Vogel Canyon Picnic Area — Attraction in Colorado

We had a great day wandering around and exploring this area. We arrived early in the morning, hoping to see tarantulas during their fall migration. We also explored ruins and petroglyphs, and did some birdwatching.

The trail is mostly flat, with a slight incline and decline. Around the petroglyphs, there are stairs leading up to it. There are cairns along the trail, but if you are used to having an established trail with gravel, you may not like the markers in place on the rock washes. I found them very easy to follow.

Even though it is mid-September, the canyon became very hot around noon.

What I thought was really cool about this hike is the area has been used for 150 million years for migration. From iguanodons to tarantulas to stagecoach roads. The Santa Fe Trail, a very old trading trail system, is nearby.

This was a lovely little hike that wasn’t too difficult....

Absolutely beautiful canyon land and prairie area. Great little short hikes and at night time the clearest most crisp view of the stars I've encountered. We were lucky and actually saw many meteors during our visit! Beware the cacti that hang out near the trails and just be wary of how close to the edge of the footpath you get, lest you get a nice prickly in your calf. It DOES get hot, do not ignore the signs that tell you to BRING water. Keep yo'self hydrated. Note there is fairly abundant wildlife, including several coyote packs and prairie foxes. If you camp make sure to pack your food up...

This beautiful desert canyon tucked away in a remote corner of Colorado really comes alive in the afternoon and evening with many fascinating critters! The canyon trail could use some improvement. Several attempts to follow it led us to conclude that the only trail into the deeper part of the canyon was too narrow and overgrown with tumbleweed beyond about half a mile from the trailhead. Looks like these trails don't get much traffic due to the intense heat during the summer months and tarantulas being the...