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 story
From Interstate 25, the giant white letters spelling out TRINIDAD on the sandstone bluff look like standard small-town mountain boosterism. What the highway drivers passing below don't realize is that they're looking at a burial ground. Tucked directly behind the colossal sign rests George Semmes Simpson—a 19th-century trader, frontier scout, and self-styled poet who co-founded the original El Pueblo trading post down the valley in 1842.
Simpson chose this exact spot under dire circumstances. In 1866, he and his daughter found themselves trapped on this rocky outcrop for days while Ute raiders swept through the Purgatoire River valley below. Hiding out in the crags of the bluff, Simpson survived the siege and immortalized his refuge in verse, making a deathbed request to be laid to rest on the summit. The town honored his wish in 1885, hauling his remains up the ridge so he could watch over Trinidad forever.
What it's like
Getting there feels faintly trespassy: you drive up Linden Avenue to North Avenue until it dead-ends at a fence, where you have to manually unlatch a gate yourself—just be sure to close it behind you. The unpaved dirt track winds up the back of the bluff and drops you into a bare turnout right behind the steel frames of the TRINIDAD letters. Up top, you'll find Simpson's graffiti-tagged stone obelisk, a lone flagpole, and an unbroken view spanning downtown's historic brick streets, the glittering line of I-25, and the flat table top of Fishers Peak. Visit around dusk when the giant sign kicks on and the valley lights begin to blink open below.
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.
Pair it with
- Tarabino Inn — Head down into town to this 1907 Italianate inn where long-dead original owner Barney Tarabino reportedly still haunts the upper suite.
- Louden-Henritze Archaeology Museum — Trade frontier history for ancient geology at this free campus museum that showcases fossils recovered from the 80-million-year-old ocean floor beneath Trinidad.
- A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art — Pair Simpson's real-life mountain-man history with hundreds of original pulp Western paintings hanging in a preserved 1906 dry-goods building on Main Street.
- Cokedale Coke Ovens — Drive seven miles west on Highway 12 to see two massive, eerie rows of 350 beehive coal ovens left rusting in the brush since 1947.
Good to know
How do I drive to the top of Simpson's Rest?
From downtown Trinidad, take Linden Avenue to North Avenue, which dead-ends at a gate. Open the gate, drive through, close it behind you, and follow the unpaved dirt road straight up to the parking area behind the sign.
Can standard cars make the drive up the dirt road?
Yes, standard passenger cars can manage the unpaved road easily when conditions are dry. Avoid driving up after heavy rain or snow, as the dirt turns into thick, wheel-spinning mud.
Who was George Simpson?
George Semmes Simpson was a frontier scout and trader who helped build Pueblo's original trading post in 1842. After surviving an Indian raid on this bluff in 1866, he requested to be buried at the summit, and Trinidad buried him here in 1885.
Is Simpson's Rest open at night?
While accessible for dusk views when the sign lights up, hours can vary or change locally. Always check local notices or confirm current hours before heading up late.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: visittrinidadcolorado.com · loc.gov · legendsofamerica.com · takemytrip.com · krtnradio.com · Wikipedia
last checked: 2026-06-11