The Gold Belt Tour National Scenic Byway follows historic travel routes to the Cripple Creek Mining District, one of the world's wealthiest gold mining districts. Phantom Canyon Road follows the grade of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad from 1894 to 1912, the first railroad to reach Cripple Creek's gold camps. Shelf Road provided a direct but harrowing journey for stagecoaches and freight wagons bound for Cripple Creek, while High Park Road, traversing lush mountain grasslands, was well traveled by cowboys and prospectors alike. The byway offers rugged canyons, mountain parklands and ranches, and sweeping mountain views, and it includes the internationally significant Garden Park Fossil Area just north of Cañon City and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument at the north end of the route. Florence's historic downtown and the historic communities of Cripple Creek, Victor, and Florissant lie along the way.