Picket Wire Canyonlands is a trip back in time visiting early homesteads, a mission, and even farther back to dinosaurs. It is a beautiful flat, open area of rimrock, junipers, cactus, grasses, cottonwoods, and the Purgatoire River. Once down in the wide canyon, the hike is mostly gentle with a few hills. Intricately carved headstones in an old cemetery and dinosaur tracks from 150 million years ago are the highlights of this hike. The dinosaur tracksite is the largest documented in North America.
Picketwire Canyonlands Dinosaur Tracksite
Southeastern Colorado at that time was dominated by a vast freshwater lake. As the dinosaurs plodded through the mud along the edge of this lake, they left behind vast trails of footprints in the soupy muck. Later, these muddy flats were buried and turned to stone. Today, over 1,300 of these footprints are exposed at the Picketwire Canyonlands dinosaur tracksite.
Tours
The area that is Picketwire Canyon looked much different in Jurassic times. The steep canyon walls did not exist; in fact, the rock layers making up the canyon walls had not yet formed. The climate during the Jurassic period was warm and wet, and the dominant types of plants were cone-bearing trees and ferns. The Rocky Mountains had not yet emerged in the west, and the land was gently rolling with abundant stream valleys and lakes.
The rock layers that preserve the tracks help scientists understand this ancient environment. These limestone layers record features other than footprints, such as ripple marks and mud-cracks, indicating the layers formed along the edge of a lake. They also contain the remains of freshwater clams, fish, and other microscopic animals that lived in the lake. Because of the abundance of dinosaur footprints this ancient body of water has been called
“ Dinosaur Lake”.
The auto tour is the only motorized access into the canyons. Other ways to visit include hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding. Because of the rugged terrain and long distances to various sites, these visitors need to plan carefully for hot weather conditions by carrying ample water and leaving very early.
Auto Tour
Don’t miss this opportunity to spend a day exploring Picketwire Canyonlands with a knowledgeable tour guide! All day tours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) are offered on Saturdays in May, June, September, and October. Sign up early because the tours fill up fast! Additional tour dates may be available to groups. Call the USDA Forest Service at 719-384-2181 to make your reservations.
Tours are offered through the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program of the USDA Forest Service. They cost $15 per adult and $7.50 per child. Due to rough roads, visitors will need their own four-wheel drive high clearance vehicle.
