Camino del Norte to Chimayó

An effort was made in the summer of 2012 to create a pilgrim route to the Santuario de Chimayó in northern New Mexico beginning in Denver, Colorado. Chimayó is a popular pilgrim destination in the US with tens of thousands of pilgrims making the pilgrimage by foot every year, particularly during Holy Week. For information about this destination, follow the links in the side panel.

A series of three existing routes were used to lead pilgrims between Denver and Chimayó: first, a miner’s route connecting Denver with the silver mining area of Cripple Creek; second, the Ute Indian migration path between the Front Range and the San Luis Valley that was also used by Zebulon Pike during his early exploration of the region following the Louisiana Purchase; finally, the upper reaches of the Rio Grande river used by the Franciscan Missionaries during the time of the Spanish Colonials. Most of the route is made up of graded forest roads, with the remainder on paved country roads. The route would be suitable for foot, off-road wheelchair and mountain bike.

Unlike the caminos in Spain, no network of pilgrim houses exists appropriately spaced to facilitate the pilgrimage. The feasibility of a pilgrim house system in Colorado and northern New Mexico was tested in the pioneer effort. The route originates in Denver, crosses the mountains between Monument and Woodland Park, again at Cripple Creek to Canon City, and into the San Luis Valley at Pass Creek Pass. Although the route passes through some villages and towns, shade and water stations were set up to support pilgrims with refreshments.

The pioneer pilgrims who made the pilgrimage along this Camino del Norte a Chimayo varied widely in background and level of experience. The success of the journey was overwhelming. It was a challenge for most, far beyond any effort they had previously attempted. There was general consensus that the most difficult part was that the distances were beyond the comfort level of most. The spacing of towns cannot be changed, so it is what it is. Perhaps in the future, interim stations would be established to make the stages a bit shorter though it would extend the number of days of the pilgrimage.

Advice to others interested in making the pilgrimage reasonably includes being well prepared both physically - to be able to walk 20 miles without getting blisters - and mentally - to be able to spend hours on end alone and unattached to electronic devices. The scenery, history and culture that the camino passes through is remarkable. The camino is real.

Anyone interested in making this pilgrimage is encouraged to contact the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at 303 477 1402 or the Santuario de Chimayo at 505 351 9961. Alternatively, an email inquiry can be sent through the link above.

Stage 5 Woodland Park to Cripple Creek

Stage 5: Woodland Park to Cripple Creek
22 miles  /  100 miles from Denver  /  250 miles to Chimayó
From Our Lady in the Woods Church, exit the town west on Highway 24 to Divide.  For most of this distance, there is a footpath in the verge parallel to the highway on the right side.  In Divide, at 7 miles (2.5 to 3 hours) from Woodland Park and where there are commercial services and water available, cross the highway at the traffic light to continue on the shoulder of Highway 67 to Four Mile Road (County Road 61), which bears to the right and quickly becomes a graded dirt road.  Four Mile Road is 5 miles from Divide (and it’s more than 4 miles long).
 
Continue on this road upward for approximately 8 miles (3 to 3.5 hours) until it reconnects with Highway 67 outside of Cripple Creek.  Walk along Highway 67 again for approximately 2 miles where a dirt road drops to the right while the highway turns sharply left for a major descent.  Enter Cripple Creek on Galena Ave.  Continue two blocks to Hayden Street; take a left to St Peter Church.  Wild burros in Cripple Creek are protected by law.  Do nothing to disturb burros.

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