Trinidad is a handsome old Santa Fe Trail town on Colorado’s southern border, where brick streets climb toward the flat-topped silhouette of Fishers Peak. Halfway between Denver and Santa Fe on I-25, it rewards anyone who takes the exit with history, art and big open country.

The Santa Fe Trail, the 19th-century trade route between Missouri and New Mexico, passed right through here, and Trinidad grew into a busy crossroads for traders, ranchers and, later, coal miners. In the 1870s and 1880s it was headquarters for the largest cattle and sheep operation in Colorado, and the wealth from cattle and coal built the ornate brick blocks you’ll see downtown in the El Corazón de Trinidad historic district and creative district. Look down as you walk, too: many streets and sidewalks are still paved with old stamped bricks.

Start at the Trinidad History Museum, a History Colorado site that fills a full city block on East Main Street. It includes the adobe Baca House, the opulent 1882 Bloom Mansion, the 1906 Barglow Building and the Santa Fe Trail Museum, surrounded by heritage gardens. A few blocks away, the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art occupies the 1906 Jamieson Dry Goods Store, with original pressed-tin ceilings and a horseshoe-shaped mezzanine. Inside are hundreds of paintings by Trinidad native Arthur Roy Mitchell, the cowboy artist who painted more than 160 covers for Western pulp magazines, plus Hispanic and Native American folk art.

Outdoors, Trinidad is the gateway to Fishers Peak State Park, a 19,200-acre park whose 9,633-foot namesake looms over town, with more than 25 miles of trails open for hiking and biking. Trinidad Lake State Park is a few miles west for camping, fishing and boating. Insider tip: drive up to Simpson’s Rest, the hilltop overlook with the town’s lighted sign, for the classic view of the rooftops with Fishers Peak behind them, and pair your visit with the Spanish Peaks about an hour northwest.

The Trinidad History Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last entry 3 p.m.), with self-guided Bloom Mansion and Baca House tours; guided tours are $10 (call 719-846-7217). The Trinidad Welcome Center is on winter hours and is closed Sundays from November 1 through April 30. Find events at visittrinidadcolorado.com.