Paint Mines Interpretive Park is a free El Paso County park about an hour east of Colorado Springs, just south of Calhan. It is open dawn to dusk every day of the year. There is no entrance fee. You get four miles of dirt trail through 750 acres of colored clay, hoodoos, and gullies. Pets, bikes, horses, and drones are not allowed. Stay on the trail. Do not climb the formations.
I have lived in Colorado Springs for twenty years, and I have been out there. Bring a camera. The color is the reason you go: yellow, pink, purple, and white bands in the clay, cut into spires and hoodoos. The hike from the parking lot is easy if you stay on the main trail. Most visitors never leave the west side of town. This is the opposite drive. Highway 24 out onto the plains until the mountains sit behind you.
Hours, rules, and the address below are from El Paso County Parks, checked August 22, 2026. If a ranger page or a sign disagrees with me, trust the ranger.
The short version
- Where: 29950 Paint Mines Road, Calhan, CO 80808
- From town: About an hour east on US-24 to Calhan, south on Yoder Road / Calhan Highway, east on Paint Mines Road to the lot
- Cost: Free
- Hours: Dawn to dusk, year-round, including holidays
- Trails: About 4 miles total. The walk from the lot is easy. Surfaces are dirt and gravel, with almost no shade
- Water: None on site. Bring it.
- Restroom: At the main lot, open year-round
- Time needed: 90 minutes to a half day
Why it is worth the drive
Garden of the Gods is the famous red rock. Paint Mines is the quiet one. Iron in the clay makes those color bands. Wind and water cut the layers. Native people collected the clay here. The county says there is evidence of people on this ground as far back as 9,000 years. Treat it like a museum you walk through, not a playground.
It is also a National Register archaeological district. That is why the rules are strict, and why they should be.
How to get there from Colorado Springs
Take US-24 east. You leave the city, pass farmland and turbines, and roll into Calhan. Turn south on Yoder Road / Calhan Highway, then east on Paint Mines Road. The last stretch is a maintained county dirt road. Park in the signed lot. Calhan has gas and food if you need either before you go in.
Call it about an hour from central Colorado Springs. Sunday afternoon on 24 can add time. There is no entrance booth. If the lot looks full, come back later rather than inventing a parking spot on the prairie.
What the hike is actually like
I found it an easy walk from the parking lot. Trails start at the information kiosk. They are dirt and gravel, and they drop into the gullies where the color is. Closed-toe shoes. Not a stroller path. Not the pavement at Garden of the Gods. You do not need to be a hiker to enjoy the first formations.
Shade is rare. In July and August, go in the morning. Afternoon storms still build over the plains. Stay out of gulches if the weather turns wet. In winter the park stays open. The clay gets slick when it is snowed on or rained on.
Bring water for the hike and for the drive home. The restroom is at the parking area, not out on the loop.
Bring a camera
That is the advice I give people. The color does not look the same in a phone snap from the lot. Walk in a little, stay on the trail, and wait for low light if you can. Sunrise and late afternoon are when the bands show. Midday in summer is harsh and hot.
Landscape and casual photos from the trail are welcome. Commercial work, posed shoots, and night / astro work need a permit from the Parks Office. The county says that process takes about 10 to 14 days. No drones. No film or video shoots under the standard photo permit. Call (719) 520-7529 or email Parks@elpasoco.com before you plan a paid shoot.
Rules that matter (and why)
These are the county rules, not suggestions:
- Pets, horses, and bicycles of any kind are prohibited. You will be asked to take an animal back to the car.
- Drones are prohibited.
- Stay on designated trails.
- Do not climb, scramble, or walk into the formations.
- Do not take rocks, clay, plants, or artifacts. They are protected.
- The park closes at dusk. Night photography needs a county permit.
The clay takes years to recover when people cut switchbacks or pose on a hoodoo. If you want the photograph, get it from the trail.
When to go
Weekday mornings are the play, same as Garden of the Gods. Fall is the most comfortable. Spring can still throw a snow squall at you on the plains. The park does not close for holidays, so holiday weekends get the most people.
If you only have one outdoor morning on a trip, I still send first-time visitors to Garden of the Gods. If you have a second morning, or you already did the west-side loop, this is the one that feels like a secret even though it is on the map.
Pair it with a Springs day
Do Paint Mines in the morning. Eat in Calhan or drive back west and spend the afternoon in Old Colorado City or on the Manitou day-trip loop. It is a long day if you also force Pikes Peak. Do not.
This page is part of my full things to do in Colorado Springs guide.
If you are coming with kids or a dog
Kids who can walk uneven ground and stay on a trail will be fine. The first stretch from the lot is easy enough for that. Kids who climb everything will have a hard time here, and so will you. Leave the dog at home. There is no off-leash workaround. For a dog day, use a city open space. For an easy kid morning, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo or Garden of the Gods is the kinder first stop.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Paint Mines from Colorado Springs?
About an hour east. Take US-24 to Calhan, then south and east to the lot at 29950 Paint Mines Road.
Do you need a reservation or a fee?
No. The park is free, open dawn to dusk, and does not take reservations for regular visits. Guided county hikes are a separate signup.
Can I bring my dog?
No. Pets are not allowed, including walking them from the car to the kiosk. The rule is for the resource and the wildlife.
Is it the same as Garden of the Gods?
No. Garden of the Gods is a city park of tall sandstone on the west side, with pavement and crowds. Paint Mines is a smaller clay-and-hoodoo park on the eastern plains. Do both if you have two mornings. Do not skip Garden of the Gods to come here first.
Is the hike hard?
No. From the parking lot it is an easy walk to the color. The full trail system is about four miles of dirt and gravel, with almost no shade. Closed-toe shoes. Bring water.
Are there bathrooms and water?
Bathroom at the main lot, year-round. No drinking water anywhere in the park.
Last verified August 22, 2026 against the El Paso County Parks page. If you go and a sign has changed, trust the sign.
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