Calhan: Paint Mines Interpretive Park

Another beautiful blue-sky and sunshine day in Colorado Springs. Of course, we had to take advantage of it. I had a destination in mind — the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Calhan … about 30 miles from the house. The area is so named for the colorful clays that American Indians at one time collected to make paint.

I was concerned that this outing might require more hiking than mom is capable of doing, but we decided to at least check it out. Unfortunately, I was right. The most colorful sites at this unique open space in El Paso County require getting deeper into the park.

We got a short ways up the trail where, finding a bench, Mui and mom sat down to wait while Aylin and I continued on. We didn’t get far either. It quickly became apparent that we’d have to leave mom and Mui waiting too long. Add to that the fact that the melting snow had left much of the dirt trail muddy. We decided it was smarter to just call it quits today. Mui and I will visit the park another time ... after we return from Europe next year.Read more