Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Colorado La Junta Picketwire Canyon Trackway
AO Edited

Picketwire Canyon Trackway

The largest dinosaur trackway in North America is tucked away among this canyon's ghosts and archaeological gems.

La Junta, Colorado

Added By
Stuart Black
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Apatosaurus trackway   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Allosaur track showing possible pouncing behavior   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Baby iguanodant track within a group of adults   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Apatosaurus trackway   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Picketwire Canyon is a shallow canyon in southeastern Colorado on El Rio de Las Animas Perdidas en Purgatorio or the River of Souls Lost in Purgatory. Within the canyon are the Delores Mission Ruins, the remains of Wineglass Ranch which belonged to a prominent 19th century ranching family, tracks from the Santa Fe Trail, numerous Fremont era native American archeological sites, a few ghosts from a lost troop of conquistadors.

But the real reason people visit the Picketwire, bastardized from the poetic name, is to see the tracks of strolling dinosaurs along a large inland sea from the Jurassic era.

The dinosaur trackway contains 1,300 tracks in 100 separate trackways over a quarter-mile of limestone deposits on either side of the river. Most of the tracks are from either Apatosaurus or Allosaurus. The apatosaurus tracks are the most prominent and indicate herding behavior with the larger tracks flanking either side of several smaller tracks.

The allosaur tracks are those of a single animal hunting the apatosaurs. One shows a distinct slide in the mud as it makes a sharp turn to avoid the allosaur. Recent removal of sediments on top of the trackway shows several allosaurs that may be hunting together. The allosaurus tracks show animals approaching with long strides and going into a short stride stalk. One may even show one of three allosaurs “springing” towards prey. This is the first set of tracks you see when you approach the river.

There are other, older, indications of dinosaur behavior not usually seen in trackways as well.  One area, called the “trample” zone, is just a series of overlying tracks in an area that seems to be, well, trampled. But upon closer inspection, long round furrows can be seen in the ground.  These are tail drags which indicate mating behavior as the apatosaurus had a rigid upright tail. 

The trackway is just part of the canyon's rich and haunting history. The River of Souls Lost in Purgatory gets its name, and its ghosts, from a Spanish expedition lead by Francisco Leyva de Bonilla, a Portuguese captain in service to Spain and Capt. Pedro de Cazorlá, a Spanish captain. They were originally chasing Native American raiders but the stories of Quivira woven by the Pecos Pueblo Indians filled Bonilla’s head with thoughts of glory. 

Cazorlá claimed that Bonilla was committing treason to the Spanish Crown and returned with a portion of the force to Peco Pueblo.  Bonilla and his lieutenant, Antonio Gutiérrez de Humaña, pressed onward towards the high plains of Colorado.  Because Bonilla was Portuguese, Humaña, chafed at taking orders from him and he argued with Bonilla over the campfire one night.  Hot words were exchanged and Bonilla lay dead, his blood dripping from the dagger of Antonio Gutiérrez de Humaña.

The priests with the troop upon seeing Bonilla lying in a pool of blood vowed that they would not follow a murderer nor would they administer rights or communion to anyone who would. Along with a small band they returned to New Spain, leaving Humaña in command of a diminished, but still determined troop. Gold and glory were far more important to Humaña than sanctimonious priests! Humaña pushed on over Raton Pass and into the maw of the Comanche nation.

On the edge of a canyon of a small high plains creek, the Comanche surrounded the force at a place called the La Matanza, or "The Slaughter," and drove them to the edge with a grass fire. They then killed them to a man. Having no priest to offer them last rites or absolution, their souls were condemned to wander the banks of this insignificant river pouring out of the Spanish Peaks for eternity. Their moans of grief can still be heard echoing in the canyons of this tiny river.

 

Related Tags

Dinosaurs Archaeology Animals

Know Before You Go

The canyon doesn’t have water that is suitable for drinking. The Purgatory River is very alkaline and not filterable. The canyon can also be extremely hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter. The best times to visit are May and early June or late September and October. Food and water are available in La Junta, Colorado, which is 25 miles north of the canyon. Cars are not allowed in the canyon except on guided tours that are available on Saturdays in May, June, September, and October.The park service states that a high clearance (8" or more) 4WD vehicle is required, although 2WD would actually be sufficient if it has the clearance. Most SUVs would be capable enough. The canyon and trackway can be accessed from the Withers Canyon trailhead. Travel is open to horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking. Round trip distance to the trackway is 10 miles. The access from the canyon rim is steep but short and the trail within the canyon is relatively flat. If you are mountain biking (by far the easiest way of reaching the trackway without a car) take a patch kit with extra patches, several extra tubes and sealant in the tubes. Goatheads are endemic in this area and a ride into the canyon will result in an epic number of flats.

Community Contributors

Added By

cyccommute

Edited By

hemingwaygyro, keslar, swebel, ylva

  • hemingwaygyro
  • keslar
  • swebel
  • ylva

Published

November 1, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=tS&doc_id=8168&v=GY
Picketwire Canyon Trackway
2000-2162 Co Rd 25
La Junta, Colorado
United States
37.659351, -103.620306
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Bent's Old Fort

La Junta, Colorado

miles away

Ludlow Massacre Site

Trinidad, Colorado

miles away

A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art

Trinidad, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of La Junta

La Junta

Colorado

Places 2

Nearby Places

Bent's Old Fort

La Junta, Colorado

miles away

Ludlow Massacre Site

Trinidad, Colorado

miles away

A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art

Trinidad, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of La Junta

La Junta

Colorado

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

14 Places to Walk in the Footsteps of Dinosaurs

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Washington, D.C.

    Capitalsaurus Court

    The discovery site of the "Capitalsaurus," the official dinosaur of Washington, D.C.

  • Model of a partial dinosaur skeleton.

    Laurel, Maryland

    Laurel Dinosaur Park

    This dig site outside D.C. is known for its exceptionally high density of baby dinosaur fossils and dinosaur eggs.

  • Dinosaur State Park

    Rocky Hill, Connecticut

    Dinosaur State Park

    The ancient past meets the retro-future at these dinosaur tracks that are protected by a geodesic dome.

  • Hot Springs Mammoth Site

    Hot Springs, South Dakota

    Mammoth Site

    This prehistoric sinkhole lured exclusively male mammoths to their death, much to the delight of science.

  • Inside the Karonga Museum

    Karonga, Malawi

    Karonga Museum

    A cultural center on the shores of Lake Malawi dedicated to preserving Karonga’s past and present, including the fossilized remains of the Malawisaurus.

  • San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

    Yerbas Buenas Petroglyphs

    At this beautifully preserved Pre-Hispanic site, you can see ancient petroglyphs with depictions of llamas and alpacas.

  • A dinosaur sculpture at the site.

    Fátima, Portugal

    Pegadas de Dinossáurios da Serra de Aire Natural Monument

    The ancient sauropod tracks found in this former quarry are some of the largest in the world.

  • Toronto, Ontario

    Gordo the Barosaurus

    Canada's largest dinosaur skeleton was hidden away in storage for more than 40 years.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.