Highway of Legends
Devil's Stairsteps, CO

The Devil's Stairsteps is one of the grandest dikes in the area. Over 400 dikes radiate out from the Spanish Peaks like spokes on a wheel, and continue either above or below ground for as far as 25 miles. These geological formations are unique to this area.

The dikes were formed during the time of the volcanoes. Igneous rock, molten and flowing, forced its way into fractures in sedimentary rocks and hardened. Over the years, the softer sedimentary material eroded away, leaving the igneous dikes exposed.

Eons ago, when the earth was new, the Devil was allowed out of his fiery home to survey the world. He chose the Cuchara Valley as his entrance. He would climb up the steps and sit on the twin mountains. Surveying the world, he plotted how to make it his. But God learned of the Devil's plotting, and noticing the beauty of the mountains and valley, God took it as his own. He forbade the Devil to ever enter the area again. But the Devil's steps still stand.