Boom days in Leadville is a celebration of their mining history. For several days they have a variety of vendors available selling all kinds of stuff and food, of course. They also have many activities for men, women, children and burros. The Boom Days Pack Burro race dates back to 1949. They have both a long and short course races. The long course consists of 21 miles which follows four-wheel-drive roads to the summit of Mosquito Pass through the historic mining area. It reaches of altitude of over 13,000 feet. We chose to video and get still images of the beginning of the long race. The packs the standard and mammoth burros carry has to weigh 33 pounds and include a pick, shovel and pan. After the race the packs are weighed. Below is a short video of the beginning of the race followed by several images. I was standing in the middle of the street where the racers had to turn to continue on the route. Thankfully all of them made the turn. đ€
After the race images there will be a few other images.





One of the contests is for the best period costume. I believe the two ladies in the image below were participants.

Some children were lucky enough to get to ride in a miniature train.

Below are images of the main street of Leadville which had been blocked off for vehicular traffic. One is very early morning before the crowd began gathering and the other hopefully shows the huge number of attendees.


We enjoyed the opportunity to spend time in the Leadville area this summer. Consider adding Boom Days to your “bucket list”.