One of the few hiking areas on the eastern plains of Colorado and one of the most unique areas in the state is the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in El Paso County just southeast of Calhan, CO. This hiker-only area (dogs, bicycles and horses are not allowed here) was named for the colorful clays that are part of the rock formations previously used by native Americans for making paint. The four miles of hiking trails in this 750-acre park meander through spire geologic formations and hoodoos formed by erosion that exposes the various colorful layers that make this area so unique.