Omayra Acevedo, Peak to Peak. Home. There’s no place like it. I should know. It was the reason I left Europe. These colorful Colorado Rocky Mountains have lived in my heart since the moment I first set eyes on them in 2007. Just like the John Denver song, Rocky Mountain High, I too “was born in the summer of my 27th year. Coming home to a place I’d never been before.”

At over a glorious 8,000 feet above sea level in Gilpin County are the towns of Central City, Black Hawk and Rollinsville, Colorado. At the foot of Central City Parkway, you find our first town of Central City. Like Black Hawk, it is best known as a gaming town. Don’t let this fool you. It is full of Old West history that includes mining, Cowboys and Indians, an opera house dating back to 1878, and also provides more than just gambling. It’s a fun place to go out for a drink, dinner, a hike, a stroll around town and its quaint little shops. Let’s not forget that you can visit one of the nearby ghost towns in Apex, Nevadaville or Russell Gulch.

Only about a mile from Central City, is the town of Black Hawk. Another entertaining location to spend time taking photos of the casinos that tower over you as you walk around the town and soak up the local color. More restaurants and shops are found within the casinos here. I like sitting by the creek. Especially this time of year when the runoff from the mountains helps the creek make beautiful music.

Between Black Hawk and Nederland, tucked away in its own little mountain section off of Highway 119, is Rollinsville. Tiny, yes, but delightful and simple. You can find a post office, an auto shop and mercantile. From downtown Rollinsville, you can head eight miles on County Road 16 to Moffat Tunnel and Rollinsville Pass for some biking, camping and/or hiking. As always, don’t forget the camera.

For a county somewhat hidden in the mountains, Gilpin has lots to offer. Throughout the year it is booming with all sorts of indoor and outdoor festivities: Gilpin County Fair, Winter Arts Fest, Stills on the Hills, a Flea Market, concerts and more. There you have it, a few of the goodies you can enjoy in Gilpin County, Colorado.††††††

For more information check out http://www.gilpincounty.org/.

(Originally published in the May 2, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)