This mixed terrain ride is an opportunity to explore the foothills southwest of Monte Vista. A section of it follows the national historic Old Spanish Trail (Sendero Viejo). Mile marker 7 commemorates the pack mule trails’ use and influence on southern Colorado. While there’s not a lot of climbing, the ride takes you past a number of rock formations on double track roads and affords some great views. Using indigenous knowledge of the SLV, a merchant from Santa Fe named Antonio Armijo helped establish an overland connection between New Mexico and California in 1829-30. While initially used for commerce, the Sendero Viejo also contributed to migration of Hispanos seeking to take advantage of Mexican land grants. By the 1850s the trail became less significant, but its impact on the population of the valley was irreversible.