Located in southeastern Colorado near La Junta, Comanche National Grassland extends across 443,764 acres and is divided into two units, Timpas (in the northwest) and Carrizo (in the southeast along the Oklahoma border). Vegetation is primarily Shortgrass prairie, but juniper and pinyon trees grow in rocky canyons and cottonwoods are abundant along streams. The area contains ancient petroglyphs carved into canyon walls and rock faces, and Picketwire Canyon boasts the Purgatoire River track site (the largest documented dinosaur trackway in North America) in the Morrison Formation. More than 1,300 Allosaurs and Brontosaurs tracks are visibly preserved in the rock - footprints that were left behind in the muddy shoreline 150 million years ago!
Aside from these obvious attractions, the grasslands offer a unique sense of isolation that people like me crave when hiking, camping, and enjoying the Colorado outdoors. With a promising weekend forecast of high-60's and sunny, I know where I'll be spending my Saturday and Sunday!
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