U.S. Forest Service Offers Fall Tours of Picket Wire Canyonlands in September

LA JUNTA, Colorado – August 7, 2019 – The U.S. Forest Service will offer guided tours into Picket Wire Canyonlands south of La Junta on the Comanche National Grassland. Fall tours begin Saturday,

September 7, 2019 and run through October 26, 2019. Tours take place on Saturdays during September and October.

These primitive canyons are home to the largest documented assemblage of dinosaur trackways in North America. More than 1,900 prints in 130 separate trackways can be viewed during the tour.

Apatosaurus and Allosaurus are two types of dinosaurs that left prints along the muddy lake shore 150 million years ago.

During fall tours, visitors may see tarantula’s scurrying across the prairie and roads. Tarantulas are a group of very large, hairy spiders that can be found in the southwestern United States, including southern Colorado. The tarantula can attain a body length of up to 2 inches and a leg span of up to 5 inches.  The best time to see tarantulas on the Comanche National Grassland is in the fall.  Mature males can travel up to twenty miles in search of the female and oftentimes in groups (known as migration).

Guided auto tours are the easiest way to experience Picket Wire Canyonlands and learn about its rich and colorful past. During the tour, knowledgeable guides will point out interesting paleontological, prehistoric, historic and natural features of the canyons.  All day tours (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) are offered on Saturdays in May, June, September and October for a small fee.  Due to rough roads, visitors will need their own four-wheel drive vehicle.  To make reservations go to:  www.recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777.