To The Paint Mines

Hoodoos And Other Delights In This Easy El Paso County Hike

Story and photos by Reid Neureiter

For the GPHN

As the weather in the foothills and mountains turns colder and snow begins to fall, there are still ways for close-by hikes in Colorado’s warmer, lower elevations.

One fascinating day outing is El Paso County’s Paint Mines Interpretive Park near Calhan, east of Colorado Springs just off Highway 24 and about 80 miles southeast of Park Hill. The Paint Mines are geological formations of colorful layers of red, orange, purple and yellow clay, exposed by the elements, creating towering hoodoos (fanciful stone and clay spires), narrow gully paths, and even caves carved by wind and water.

American Indian tribes are said to have used the land as favorite hunting ground with badland breaks and gullies serving as hunting overlooks and entrapment locations for big game. The colorful clays were used for making pottery and ceremonial paint and in the early 1900’s, the clay was mined to make bricks.

Now a protected park, the Paint Mines is 750 acres with four miles of hiking trails. Hikers can walk along the gullies and among the hoodoos, but are warned that the formations are fragile and potentially dangerous, so climbing them is not allowed. The Paint Mines are at 29950 Paint Mines Road, in Calhan. There is a restroom in the main entrance parking area. The park is open year-round from dawn to dusk.

To protect the fragile formations, pets, horses and bicycles of any kind are not permitted. For more information check out communityservices.elpasoco.com/parks-and-recreation/paint-mines-interpretive-park/.