3 Unusual & Beautiful Fall Hikes I Love
Apishapa State Wildlife Area
The Apishapa State Wildlife Area is located south off of Hwy 10 between Walsenburg and La Junta. It is an allotment of around 6000 acres of rugged canyon lands and prairie. It includes portions of the Apishapa Canyon and Jones Lake Canyon. The area is remote, rugged, and mostly without trails. So be prepared to hike cross-country, along the canyon rims, or make your own path. There is very little water here as well. The views are beautiful, and the wildlife can include big horn sheep as well as elk, deer, turkey, and the occasional bear, bobcat, mountain lion, and of course snakes.
Why I Love It
The place is remote and really beautiful. It offers historical homesteads, Native American history, wildlife, birding, and great hiking for the cooler months. This place is a wonderful winter hiking destination. In the fall months like October the Cottonwood trees are brilliantly yellow. The days in the fall are in the 70’s and 80’s and the nights in the 40’s usually. Of course, it can be cooler or warmer, but on average the weather is about perfect.
For more information check out the State Wildlife Area website: https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Maps/ApishapaSWA_geo.pdf
Picture Canyon
Picture Canyon is located west of Campo about 8 miles right along the Oklahoma state line in Baca County. The Comanche National Grasslands manages the Picture Canyon allotment that stretches for about 5 miles from east to west and about 4-5 miles from north to south. It offers several opportunities for hikes with marked trails of various lengths. The canyon has petroglyphs, paintings, homesteads, unique rock formations, springs, a historic cemetery, and historic graffiti and signatures; the oldest from around 1869.
The trails in Picture Canyon are the Arch Rock Trail, the Homestead Trail and the Outlaw Trail. They get progressively longer and delve into the Picture Canyon allotment farther to the west. The Outlaw trail reaches into Sand Canyon and is approx. 12 miles long, the Homestead Trail reaches into Holt Canyon and is approx. 8 miles long and the Arch Rock Trail goes a little ways past Picture Canyon to a large sandstone arch and is approx. 4 miles round trip.
Why I Love it
This particular allotment on the Comanche National Grassland is well known for its petroglyphs, hiking, and history. There is a lot of it here. Around nearly every corner you will find a fragment of the past. The canyon also has beautiful scenery with the unusual rock formations and view from the canyon tops of the rugged land to the south. The trees and bushes here also make for beautiful fall hiking, and the cooler weather is really enjoyable compared to the hot summer months. Fall and winter is the time to explore this part of Colorado.
Cordova Pass
This is just one of many hikes in the Cuchara, CO area of the Sangre de Cristos. The pass is located on the ridge to the south of the West Spanish Peak. You start in Aguilar, and follow the road for 28 miles. Up past Gulnare, the road turns to a dirt road that can be pretty rough with rocks (not 4WD necessary) toward the top. Once you reach the top of the pass, there are some picnic tables and a campground. The trail for the West Spanish Peak starts here as well. You can also access the Wa-ha-Toya Trail that goes along the south side of the West Spanish Peak all the way to the valley between the East and West Spanish peaks. You can continue your drive down the west side of Cordova Pass to Hwy 12 and either turn north to Cuchara, CO or south and go back to Trinidad through Stonewall, CO. The drive along Hwy 12 is very scenic any time of year.
Why I Love It
Its just a really pretty drive. I like it for fall because you get to see the beautiful colors of the aspens changing as you drive in and out. You get to feel like you’re off roading, but you can make it to the top of this road with careful driving in a car. There’s great hiking with trails accessed along the road from the east and west as well as at the top of the pass. The weather is typically less rainy in the mountains for the fall as well. If you hike the West Spanish peak trail up to the base of the peak you get spectacular views of the valleys on both sides of the ridge.
