Photograph Colorado's Paint Mines

About an hour from Colorado's busy Garden of the Gods is a multi-colored hoodoo valley called, The Paint Mines. Similar in appearance to Utah's popular Goblin Valley, The Paint Mines offer colorful hoodoo formations making your photography here even more awe inspiring.

Getting to the park is easy, from Denver take I-24 South toward Colorado Springs, then take I-24 east toward Calhan, turn south on Yoder Rd at the gas station, go past the school, and turn east on to the dirt Paint Mine Road. If you get lost, the area shows up with good directions on Google Maps.

The hike in is short, about a quarter mile. Follow the maintained trails around the area and be creative! There's little slot canyons, hoodoos, small caves, and lots of color. You won't be bored spending time here with a camera.

The actual park is in a small valley so shooting sunset and sunrise can be tricky. Be sure to get to the area early enough to know how the sun patterns will be. Night photography in the park is great. There's some light pollution when looking toward Colorado Springs but the area is located in a small town so you get dark beautiful night skies.

The area is relatively empty and basically just visited by locals who are small town friendly. There's two parking lots and lots of parking for vehicles. Don't bring your dogs, bikes, or horses as these are all not allowed. There's no camping but I car camped in the parking lot without any issues.

Go take some great photos and have fun!