Paint Mines - A Star Trek Lanscape

There isn’t anything made by nature much taller than a blade of grass for miles around Calhan, Colorado. Gently rolling hills, it is a countryside that hasn’t changed significantly for thousands upon thousands of years. Maybe this is why, dating back nearly 9,000 years, humans have come to this spot, now called Paint Mines and protected by El Paso County in the Paint Mines Interpretive Park.

It is a weird place.

Like someone scratched the grasslands and soil surface away to reveal a rainbow. The earth peels away to reveal spires, mounds and caverns of pink, purple, orange, white and grey. It is almost unreal and feels like you are trekking through a cheap mock up of an early Star Trek episode planet. I half expected Spock and Kirk to come stumbling around every corner.

The colors are vivid and the place ‘feels’ ancient, at least, if you can get over the inevitable morons climbing on the fragile landscape behind the signs that clearly indicate that climbing is prohibited. If you can fight the urge to yank the idiots off the rocks (maybe a mid-week visit to minimize your rage risk?), the place is quiet and serene. From the myriad of paths, you can explore every cranny and be transported both in time and place.

It is a perfect place for kids, with the colors and an infinite number of places to explore. Too, the longest “hike” - a dirt path around the area - is just over 3 miles. There are a few benches to stop and take it in and a snack, some even come with hungry, appreciative chipmunks.

It has survived 9,000 years of human visitation... although... if you get the chance you should visit now before our entitled, oblivious and arrogant culture destroys it.