San Luis Valley Scenic Highway Road Trip

SR 159 through the San Luis Valley is a peaceful journey enhanced by the beauty of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and wide-open stretches of farmland. About 20 miles from the New Mexico border, you’ll encounter the quiet community of San Luis, founded in 1851 and said to be Colorado’s oldest city.

Irrigated farmland and the distant Sangre de Cristo Mountains frame this road to San Luis, Colo. In the town, Spanish heritage dominates the architecture, much of it preserved in the Plaza de San Luis de la Culebra Historic District. At the Shrine of the Stations of the Cross, life-size religious sculptures by local artist Huberto Maestas draw both pilgrims and art lovers.