Water and land - Front Range
Paint Mines: clay spires on El Paso County's eastern plains
Near Calhan, Paint Mines Interpretive Park protects about 750 acres of colorful clay hoodoos and a 9,000-year human history, free and open dawn to dusk.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 15, 2026
When people picture El Paso County, they think of Pikes Peak and the foothills west of Colorado Springs. The flat eastern side of the county gets far less attention. But out near Calhan, the grassland hides something worth the drive.
Paint Mines Interpretive Park protects approximately 750 acres of badlands where erosion has carved spires and hoodoos out of soft, banded clay. The colors are real, not enhanced: oxidized iron compounds streak the many clay layers in shifting bands, and exposed seams of selenite and jasper catch the light. The park is named for those clays, which American Indians gathered to make paint. People have used this ground for roughly 9,000 years, and it is listed as an Archaeological District in the National Register of Historic Places.
It is a free El Paso County park, open dawn to dusk year-round, so it counts as public land you already help pay for. The clay is fragile, and so is the record in it. The county asks visitors to stay on designated trails and not climb, scramble on, or enter the formations, and to leave rocks, plants, and artifacts where they lie. Following those rules is how the spires survive the next 9,000 years.
For hours, directions, and current rules, check the El Paso County Parks & Recreation page for Paint Mines before you go.