Entry No. 20 — the Pueblo file — filed under: roadside-oddity
Simpson's Rest
“The town obliged in 1885. You can drive right up to the grave.”
The giant lit-up TRINIDAD sign looks like standard hillside boosterism until you learn what's underneath it: the grave of George Simpson, the frontier scout who co-founded Pueblo's original trading post in 1842. In 1866 he and his daughter hid in this bluff's crags for days while Ute raiders swept the valley below; he was so grateful he wrote a poem about it and asked to be buried on the summit. The town obliged in 1885. You can drive right up to the grave.
The move: Drive the dirt road up at dusk, park behind the letters, and read Simpson's story at his graffiti-scrawled monument while the sign flickers on and I-25 glitters below.
📍 Before you go From downtown Trinidad, take Linden Avenue to North Avenue, which dead-ends at a gate you're allowed to open yourself — close it behind you, then follow the dirt road up to the parking area directly behind the sign. The road is unpaved but fine for a standard car when dry; skip it after heavy rain or snow. Up top: Simpson's monument, a flagpole, and a full panorama of downtown, I-25, and Fishers Peak. Pair it with a wander through the brick-paved Corazon de Trinidad historic district below.
- 📍 Trinidad
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Top of Simpson's Rest via N. Linden Ave to North Ave, Trinidad, CO 81082 (dirt road past the gate to the lot behind the TRINIDAD sign)
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11