Sunset allows the rocks on the edge of Picketwire Canyon to show off their brilliant colors.

Colorado! The name conjures up many images. Perhaps the most common one is of snow-capped peaks towering over dark canyons and lush valleys. Another consists of waist-deep champagne powder, cobalt-blue skies, and endless vistas of range upon range of peaks fading into the distance. Yet another is of inviting trails through pristine pine forests leading to the breathtaking summit of a fourteener. But there is another part of Colorado that take the time to enjoy.

Many Colorado residents disdainfully refer to the area between the state’s seductive mountains and the Kansas state line as the “flatlands." This eastern third of the state is usually viewed as an empty wasteland of little interest, largely ignored by guidebooks, tourists, and Colorado residents. But the High Plains of eastern Colorado, which we so blithely dismiss, are a remnant of what Colorado used to be. The predecessors of today’s Rocky Mountains, the great Ancestral Rockies, were leveled by the patient, erosive hand of wind and water. The rock that had made up this mighty mountain range had been broken down into tiny grains of silt and sand and then spread out over the state. The plains that we look down our noses at today are made up of the remains of these Ancestral Rockies. Possessed of the spirit of the Ancestral Rockies, the High Plains have preserved a few surprises for those willing to seek them out.

The meandering Purgatoire River patiently continues carving out the Picketwire Canyon where it has exposed the largest assemblage of dinosaur tracks in North America.

Although the eastern plains lack the dramatic scenery of the mountains, they also have a story to tell. Their story is best read quietly. It speaks of the passing of the massive Ancestral Rockies, the fascinating era of dinosaurs and erosions patient sculpting of the landscape. It whispers of nomadic Native Americans following the great bison herds, at first on foot, then with the aid of the horse. It tells of intrepid explorers struggling across the empty plains. If only we take the time to listen.

There are several areas in eastern Colorado where we can see some of the secret grandeur of the Great Plains and their under-appreciated beauty. One of these areas, Comanche National Grassland, is located in extreme southeastern Colorado. It is a patchwork of public and private land, preserving the grassland and juniper forest of the High Plains. The grassland offers a pleasant change of pace from the ever-popular and increasingly more crowded mountain wilderness areas. From late fall through early spring, the grasslands offer relatively warm temperatures and uncrowded hiking trails for those looking for an alternative to snow-bound mountains.

This tranquil scene belies the forces of erosion that formed this little canyon can be seen in the broken and stained slabs of rock along Carrizo Creek.

Comanche National Grassland is divided into two parts. The northern most part is located about 25 miles southeast of La Junta, CO. The Purgatoire River (the name is from the French word for purgatory, pronounced purg-a-twar, although most people today say purgatory) has cut a deep gash in the rock that covers the grassland, creating a broad canyon complex bounded by vertical sandstone cliffs. The area is called the Picketwire Canyonlands. How a canyon carved by a river named Purgatoire came to be called Picketwire is a bit of a mystery. Some say it was a corruption of the word purgatoire, others say it was from the picketwire that cowboys used to tether their horses. Wherever its name came from, it is a spectacular canyon. In the process of carving out the canyon, the river sliced over 300 feet deep into the overlying rock to expose a layer of limestone pockmarked with 16-inch-diameter holes. This limestone was deposited along the shore of an ancient freshwater lake. A small herd of Apatosaurus walking along the shore of this late Jurassic lake left hundreds of footprints—the pockmarks in the limestone—to mark their passing. Naturally, wherever the large herbivorous animals went, the carnivores can’t be far behind. True to form, the tracks of the carnivorous Allosaurus are also found in the mud. The drying mud preserved these tracks for 150 million years. Other layers of sediment buried the muddy tracks until eventually the pressure turned the mud to stone. In the 1930s, a young girl visiting the area recognized the pockmarks as dinosaur tracks. Since then, the tracks have provided incredible insights into the lives of these animals, which existed 150 million years ago. This dinosaur track site, the largest in North America, has more than 1,300 individual footprints. From these, paleontologists have concluded that dinosaurs, particularly Apatosaurus, traveled in herds while the carnivores, like Allosaurus, were lone hunters. Although the life forms are different, the scene is very similar to that of lions following a herd of wildebeest across the African plains today.

An old juniper wears its twisted branches like wrinkles on a face as it stands sentry on the rim of Picketwire Canyon.

The hike into the track site is a long one, about 11 miles round trip, but once you reach the bottom of the canyon, it is a pretty flat trail. There are plenty of interesting diversions along the way. The hike begins in a juniper forest on the canyon rim, following a short, steep descent via an old jeep road down a tributary canyon. In this small tributary canyon, there are numerous photographic opportunities as you descend past the massive sandstone cliffs. Shortly you will emerge into the Picketwire Canyon proper. For the most part, the road wanders along the base of the eroded slopes below the cliffs, keeping you above the height of the ever-present veil of willows that border the river, allowing some nice views of the river and canyon.

For millennia, the plains Indians frequented this canyon and many like it throughout southeastern Colorado. The careful observer can find evidence of these ancient inhabitants in the meandering lines, animal figures or abstract designs scratched into the rock. Since the U.S. Forest Service has not designated any of these petroglyphs for public viewing, you’re pretty much on your own finding them. Much easier to find are the remnants of the early settlers in the canyon. Clearly marked, near the road is an old Hispanic cemetery and a 19th century ranch house.

Since the road in the canyon is closed to motorized vehicles, only the occasional mountain biker or hiker will disturb the serenity of the canyon, making it an excellent place to observe wildlife along the way. The canyon is home to deer, coyotes, fox, badger, bobcat, prairie dogs, rabbits, roadrunners, turkey, prairie chickens, hawks, eagles and falcons. During hunting season, you may encounter hunters in the canyon, but most of the time I’ve found that there are very few people in the canyon.

The slow swirling dance of the duckweed reveals the subtle current flowing through Carrizo Creek.

Away from the canyon, on the plains, grand vistas of short and midgrass prairies can be found interspersed with cultivated land. A very interesting trip through history can be started in the outskirts of La Junta at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site. Based on historical drawings and descriptions, this adobe fort and trading post has been painstakingly reconstructed on the location of the original fort that served travelers along the Santa Fe Trail in the early 1800s. Get directions from the staff at Bent’s Fort to locations along Highway 350 where evidence of the Santa Fe Trail can still be seen. Summer thunderstorms boiling on the horizon make for some very dramatic photographs.

The second part of Comanche National Grassland is southwest of Springfield in extreme southeastern Colorado. It is even more surprising than the Picketwire Canyonlands in that you have very little warning the plains are about to give way to a vertical landscape. Small, secretive canyons have been cut into the High Plains near the Colorado-Oklahoma border. Almost invisible until you’re right on top them, they are a real delight to discover. Although the canyons may only be 20-30 feet deep, many contain springs and small streams, making them a haven for life. Willow and cottonwood abound wherever they can find water and in turn provide sanctuary for wildlife in their lush foliage deep in the protective canyons.

This beautiful painting of a horse graces the wall of aptly named Picture Canyon.

The early Native Americans also found the canyons a perfect shelter. Evidence of their presence can be found in many of the canyons in the form of petroglyphs scratched into the sandstone cliff face, most notably at Picture Canyon and Carrizo Creek. (In this part of the grassland, the petroglyphs are much easier to see than in Picketwire Canyon.) More recently, the Plains Indians have also painted on the rocks. An unknown artist has painted a beautiful image of a horse in Picture Canyon. Photographing these petroglyphs can be a real challenge since they offer very little relief or contrast to make them stand out from the surrounding rock. The petroglyphs are not protected by barriers, making them easy to photograph and easy to damage, so please view them with respect. The depredations of modern-day graffiti artists are plainly evident on the rock faces around these historic treasures. Chalking and other forms of marking are considered vandalism and are illegal. The adage of taking only pictures and leaving only footprints should be applied to the petroglyphs as well as to the environment in general.

Naturally, early morning and late afternoon provide the best photographic opportunities. This is also when the canyons are most enchanting, when the whisper of bygone inhabitants might be heard sighing on the wind. Wandering into secret canyons where dinosaurs prowled the banks of ancient lakes and the First Americans patiently flaked stone spear points can be a very moving experience.

For further information, the following contacts should be helpful:

Comanche National Grassland
1420 E. 3rd St.
La Junta, CO 81050
(719) 384-2181
website: www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/coma/

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
35110 Highway 194 East
La Junta, CO 81050-9523
719-383-5010
email: BEOL_Superintendent@nps.gov
website: http://www.nps.gov/parks.html