Picket Wire Canyonlands Guided Auto Tour

PSICC

Overview: For a unique and unforgettable family experience, tour the Picket Wire Canyonlands. Located on the Comanche National Grassland south of La Junta, Colorado, these rugged and remote canyons are home to the largest dinosaur tracksite in North America! Guided auto tours are the easiest way to experience the Picket Wire Canyonlands and learn about its amazing, colorful past. During the tour, a knowledgeable U.S. Forest Service tour guide will show you hidden dinosaur tracks, share the history of the early pioneers and their historic ranches and homestead, some of the rich Native American history and beautiful natural features of the canyons. This auto tour truly has something for everyone and is the only motorized access into the canyons.  


Dinosaur Tracks: Located on the banks of the Purgatoire River in southeast Colorado, this dinosaur tracksite is the largest documented assemblage of trackways in North America. Over 1,900 prints in 130 separate trackways extend across a quarter mile expanse of bedrock. Apatosaurus and Allosaurus are two types of dinosaurs that left prints in the mud over 150 million years ago.

This tracksite has given scientists interesting insights into the social behavior of dinosaurs. Tour guides will tell you what scientists have learned and show you difficult to find small tracks made by a carnivorous dinosaur or theropod. Without a guide you will miss the whole story of the tracksite!

Rock Art: Long ago, pictures of life, important events, and markers of time were carved and painted on the canyon walls by the numerous Native American tribes that travelled through the Picket Wire Canyonlands, prior to the arrival of Europeans in North America. You will get a rare glimpse at some of the most treasured and generally inaccessible Rock Art panels in the canyons.  


Spanish Expedition: According to legend, a group of Spanish treasure seeking soldiers died in the canyons without benefit of clergy. Thus, in the sixteenth century the river was named El Rio de Las Animas Perdidas en Purgatorio (the River of Souls Lost in Purgatory). Later, French trappers shortened the name to the Purgatoire. Early Anglo travelers on the Santa Fe Trail could not pronounce Purgatoire and hence further corrupted the name into Picket Wire.

Early Settlers: In the 19th century, Hispanic and European settlers homesteaded in Picket Wire Canyonlands. Guides will take you to an early Catholic Church and cemetery, which was built on land donated by Damacio Lopez. You will also visit Rourke Ranch, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and learn how pioneer Eugene Rourke's ranch grew from a 160-acre homestead in the late 1800s to an over 50,000-acre cattle empire still owned by the Rourke family into the 1970s.

Join us!

Don't miss this opportunity to spend a day exploring Picket Wire Canyonlands with a knowledgeable tour guide! All day tours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) are offered on Saturdays during Spring and Fall. Tours start at the USDA Forest Service office at 1420 East 3rd St., La Junta, CO. Sign up early because the tours fill up fast! Tours are offered through the USDA Forest Service. Due to rough roads, visitors will need their own four-wheel drive high clearance vehicle. Call the USDA Forest Service at 719-384-2181 for more information.

Overview: For a unique and unforgettable family experience, tour the Picket Wire Canyonlands. Located on the Comanche National Grassland south of La Junta, Colorado, these rugged and remote canyons are home to the largest dinosaur tracksite in North America! Guided auto tours are the easiest way to experience the Picket Wire Canyonlands and learn about its amazing, colorful past. During the tour, a knowledgeable U.S. Forest Service tour guide will show you hidden dinosaur tracks, share the history of the early pioneers and their historic ranches and homestead, some of the rich Native American history and beautiful natural features of the canyons. This auto tour truly has something for everyone and is the only motorized access into the canyons.  


Dinosaur Tracks: Located on the banks of the Purgatoire River in southeast Colorado, this dinosaur tracksite is the largest documented assemblage of trackways in North America. Over 1,900 prints in 130 separate trackways extend across a quarter mile expanse of bedrock. Apatosaurus and Allosaurus are two types of dinosaurs that left prints in the mud over 150 million years ago.

This tracksite has given scientists interesting insights into the social behavior of dinosaurs. Tour guides will tell you what scientists have learned and show you difficult to find small tracks made by a carnivorous dinosaur or theropod. Without a guide you will miss the whole story of the tracksite!

Rock Art: Long ago, pictures of life, important events, and markers of time were carved and painted on the canyon walls by the numerous Native American tribes that travelled through the Picket Wire Canyonlands, prior to the arrival of Europeans in North America. You will get a rare glimpse at some of the most treasured and generally inaccessible Rock Art panels in the canyons.  


Spanish Expedition: According to legend, a group of Spanish treasure seeking soldiers died in the canyons without benefit of clergy. Thus, in the sixteenth century the river was named El Rio de Las Animas Perdidas en Purgatorio (the River of Souls Lost in Purgatory). Later, French trappers shortened the name to the Purgatoire. Early Anglo travelers on the Santa Fe Trail could not pronounce Purgatoire and hence further corrupted the name into Picket Wire.

Early Settlers: In the 19th century, Hispanic and European settlers homesteaded in Picket Wire Canyonlands. Guides will take you to an early Catholic Church and cemetery, which was built on land donated by Damacio Lopez. You will also visit Rourke Ranch, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and learn how pioneer Eugene Rourke's ranch grew from a 160-acre homestead in the late 1800s to an over 50,000-acre cattle empire still owned by the Rourke family into the 1970s.

Join us!

Don't miss this opportunity to spend a day exploring Picket Wire Canyonlands with a knowledgeable tour guide! All day tours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) are offered on Saturdays during Spring and Fall. Tours start at the USDA Forest Service office at 1420 East 3rd St., La Junta, CO. Sign up early because the tours fill up fast! Tours are offered through the USDA Forest Service. Due to rough roads, visitors will need their own four-wheel drive high clearance vehicle. Call the USDA Forest Service at 719-384-2181 for more information.

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Contact Information

Mailing Address

1420 EAST THIRD ST La Junta CO 81050

Phone Number

719-384-2181

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