4. The Overlook wayside site provides an unbelievably beautiful view at the highway switchback high above the Conejos canyon.  The highway then drops off the mountain and follows the Rio Conejos through the mountain forest of ponderosa pine and aspen, out onto the dry Valley floor.  CO Hwy 17, mile marker 14, 24 miles southwest of Antonito.

  5. Conejos River Canyon Bighorn Release Area.  Look for deer and bighorn sheep in areas along the Conejos, west of Antonito.  Once out on the Valley floor, the habitat changes dramatically.  Pronghorn antelope replace deer and elk in some of the dry high-desert habitats along the road.  On CO Hwy 17, southwest of Antonito.

  6. Las Mesitas Church.  Along CO Hwy 17, between mile markers 32 and 24, 6.8 miles southwest of Antonito.  Driving, hiking or floating the river corridors you might see golden eagles, songbirds, woodpeckers, waterfowl, shorebirds, beavers, deer and porcupines.

  7. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, in Conejos, is a beautiful mission church, the oldest parish in Colorado.  Two miles north of the Lobato Bridge is the De Vargas petroglyph crossing site.  Do not touch these archaeological treasures!

  8. McIntire Springs & Pikes Stockade:  The water table here abuts hard, volcanic formations creating warm natural springs and streams.  In the winter of 1807 Lieutenant Zebulon Pike built a small stockade nearby, where the warm springs thawed the frozen Conejos River, assuring a water supply.  Near Manassa, on CO Hwy 142, 3.2 miles east of Romeo.  McIntire Springs, BLM, 719-274-8971.  Pikes Stockade Historic Site. 719-379-3512.

  9.  Visit the Jack Dempsey Museum in Manassa (719-842-5307), then explore the Sego Springs State Wildlife Area.  Sego, 3 miles east of Manassa on CO Hwy 142, then .5 miles north on dirt access road, Colorado Division of Wildlife.  719-587-6900.

  10. San Luis Hills & King Turquoise Mine:  The dark, rocky slopes of the San Luis Hills rise from the Valley floor near the Rio Grande as it cuts a trench into the volcanic rock that will eventually become the Rio Grande Gorge in New Mexico.  Watch for rattle snakes!  12 miles east of Manassa on CO Hwy 142, 19 miles west of San Luis.  BLM, 719-274-8971.

  11. Rio Grande Crossing.  A century after Columbus' landing, Don Juan de Oñate claimed all lands drained by El Rio Bravo del Norte for King Phillip II of Spain.  Trails and traces of Spanish entradas (probes) are evident in this area.  East of Mile marker 14 only .2 miles.  This crossing is 11.5 miles east of Manassa on CO Hwy 142.  BLM, 719-274-8971.  From the Rio Grande crossing, the scenic byway crosses the dry cold desert of the Valley floor to the foothills of the Culebra Range of La Sierra, an offset portion of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range.  This area was once part of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant, and since the 1840s has been private land.  One of Colorado's largest and most successful Ranching for Wildlife projects, The Forbes-Trinchera Ranch, 719-379-3263, occupies the northern part of this range.

  12. Mesa Overlook.  In San Luis the Stations of the Cross Shrine is a series of bronze sculptures by Huberto Maestas along a trail leading to the exquisite All Saints Chapel at the top of San Pedro Mesa.  The San Luis Museum and Cultural Center and the towns of San Acacio, Chama, San Pablo and San Francisco are very special.  Plan to spend the day.  Intersection of CO Hwy 142 and Hwy 159.  At Fort Garland, stop at the Community Park to rest.  Enjoy the stained glass masterpieces in the Holy Family Catholic church just west of the park.  Take time to enjoy the Fort Garland Museum for a historical treat of the Valley's Civil War days.  Stock up on groceries, gas and supplies and head to the Great Sand Dunes.  Follow US Highway 160 to just west of the historic railroad town of Blanca.  The byway follows Colorado Highway 150 north to the Dunes.

  13.  The Zapata Falls Picnic Area gives an outstanding view of the immense San Luis Valley floor.  Take a short, steep hike through the pinyon-juniper forest to the impressive natural falls along Zapata Creek.  CO Hwy 150 at mile marker 10.5, five miles south of the Great Sand Dunes National Park.  Watch for Zapata Falls Recreation Area sign on east side of highway.  Take improved gravel road to parking area at the falls trail head.

  14.  The historic Zapata Ranch is a National Historic Site with an old stagecoach station.  This riparian area is a birder's paradise, especially during spring and fall migrations.  CO Hwy 150 at mile marker 12, five miles south of the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.  The Nature Conservancy 719-378-2503.

  15.  The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve  is just to the north of Zapata Ranch.  Plan to spend a morning, an afternoon or a whole day.  Bring binoculars and camera.  Some wildlife species here can't be found anywhere else in the world.  Protect yourself against extreme temperatures, sunburn and exhaustion.  Ask park rangers about traveling the Medano Pass 4WD road into the heart of the Sangre de Cristo Range of the San Juan/Rio Grande National Forest.  San Dunes information, 719-378-6300.

  16.  The Medano Ranch is next to the Great Sand Dunes.  Domesticated bison and elk roam the wet meadows and dry uplands of the valley floor. Watch for them along the road.  County Land 6 North, 10 miles east of CO Hwy 17 and 4 miles west of CO Hwy 150/Lane 6 north intersection.  The Nature Conservancy 719-378-2503.

  17. San Luis Lakes State Park and Wildlife Area has a modern campground, picnic facilities and wonderful watchable wildlife trails and blinds.  Elk, songbirds, coyotes, kangaroo rats and rabbits are common sights here.  An excellent spot for fishing and boating, with spectacular views of Mt. Blanca and the Dunes.  Alamosa County Lane 6 North, 8 miles east of CO Hwy 17 and 6 miles wet of CO Hwy 150/Lane 6 North intersection.  Park office, 719-378-2020.

  18. Alamosa Gateway to the Byway.  At the intersection of Colorado Highway 17 and Sand Dunes Road, the Byway is surrounded by agricultural lands, often popular feeding and loafing areas for migrating cranes, geese and waterfowl.  Learn the fascinating history of the Mosca region in the Los Caminos Antiguos newspaper.  Private land.  Keep pets in your car and stay on graveled parking area.

  19. The San Luis Valley Alligator Farm lies just three miles north of the Byway intersection.  Famous for its high altitude reptiles, the warm well water not only creates ponds and wetlands for the gators, but also provides outstanding habitat for many waterbirds and waterfowl.  Admission charged.  719-378-2612.

  20. Blanca Wetlands:  East of US Hwy 17, seven miles north of Alamosa, take Alamosa County road 2 South east approximately 6 miles to entrance.  Closed during waterfowl nesting season.  BLM, 719-274-8971.  Rare snowy plovers nest here, and the area is a birder's delight during spring, summer and fall.

  21.  The Byway continues along Highway 17 into the Valley's largest urban area at Alamosa.  There is plenty of wildlife along the Rio Grande as it runs through town, and around the old river oxbows, created wetlands, irrigated hay meadows and farm fields along the river.  Visit the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge 3 miles east of Alamosa, south of US Hwy 160 on El Rancho Road.  Call 719-589-4021.

  22. Playa Blanca State Wildlife Area, with a new visitor center, will be the home of the state's new Native Aquatic Species Hatchery in the coming years.  3 miles west of Alamosa, south of US Hwy 160 on County Road 106.  Colorado Division of Wildlife, 719-587-6900.