is a park and trail system in Evergreen, Colorado managed by Jefferson County Open Space. This program began acquiring these ranchlands in 1977 to create the extensive protected area, which is made larger by adjacent public lands. ...

* Evergreen, Colorado **

Dedisse Park Dedisse Park is a Denver Mountain Park located in Jefferson County, Colorado, USA. It was originally the scenic mountain ranch of 1860s pioneer Julius C. Dedisse; this of land was purchased by the City & County of Denver in 1919. In 1927-28 Denv ...

**Evergreen Lake **

Hiwan Homestead Museum The Hiwan Homestead Museum is a historic house museum in Evergreen, Colorado. It is located at 4208 S. Timbervale Drive in Evergreen. History The property was purchased in the late 1880s by Mary Neosho Bailey Williams, widow of General Thomas ...

* Kittredge, Colorado *O'Fallon Park *Corwina Park *Lair O'the Bear Park * Little Park *

Idledale, Colorado Idledale is an unincorporated town, a post office, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. T ...

Morrison, Colorado The Town of Morrison is a home rule municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 428 at the 2010 census. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is located nearby. History This small foothills settlement is named after George ...

**Morrison Historic District ** Morrison Natural History Museum * Red Rocks Park **

Red Rocks Amphitheatre Red Rocks Amphitheatre (also colloquially as simply Red Rocks) is an open-air amphitheatre built into a rock structure in the western United States, near Morrison, Colorado, west of Denver. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind ...

** Red Rocks Park and Mount Morrison Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

Dinosaur Ridge Dinosaur Ridge is a segment of the Dakota Hogback in the Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark located in Jefferson County, Colorado, near the town of Morrison, Colorado, Morrison and just west of Denver. The Dinosaur Ridge area is one ...

* Matthews/Winters Park ** Mount Vernon, Colorado *Apex Park *

**Astor House Museum **Clear Creek History Park **

Colorado Railroad Museum The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado. The museum was established in 1959 to preserve a record of ...

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines, informally called Mines, is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on en ...

*** Mines Museum of Earth Science ** Coors Brewery (world's largest) **Foothills Art Center **Golden Pioneer Museum **Golden Visitors Center **

National Renewable Energy Laboratory The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US specializes in the research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy systems integration, and sustainable transportation. NREL is a federally funded research an ...

(NREL) ** Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

Major intersections

Gallery

File:Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway - One Hundred Million Years at Your Fingertips - NARA - 7720009.jpg, Dinosaur footprints along the Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway

Notes

References

External links

America's BywaysBureau of Land Management Back Country BywaysColorado Department of Transportation

Colorado Scenic & Historic Byways Commission
*
Colorado Scenic & Historic Byways

Colorado Travel MapColorado Tourism OfficeHistory Colorado
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