In Southern Colorado, the Spanish Peaks appear as a pair, a “double mountain” of mystical significance to Native peoples. Neither the West nor the East Spanish Peak is a fourteener, yet they soar seven thousand feet out of the arid plains, higher than any point in the country farther east. They were the first glimpse of the Rockies for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. But while the rest of the Rockies were created by movement of the earth’s crust, the Spanish Peaks owe their existence to volcanic activity. 24 million years ago magma forced its way deep underground, miles below Colorado, and turned into rock. Eventually, the surrounding plains eroded and exposed the peaks, named National Natural Landmarks in 1976. Take in the spectacular beauty of the snowcapped Spanish Peaks travelling from Walsenburg to Trinidad on the Highway of Legends.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.
