Leadville—Carleton Tunnel—Nast—Meredith—Basalt; 52.7 miles, State 104.

Graded road; open all year. Accommodations limited.

This route follows the abandoned roadbed of the Colorado Midland Ry., crossing under the Continental Divide through the Carle-ton Tunnel, to traverse the valley of the Frying Pan River, one of the best hunting and fishing areas of the State. For many miles the road lies within the Cochetopa and Holy Cross National Forests; at no point does the grade exceed four per cent.

In LEADVILLE, 0 miles (see Leadville), State 104 branches west (L) from US 24 (see Tour 5b) by way of West 6th Street. For several miles the scene is one of pleasantly wooded slopes, with the massive peaks of the Sawatch Range, the highest in Colorado, dominating the horizon.

At 5 miles is the junction with a graded dirt road.

Left on this road to the NATURAL SODA SPRINGS (picnic grounds), 1.3 miles, its water pleasant and faintly astringent to the taste. Here the road winds through large groves of pines, presenting occasional glimpses of the crests of Mount Massive and Mount Elbert. A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FISH HATCHERY (open 9-5 daily), 1.8 miles, propagates trout for restocking streams in the neighboring national forests.

At 2.1 miles is the junction with a side road.

Right here 0.5 miles to EVERGREEN LAKES, two small bodies of water gleaming against the Sawatch Mountains as backdrop.

The Soda Springs road winds down from the forest through rich haylands of the Arkansas Valley to MALTA, 3.5 miles (see Tour 6b).

State 104 proceeds through hill country to TURQUOISE LAKE (R), 6.5 miles, colored like the jewel for which it is named. The highway roughly parallels the northern shore line for 2 miles, the water gleaming at intervals through the fringe of trees, and crosses the eastern boundary of Cochetopa National Forest, 7.6 miles

At 8.9 miles is the junction with a foot trail.

Right on this difficult trail to TIMBERLINE LAKE (fishing), 42 miles, a dark blue, cup-shaped lake almost hidden, within a fold of hills.

The highway reaches the EAST PORTAL OF THE CARLETON TUNNEL (cars $1; $1.50 round trip; season ticket $5), 12.9 miles (11,528 alt.), through which it crosses to the Western Slope. This 9,394-foot bore, driven through almost solid granite at a cost of $1,250,000, was begun in 1890 as a private enterprise, the promoters hoping to lease or sell it to the Colorado Midland Railway. Ultimately they were forced to sell it at a fraction of the cost, for the railroad, never profitable, was junked during the World War. In 1922 the owners quit-claimed to the State Highway Department all the right-of-way except that through the tunnel.

The WEST PORTAL of the tunnel, 14.2 miles (11,500 alt.), is protected by a 600-foot snow shed, which insures an open tunnel during winter. In its descent from the tunnel the road passes the ruins of many conical brick charcoal ovens, suggesting a primitive village.

From HELLGATE, 17.9 miles, a soaring promontory where the rock-crusted slope drops sheer from the edge of the road, is a view seldom seen even on the high mountain highways. Far below, the clustered buildings of Nast, about four miles as the crow flies, appear as tiny dots among the trees; in the background is the rough, wooded, and almost unvisited basin at the headwaters of the Frying Pan River, walled in on the east by the tremendous shoulders of Mount Massive and Mount Elbert.

State 104 follows an easy winding grade along the Frying Pan River to NAST, 27.8 miles (9,060 alt.), summer resort and supply town. West of Nast the road passes several hamlets, former stations on the old Midland Railway; residents are now mainly dependent upon tourist and sportsmen trade. Throughout the attractive green-and-red valley of the Frying Pan are many campgrounds established by the Forest Service. Private resorts near the settlements offer luxurious accommodations for those who do not care to rough it. The waters of the Frying Pan and its numerous tributaries are well stocked with native, rainbow, brook, and some Loch Leven trout, and are favored by veteran anglers. Deer, elk, mountain lion, and black bear are found in the back country.

Various stories have been told of the naming of the river and valley. According to one, a party of Missouri trappers encamped along the stream were set upon by Indians, who killed all but two. One of the survivors, seriously wounded, was hidden in a cave by his companion, who started across the mountains for help. To mark the spot, he tied a frying pan to the limb of a pine. Soldiers returned with him, to find the trapper dead but the frying pan still dangling from the tree.

Two early gold prospectors, according to a second story, lost much of their equipment while fording the river and used a frying pan to wash sands along the stream.

The prevailing red tones in the valley come from the vermilion cliffs that occasionally break through the slopes along the river. On the northern bank (R), 48.5 miles, are the SEVEN CASTLES, great masses of carmine rock, weathered into towering shapes resembling medieval strongholds.

BASALT, 52.7 miles (6,600 alt., 148 pop.) (see Tour 5C), is at the junction with State 82 (see Tour 5C).