Paint Mines Interpretive Park Colorado, A complete day trip guide
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Looking for a mellow and unique day trip not far from Colorado Springs? The Paint Mines is a really cool area with Geological Rock Formations from millions of years ago that also includes up to four miles of easy hiking. After seeing photos of the rock landscape, I knew I had to make the trip from Breckenridge to check it out for the day. What’s nice is this place doesn’t have too much elevation gain so it’s great for families with small kids or even couples just looking to do something fun, but not too extreme.
In this post I’ll go over how to get to the Paint Mines, what to expect, details, and best time to visit. Coool, Lets gooo.
What are the Paint Mines
Fifty Five million years ago the Paint Mines were once a Tropical Hardwood Forest. Eventually the forest became covered by White Sandstone from Pikes Peak Granite. Wind and rain over millions of years eroded the stone as well as clay layers in what’s called Dawson Arkose Formation, forming the badlands, breaks, gullies, and hoodoos (Clay Spires that you will see below in photos). This interpretive park is only one of four areas in the state of Colorado with this kind of Geology.
There is documentation that human life walked the Paint Mines as far back as 9,000 years ago. Humans first used the land as a way to hunt because the gullies and bad land breaks made great overlook and hiding areas. Later, Native Americans used the different colored clays for pottery and ceremonial paint. In the early 1900’s, the area was mined for clay in order to make bricks.
How to Get There
Directions
Denver: 85 Miles/Around 1 hour and 40 minutes driving
Colorado Springs: 40 miles/45 Minutes to 1 hour driving
Boulder: Distance- 106 Miles/2 hours driving
Summit County/Vail- 175 Miles/3 hours driving
No matter your starting point you’ll drive through the small town of Calhan and eventually to Paint Mine Road. As your driving through the town, if you see a high school and what looks to be like a rodeo stadium on the right side, you are in the correct spot!
It’s a little bit of a Zig Zag, but it’s cool driving through the different small towns in my opinion. This part of Colorado is also really unique with wide open plains and views as far as the eye can see.
Where to Park
There are three parking lots; the main parking lot, the overlook parking lot, and the upper parking lot. The overlook and upper parking lot’s will have less parking with the overlook parking lot being right in front of the Paint Mines. If you don’t feel like walking far or hiking to get to the Paint Mines, park in the overlook lot. I went on a Tuesday and the place was empty, but I can imagine the weekends getting pretty busy. If the main lot is full, check the other two lots I mentioned above.
Are Dogs Allowed
The simple answer is no, unfortunately there are no Dogs, pets or animals allowed in the park.
When is the Paint Mines Open and Best time to Visit
The Paint Mines Park is open year round from dusk to dawn. I personally think late summer early fall or Spring would be the best time to visit in terms of weather. That area of Colorado can get pretty hot in the summer time. The winter and early spring would be good times if you want to avoid people. Although this area of Colorado doesn’t get snow like the Rockies, temps do drop and they still receive dustings of snow from time to time. I think the snow would add a unique aspect to the park and it would be cool to check out in the winter time.
Park Guidelines and things to know
No pets allowed as mentioned above
No bikes
Follow all signage and stay on the trails
No climbing on Rocks or Formations
By Law, the park area is protected, do not remove or take any rocks, wild life, minerals, or plants with you
There is a public restroom in the main parking lot, however no drinking fountains, so make sure to bring a water bottle or two.
Different Access Points to the Paint Mines
With there being three different parking lots, there are three different points to start on the Paint Mines Interpretive Trail. In total, there are three different loops that allow you to see not only the rock formations, but also the prairie area and even Pikes Peak in the distance. I entered from the Main parking lot and there were Maps and signs as you started on the trail.
It’s also helpful to download All Trails to get a better visualization of the entire park and the different trail loops. Don’t feel like hiking the entire loop? Take the shortcuts to get to the Mines. This information will be on the Park Map at the Main parking lot, or follow the maps on All Trails.
The entire Loop is 3.4 Miles with an elevation gain of 334 feet. Overall, the trail was pretty easy with only 1-2 steeper parts to hike up. The loop itself has 5 total different stopping areas along the way; the Ecology interpretive site, Prehistory Interpretive site, History Interpretive site, Geology Interpretive Site, and the Overlook. I recommend checking out each area as they are all different.
As mentioned above, if you don’t feel like walking the entire loop there will be routes less than half a mile that will take you to the Geology Interpretive site, which is the main area of the rock formations.
If you are able to do the entire loop, I’d advise to end your day at the Overlook Area, which is a view of the entire Paint Mines area from above. It is a cool site to see, especially in the evening when the sun starts to go down. From the Overlook, I was able to take the shortened trail back to the Main Parking lot. As I was leaving, a wedding group was walking down to get married, which I thought was pretty awesome. The weather happened to be great and I think if you catch the Paint Mines on a good evening it is something to experience.
