The Lesser-Known Colorado Hoodoos in Beautiful Pastel Pinks, Oranges, and Whites

Paint Mines (Colorado)

You wouldn’t expect to find hoodoos in Colorado, but that’s exactly what Paint Mines feels like. Wind and water carved these soft rock layers into towers and slot canyons over thousands of years. Some formations look like melted ice cream, others like castle walls. Here’s how it came to be.

Tropical Forest Origins

The Paint Mines area wasn’t always a semi-arid plain. Fifty-five million years ago, during the Tertiary Age, a lush tropical forest grew here.

Over time, white sandstone from eroded Pikes Peak Granite covered this ancient forest. Scientists call this layer the Dawson Arkose Formation, made of sandstone and mudstone with plant remains and fossils.

Visitors might spot pieces of petrified wood throughout the park. These ancient trees turned to stone when minerals replaced organic material while keeping the original structure.

The Erosion Process

Water and wind sculpted the Paint Mines over millions of years. Streams flowed into Big Sandy Creek, cutting ravines through rock layers while wind polished the exposed surfaces.

This erosion created the park’s unique features. Soft clay sediments eroded into badlands. Flat land suddenly dropping away formed breaks. Water cut channels through soft earth, making gullies.

Layer by layer, the erosion revealed hidden geological history beneath the surface. The Paint Mines is one of only four places in Colorado with this specific geology.

The Colorful Clay Formation

Iron oxides give the Paint Mines their striking colors. These compounds occur naturally in the sedimentary layers, turning ordinary brown clay into vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges.

The colorful bands formed when iron in the soil oxidized—essentially rusting—over thousands of years. This process works just like rust forming on iron objects today.

Purple hues come from manganese oxide, while the full color range includes white, orange, purple, gray, rust, and brown. Each shade depends on the specific minerals in each clay layer.

Hoodoo Formation

Hoodoos—tall, thin rock columns with mushroom-like tops—define the Paint Mines landscape. They form when water erodes soft material beneath a harder rock layer.

The sandstone caps protect the clay underneath from rain, while surrounding areas wash away more quickly. This creates the narrower “neck” beneath each capstone over thousands of years.

White quartzite crystals in the capstones reflect sunlight, looking like whipped cream on top of the colorful clay bodies. This contrast adds to the otherworldly feel of the landscape.

Selenite and Jasper Discoveries

Erosion exposed layers of selenite clay and jasper throughout the park. Selenite, a transparent type of gypsum, forms glass-like crystal structures in the clay.

Native Americans harvested selenite clay to make arrowheads, valuing its workable nature and durability. They also collected jasper, a semi-precious stone that ranges from red to brown to yellow.

The layers of shale, clay, selenite, and jasper create the complex, visually striking formations visible today. Each material formed under different conditions over many time periods.

First Human Inhabitants

People first came to the Paint Mines 9,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found stone tools, projectile points, and other artifacts from these early visitors.

These first inhabitants likely descended from groups who crossed from Asia into North America. The Paint Mines became important to these early Americans, who returned generation after generation.

Several distinct cultures left evidence at the site. The Apishapa culture, Cody complex, and Duncan complex all used the area’s colorful clays, workable stone, abundant wildlife, and natural shelter.

Indigenous Mining Operations

Native Americans collected the colorful clays for both practical and ceremonial purposes. The varied colors provided ready-made pigments for pottery, body paint, and art.

Archaeological digs have uncovered pottery fragments made from these clays. Stone tools found nearby were likely used to extract and process clay for ceramics.

The Ute and Plains Apache tribes maintained strong connections to the Paint Mines. Both groups used the site’s resources according to their cultural practices, leaving behind dart tips, arrowheads, and tools made from petrified wood.

Hunting Ground Innovations

Indigenous hunters used the natural landscape to their advantage. The channels and gullies formed by erosion served as natural corrals for herding bison during hunts.

Hunters waited at the ends of gulches with bows and arrows while others drove animals through the narrow passages. This method made hunting more efficient and less dangerous.

The varied terrain provided perfect spots for ambush hunting. Natural formations created overlooks and hiding places where hunters could watch game movements without being seen.

Modern Clay Harvesting

In the early 1900s, companies began mining clay from the Paint Mines to make bricks. The high-quality clay created durable construction materials during Colorado’s building boom.

The clay traveled to pottery makers in Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Garden of Gods Pottery and possibly Van Briggle Pottery used these naturally colored clays in their distinctive ceramics.

In 1915, the Calhan Fire Clay Company started a quarry in the eastern part of the Paint Mines. Clay harvesting continued until the 1990s, connecting this ancient resource to modern buildings.

Visiting Paint Mines

You’ll find Paint Mines Interpretive Park at 29950 Paint Mines Road, Calhan, CO 80808. The park opens daily from dawn to dusk year-round and remains free to enter.

The park offers guided hikes on select Saturdays covering geology, ecology and human history.

Stay on the four miles of designated trails and keep off the fragile formations. No pets, bikes, horses, or drones allowed.
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