Leadville, Colorado is less than two hours from the Denver Metro Area, and if you exclude Coloradoan’s obsessions with Melanzana fleece jackets that now plague the tallest incorporated town in the United States, we think it’s actually done a stellar job of preserving its cute mountain town vibe and heritage. Even if you aren’t a little on the spectrum and love to learn about railroads and mining history, this town still has plenty to offer (but, you know, skip the first two paragraphs because we’re definitely going to write about trains and mining tunnels). Here’s a few things you should check out if you ever find yourself in Leadville, Colorado.

National Mining Hall of Fame Museum

Look, before you form an opinion, let’s just point out to you: Hall of Fame museums for anything are cool as fuck. Whether it’s baseball, rock and roll, or guys who tunneled deep into the Earth to exploit the planet’s precious minerals in an attempt to make it big in the late 1800s, you know we want to completely blow our tubes out on a heavy sativa and go in there to read little placards for the next two hours. For twenty bucks, you too could get high to the point of anxiousness before going and reading about the miners who made history while looking at shiny geodes bigger than your dome.Sure, is this how everyone wants to spend their Saturday? Maybe not. But do we think that the rapid advancements of technology have made us lose connection to our whimsical desire to learn new things and maybe everyone in this country could benefit from getting high on psychoactive substances and going to look at cool rocks? You bet your ass.

Leadville Railroad

But how could we possibly top the National Mining Hall of Fame, you ask? That’s easy: motherfucking trains. The Leadville Railroad rips you up into some stellar alpine environments that, again, you’re probably going to want to be stoned for. From wildflower views to barbecue dinner specials to zipline tours, the Leadville Railroad has a little something for everybody. If you’re like us, and you still daydream about robbing trains on horseback as grown adults in the 21st century, we’d highly recommend this one. 

Twin Lakes

South of Leadville lies Twin Lakes, and if you’re guessing there’s two of them, we’ve got some great news about your reading comprehension and ability to use context clues. Carved from glaciers a long, long time ago (at least, what, 10 years?) Twin Lakes offers some fabulous views and a lovely way to cool off in the hot August heat. We usually bring our paddleboards and then get too stoned and stay on the shore playing fetch with our dogs and looking at mountains, but hey, you probably have more self control when it comes to moderation than we do, so we have faith in your ability to at least get in the water. Maybe you can start a water polo team or something.

Mt. Elbert

Southwest of Leadville is Mt. Elbert, which is the highest 14er in Colorado. There’s a couple routes to the top, with the shortest one being about 10 miles round trip. If you want to hike it like a Texan, we’d recommend bringing your favorite pair of blue jeans and at least two plastic water bottles. On the other hand, you could be smart about it too and gear up correctly. We’d hate to be responsible for your poor decisions in the backcountry after we hyped you up over mining museums and railroads.