Cokedale, CO

Founded in the early 1900s as a coal-mining hub, Cokedale was originally built as a planned company town. In its peak years, over a thousand people lived in the valley along Reilly Creek, complete with their own school, doctor's office, and neighborhood store. When the mine closed in 1947, the community stayed put. Many of those original stone and wood-frame houses still stand along the quiet streets, giving the entire town an authentic historic character set against the pinon-covered hills.

ATTRPlazak / CC BY-SA 4.0

Today, Cokedale is a tiny, laid-back community located about eight miles west of Trinidad along the Highway of Legends. The former mercantile building now serves as the town hall and local museum, and the massive historic coke ovens still sit right across the road. It is a great spot if you want mountain views, quiet streets, and quick access to Trinidad Lake State Park, all within a ten-minute drive of shops and restaurants in Trinidad.