Trip
Hiking – Comanche National Grasslands - Picket Wire Canyon
Please join us for an easy/moderate hike in Picket Wire Canyon in the Comanche National Grasslands near La Junta. This is a primitive canyon along the Purgatoire River with colorful canyon walls.
Contacts
- Sat, Nov 22, 2025
- El Pueblo
- Hiking
- Adults
- Moderate
- Mileage: 8.5 mi
- Elevation Gain: 525 ft
- High Point Elevation: 4,633 ft
- Pace: 1 1/2 to 2 mph with breaks as needed
- FULL (7 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
The hike will start at the Withers Canyon/Dinosaur Footprints Trailhead which is southwest of La Junta at approximate lat/lon of 37.65964, -103.57093. Directions can be found on Google Maps. We’ll plan to hike to the Dolores Mission and Cemetery, which is about an 8-1/2-mile round trip, with the option of extending slightly or adding a side trip. This is an upside-down hike with about 400’ steep elevation loss/gain at beginning/end of the hike. Total elevation gain is 525’
If you would like, bring a camp chair and beverage of your choice for a post-hike libation at the trailhead.
We will meet at the Southeast corner of Albertsons' Parking lot at 1601 Hwy 50, Pueblo, 81008 for an 8am departure. From there we will carpool / caravan for the approximately 2-hour drive to the trailhead. The roads near the trailhead can be tricky if wet, so an AWD vehicle is suggested. An additional meeting point can be arranged along US 50 if desired.
Required Equipment
Bring snacks, lunch and 2 liters of water, in addition to the other 10 essentials. We’ll check again a day or two before, but the weather report looks good — sunny with a high of 58 degrees.