DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO GET TO FLICKENNEL
It's really not all that difficult to find us, if you are observant. We're out in the sticks, but the roads are generally in pretty good shape most of the time - we'll always let you know if they aren't! Don't try to find us in bad weather or in the dark! When you call about buying a puppy, you'll also be given driving directions to find us, including some landmarks to look for. We heartily suggest that you print THIS page for "back-up"! There are a few different ways to find us, so here they are, complete with color-coding so you don't mix the directions. We also suggest that if you need fuel, food or a potty-stop, do it in whichever town you come through - there isn't anything between there and here! If you need to use an ATM to get cash, there are some in Canon City, Florence and Westcliffe. There aren't any up here, and we don't take checks or credit cards!
We are no longer providing public restroom facilities. Our bathroom is also our whelping room, where the pregnant females have their puppies, and it is too easy for visitors coming from other places to introduce disease organisms such as parvovirus on their shoes or clothing, causing the death of the unvaccinated pups and possibly their mothers. It is also very upsetting to the mothers to have strangers trooping in with their pups, and we don't want anyone bitten by an over-protective mama. We have built a puppy-visitation/viewing area in the ground-floor kennel, and all visitors will be ushered into that area ONLY. We ask that you stop in Canon City, Florence, Wetmore, or Westcliffe to use public facilities there - the health and safety of both you and our dogs is our primary concern.
Method #1:
If you're coming from Colorado Springs or anywhere around or north of there, it's best to take State Highway 115 from Colorado Springs through Penrose to Florence. Proceed into Florence until you come to a traffic light and a Carl's Jr. restaurant on your left.
At the traffic light, turn left onto State Highway 67 and proceed 11 miles to Wetmore, where 67 ends. Turn right onto State Highway 96 and head toward the mountains. If you want to use your cell-phone, you'd better pull off the road and do it now, because once you pass the little Wetmore convenience store about 2 miles out of town, you will NOT have any reception in the canyon!
As you come up Hwy. 96 from Wetmore, watch the little green & white mile-markers on the side of the road - you'll be seeing the 26-mile marker near the edge of Wetmore, and the numbers will decrease as you go up the mountain. About halfway between the 13 and the 12-mile markers, you will come over the top of the hill and proceed down into a large open meadow with a glorious view of the distant Sangre de Cristo Mountains. After you pass the 12-mile, but before you get to the 11-mile marker, watch on the right for the big red truck with the sign on it for Bear Basin Ranch - you will turn to the right onto CR 271, immediately after passing the truck. If you get sidetracked by the amazing and breath-taking view of the mountains and do not turn onto CR 271, you will wind up in Westcliffe - in which case, follow Method #2 below!
(You may or may not have phone reception from the turn-off on CR 271. If you want to try to call anyone, do it BEFORE you leave the highway! There's a tower a few miles from that intersection, but once you leave the main road you will not be within line-of-sight range of it. Pull off the pavement and call from there. Typically, there is reception from that point until you reach Westcliffe, but you really don't want to go that far!)
We are no longer providing public restroom facilities. Our bathroom is also our whelping room, where the pregnant females have their puppies, and it is too easy for visitors coming from other places to introduce disease organisms such as parvovirus on their shoes or clothing, causing the death of the unvaccinated pups and possibly their mothers. It is also very upsetting to the mothers to have strangers trooping in with their pups, and we don't want anyone bitten by an over-protective mama. We have built a puppy-visitation/viewing area in the ground-floor kennel, and all visitors will be ushered into that area ONLY. We ask that you stop in Canon City, Florence, Wetmore, or Westcliffe to use public facilities there - the health and safety of both you and our dogs is our primary concern.
Method #1:
If you're coming from Colorado Springs or anywhere around or north of there, it's best to take State Highway 115 from Colorado Springs through Penrose to Florence. Proceed into Florence until you come to a traffic light and a Carl's Jr. restaurant on your left.
At the traffic light, turn left onto State Highway 67 and proceed 11 miles to Wetmore, where 67 ends. Turn right onto State Highway 96 and head toward the mountains. If you want to use your cell-phone, you'd better pull off the road and do it now, because once you pass the little Wetmore convenience store about 2 miles out of town, you will NOT have any reception in the canyon!
As you come up Hwy. 96 from Wetmore, watch the little green & white mile-markers on the side of the road - you'll be seeing the 26-mile marker near the edge of Wetmore, and the numbers will decrease as you go up the mountain. About halfway between the 13 and the 12-mile markers, you will come over the top of the hill and proceed down into a large open meadow with a glorious view of the distant Sangre de Cristo Mountains. After you pass the 12-mile, but before you get to the 11-mile marker, watch on the right for the big red truck with the sign on it for Bear Basin Ranch - you will turn to the right onto CR 271, immediately after passing the truck. If you get sidetracked by the amazing and breath-taking view of the mountains and do not turn onto CR 271, you will wind up in Westcliffe - in which case, follow Method #2 below!
(You may or may not have phone reception from the turn-off on CR 271. If you want to try to call anyone, do it BEFORE you leave the highway! There's a tower a few miles from that intersection, but once you leave the main road you will not be within line-of-sight range of it. Pull off the pavement and call from there. Typically, there is reception from that point until you reach Westcliffe, but you really don't want to go that far!)
You will be on dirt road from now on. Proceed nearly 10 miles on CR 271, until you come to the big black Flick mailbox with a dachshund on top, at #9801, and turn left; the driveway is about 4/10 of a mile long and leads up to a big sky-blue 3-story house shaped like a barn. If the red gate is chained shut, halfway up the drive, it's because the horses are loose - please shut it behind you so they don't get out on the main road.
The big white Great Pyrenees dogs are gentle - they're our protection from bears and such. They only eat MEAN people...
The big white Great Pyrenees dogs are gentle - they're our protection from bears and such. They only eat MEAN people...
The big rust-red Bear Basin Ranch truck to watch for! It's on the north side of Hwy. 96, between the 12 and 11-mile markers. DON'T MISS IT WHILE GAZING AT THE MOUNTAINS!!!
METHOD #2:
Now, if you're NOT coming from the north or east, but up from points south, it's a lot shorter to come up Highway 69 from Walsenburg to Westcliffe, from the well-marked turn-off of I-25 on the northern outskirts of Walsenburg, instead of up I-25 to Pueblo and up Highway 96. (If you're coming from the San Luis Valley - it's faster to go north to Salida and come down Highway 50 - I'll give the rest of YOUR directions in a moment). When you get to Westcliffe from the south, you'll come to a stop at Main Street, which is also Hwy. 96. Turn right onto 96 and go approximately 1 mile, past NEARLY all the businesses and houses. Watch on the left for what looks like the last house at the edge of town, and take the road JUST BEFORE it, which will be CR 255 or Oak Creek Grade. (If you pass the "Thanks for visiting historic Silver Cliff" sign on your left, you've gone too far.)
Now, if you're NOT coming from the north or east, but up from points south, it's a lot shorter to come up Highway 69 from Walsenburg to Westcliffe, from the well-marked turn-off of I-25 on the northern outskirts of Walsenburg, instead of up I-25 to Pueblo and up Highway 96. (If you're coming from the San Luis Valley - it's faster to go north to Salida and come down Highway 50 - I'll give the rest of YOUR directions in a moment). When you get to Westcliffe from the south, you'll come to a stop at Main Street, which is also Hwy. 96. Turn right onto 96 and go approximately 1 mile, past NEARLY all the businesses and houses. Watch on the left for what looks like the last house at the edge of town, and take the road JUST BEFORE it, which will be CR 255 or Oak Creek Grade. (If you pass the "Thanks for visiting historic Silver Cliff" sign on your left, you've gone too far.)
METHOD #4:
There is one other way you can come, which is the 17-mile "short-cut" from Canon City. We're located just about half-way between Canon City and Westcliffe, but it's a winding, narrow mountain road with some pretty spectacular views and terrain all the way up. Some people are rather intimidated by the steep precipices on the downhill side - and the fact that the only stretch of guardrail on the whole route is to prevent you from taking an old side-road, NOT to prevent you from falling off the mountain! It's not for the faint of heart, afraid of heights, or for those who are not familiar with driving on mountainous gravel roads.
If you decide to come this way from Canon City, here are the directions. You'll most likely be coming into Canon City on Highway 50, also known as Royal Gorge Boulevard. Proceed through town until you get to the traffic light at 9th Street and turn onto South 9th St., heading past the Loaf N Jug store (a convenient gas/ATM/potty place!) and Majestic Lube, toward the railroad tracks. Continue across the tracks, over the river, and up the long hill. At the top, the street curves to the left toward a cemetery - start around the curve, but then immediately turn right onto Elm Avenue and pass the mortuary on your right. Continue on Elm about 2 blocks, past a large open graveled area on your left, to the next intersection, which is CR 143 or Oak Creek Grade - both names are on it. The Fremont County Family Center is on the corner, and you want to turn left there, onto 143. CHECK YOUR MILEAGE HERE - you're going about 15 miles on this road. Go past the houses, the golf course and Cotter Uranium Mill. You will have paved road for a little way, then it turns to hard-packed gravel (which sometimes has areas of rough, jouncy "washboards," and gets very slick when wet).
Continue up the mountain - please be careful on the turns - this is NOT a road on which to go fast!!! Admire the scenery for those 15 miles, and when you come to a fork in the road, bear left - CR 143 goes that way, toward Wetmore, NOT right toward Westcliffe. If you miss the turn and pass the Oak Creek Grade General Store and the fire substation, you can still hit CR 66 and turn left, as described above in Method #2. (Just watch for that big brown wall on the left, and turn there.) CR 143 BECOMES CR 271 at the county line, which is at the end of CR 66 (the three roads form the sides of a triangle). The roads intersect at the top of a little blind hill, and 271 winds down around a curve that'll get you if you're not careful. (Please DO be careful!) Once you pass the intersection, ours is the third mailbox you'll come to, just past a sign noting that there's a schoolbus stop ahead.
That's how to find us, and really, it's not as difficult as it sounds, if you just follow the directions. If you think you're lost, please don't turn around and go all the way back to town - you're probably right over the hill from us! It's also best to print out and bring these directions with you - we've known more than one party to get lost following MapQuest's directions or their vehicle's GPS!
Bring your camera - it's very picturesque up here, and you never know when you might get to see a deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, elk, bear, bobcat, cougar, rattlesnake, wild turkey, hawk or eagle, or just our wonderfully scenic mountains - and lots of colorful dachshunds! It's well worth the drive from wherever you are, and we sincerely hope to meet you and be able to send a puppy or two home with you.
There is one other way you can come, which is the 17-mile "short-cut" from Canon City. We're located just about half-way between Canon City and Westcliffe, but it's a winding, narrow mountain road with some pretty spectacular views and terrain all the way up. Some people are rather intimidated by the steep precipices on the downhill side - and the fact that the only stretch of guardrail on the whole route is to prevent you from taking an old side-road, NOT to prevent you from falling off the mountain! It's not for the faint of heart, afraid of heights, or for those who are not familiar with driving on mountainous gravel roads.
If you decide to come this way from Canon City, here are the directions. You'll most likely be coming into Canon City on Highway 50, also known as Royal Gorge Boulevard. Proceed through town until you get to the traffic light at 9th Street and turn onto South 9th St., heading past the Loaf N Jug store (a convenient gas/ATM/potty place!) and Majestic Lube, toward the railroad tracks. Continue across the tracks, over the river, and up the long hill. At the top, the street curves to the left toward a cemetery - start around the curve, but then immediately turn right onto Elm Avenue and pass the mortuary on your right. Continue on Elm about 2 blocks, past a large open graveled area on your left, to the next intersection, which is CR 143 or Oak Creek Grade - both names are on it. The Fremont County Family Center is on the corner, and you want to turn left there, onto 143. CHECK YOUR MILEAGE HERE - you're going about 15 miles on this road. Go past the houses, the golf course and Cotter Uranium Mill. You will have paved road for a little way, then it turns to hard-packed gravel (which sometimes has areas of rough, jouncy "washboards," and gets very slick when wet).
Continue up the mountain - please be careful on the turns - this is NOT a road on which to go fast!!! Admire the scenery for those 15 miles, and when you come to a fork in the road, bear left - CR 143 goes that way, toward Wetmore, NOT right toward Westcliffe. If you miss the turn and pass the Oak Creek Grade General Store and the fire substation, you can still hit CR 66 and turn left, as described above in Method #2. (Just watch for that big brown wall on the left, and turn there.) CR 143 BECOMES CR 271 at the county line, which is at the end of CR 66 (the three roads form the sides of a triangle). The roads intersect at the top of a little blind hill, and 271 winds down around a curve that'll get you if you're not careful. (Please DO be careful!) Once you pass the intersection, ours is the third mailbox you'll come to, just past a sign noting that there's a schoolbus stop ahead.
That's how to find us, and really, it's not as difficult as it sounds, if you just follow the directions. If you think you're lost, please don't turn around and go all the way back to town - you're probably right over the hill from us! It's also best to print out and bring these directions with you - we've known more than one party to get lost following MapQuest's directions or their vehicle's GPS!
Bring your camera - it's very picturesque up here, and you never know when you might get to see a deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, elk, bear, bobcat, cougar, rattlesnake, wild turkey, hawk or eagle, or just our wonderfully scenic mountains - and lots of colorful dachshunds! It's well worth the drive from wherever you are, and we sincerely hope to meet you and be able to send a puppy or two home with you.
ALWAYS CALL FIRST AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT BEFORE DRIVING UP HERE! It would be the pits to come all this way to see puppies, just to find we've gone to town for something and aren't here. We're 17 miles from the NEAREST town, over winding gravel mountain roads, so we won't be back in the next few minutes - our few trips to town are usually several hours long, and if it's for taking a dog to the vet for an emergency procedure, it could be longer! When making your appointment, afternoons are far better than mornings for us, because of all the kennel chores that MUST be done first thing in the morning, so visiting hours are from 2:00 to 4:00. Our number is 719-783-2955 - please call us to make sure we're going to be here, and we know you're planning to come!
Honk your horn when you park below the house so we know you've arrived! With all the little motion detectors on the place, we usually know when someone approaches - but not always - they bark at everything! Come to the ground-floor "Kennel Entrance" door, and knock loudly if we don't meet you at the door. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE GROUND-FLOOR DOOR WITHOUT KNOCKING AND GETTING ONE OF US TO LET YOU IN!!! We have a bright, shiny, new brass door-knocker, too!
By the way, if you're coming up from Pueblo, come out the west end of town on Highway 96, go to Wetmore, and follow the above directions. For those coming from east of Pueblo on Highway 96, exit onto 4th Street, stay with it through town and over the river until it turns into Thatcher Ave., which eventually turns into Highway 96 again. Stay on 96 till you get to Wetmore, then follow the directions listed above.
By the way, if you're coming up from Pueblo, come out the west end of town on Highway 96, go to Wetmore, and follow the above directions. For those coming from east of Pueblo on Highway 96, exit onto 4th Street, stay with it through town and over the river until it turns into Thatcher Ave., which eventually turns into Highway 96 again. Stay on 96 till you get to Wetmore, then follow the directions listed above.
CAUTION: A few folks have told us they've had difficulty printing this page to bring with them. We may have to rebuild the whole thing in order to fix the problem, so please bear with us and jot down the pertinent points for yourself. Thanks!
COOL mailbox, eh?! Seems like we have snow almost year-round.
Here's the intersection of eastbound Hwy 96 and the Oak Creek Grade, turning off to the left at that light-pole, before the house.
The Oak Creek Grade Road is paved for about the first three miles, then it's dirt all the way to Canon City. Again, watch your mile-markers, and when you get to the 13-mile marker, there will be a big brown wall on your right that looks like stone (it's really concrete). Immediately past that wall, there will be a CR 66 that takes off to the right - turn onto it!
Go to the end of CR 66, about a mile, till it intersects another road, CR 271, and turn right. Go about 1/2 mile, or to the third mailbox on your right, and you'll be at our driveway.
Method #3:
This is the way in from Salida and points north and west... Take Highway 50 east, down through the Bighorn Sheep Canyon along the Arkansas River. It's pretty along the water, with the rushing river and the majestic rocks of the canyon walls - bring your camera and binoculars - you might see some bighorn sheep!
Proceed down the river about 23 miles until you get to the tiny hamlet of Cotopaxi and the Cotopaxi Store. There's a winding little paved road on the right between the Store and a real estate office - it's County Road 1A, and it will take you about 7 miles to the stop-sign at Highway 69. Turn right on 69 and go south until you come to a stop-sign at Main Street in Westcliffe. Turn left and go about 1.25 miles to the Oak Creek Grade turn-off, then follow the directions given above.
This is the way in from Salida and points north and west... Take Highway 50 east, down through the Bighorn Sheep Canyon along the Arkansas River. It's pretty along the water, with the rushing river and the majestic rocks of the canyon walls - bring your camera and binoculars - you might see some bighorn sheep!
Proceed down the river about 23 miles until you get to the tiny hamlet of Cotopaxi and the Cotopaxi Store. There's a winding little paved road on the right between the Store and a real estate office - it's County Road 1A, and it will take you about 7 miles to the stop-sign at Highway 69. Turn right on 69 and go south until you come to a stop-sign at Main Street in Westcliffe. Turn left and go about 1.25 miles to the Oak Creek Grade turn-off, then follow the directions given above.