Overlooking Trinidad from the north, Simpson’s Rest is a historic sandstone bluff with fossilized remains of prehistoric life forms. By driving or hiking to the top, you can view the entire Purgatoire River Valley region. To the east are prairies once crossed by wagons on the Santa Fe Trail.
George S. Simpson, a famous scout, trader, explorer, and trailblazer, is buried here. Simpson is credited with the first discovery of gold in Colorado and was an early settler and documentarian of Trinidad, writing about it for East Coast newspapers. During an attack by Utes, he fled to the bluff with his young daughter and later expressed his wish to be buried there.
Today, a Trinidad sign is perched atop and is lit at night.