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Comanche National Grassland

June 19, 2013 Leave a Comment

I just got back from the strangest wheeling vacation.  We set up base camp at the KOA in La Junta and we explored the area.  You would think it’s all flat farming and ranching land based on any trip you’ve made through the area, but they have a few surprises.  There are multiple areas with canyons, rivers, and lots of wildlife.  It was pretty cool!

The big day, Saturday, was spent in Picketwire Canyon.  They don’t allow vehicles in the canyon unless they’re accompanied by the forest service, so we paid $15 to go on a tour.  There were ten vehicles along with two forest service vehicles.  They drove really fast (too fast if you ask me) and then we would hang out in areas for a long time (too long if you ask me).  It was hot and we all got sunburned.

The highlight of the Picketwire Canyon trip was the visit to the largest collection of dinosaur footprints in North America.  They were on both sides of the river and we got to walk through the refreshing water to see everything.  It was pretty fun, but it was when we all got our sunburns.

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Dinosaur footprints

We had some time after the Picketwire Canyon tour to explore the rim above the canyon so we got directions from the tour guide.  The directions were bad so we spent a while wandering around, but we eventually found some great overlooks on Withers Canyon.

The next day was spent on the southern border of the state as well as into the panhandle of Oklahoma.  It was very remote and very cool.  We found the best picnic tables in Colorado, too.

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A break from the hot sun at Carrizo Canyon

We were all over the area and I think we saw almost everything.  We actually did our Monday trails on Sunday, too, so that meant we could leave at our leisure on Monday, which we did.  It was a really great trip.

 

Filed Under: Camping, Colorado, Offroading, Trails Tagged With: KOA, La Junta

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