Colorado · Hiking

Picket Wire Canyonlands

17.0 mi
round trip
346 ft
climb
4,636 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Apr–May, Sep–Oct
best months

Is Picket Wire Canyonlands open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 7 alerts for Pike and San Isabel National Forests.

As of · Source: USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Picket Wire Canyonlands is a 17-mile out-and-back hike on natural trail surface in Colorado's Comanche Ranger District of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests. The trail climbs from a low point of about 4,314 feet to a high of 4,636 feet, and it is rated hard. The Forest Service manages the land, and the Withers Canyon Trailhead, about 0.2 miles away, serves as the parking for the route. Bikes and horses are both allowed on the trail. The trip is open year round, and the Withers Loop Trail passes within about a tenth of a mile. Late spring and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at La Junta, about 8 miles away, show May highs around 77°F and September highs around 83°F. That station sits roughly 426 feet below the trail's high point, so temperatures up high run cooler.

  • Best time to go · Apr–May, Sep–Oct

    Best time to visit Picket Wire Canyonlands

    Best months: April–May and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      47° / 17°

      3 wet · 2 snow

    2. Feb

      50° / 20°

      3 wet · 2 snow

    3. Mar

      60° / 28°

      4 wet · 1 snow

    4. Apr

      67° / 37°

      5 wet · 1 snow

    5. May

      77° / 47°

      6 wet

    6. Jun

      89° / 58°

      6 wet

    7. Jul

      93° / 63°

      7 wet

    8. Aug

      90° / 61°

      6 wet

    9. Sep

      83° / 52°

      4 wet

    10. Oct

      71° / 37°

      3 wet

    11. Nov

      57° / 27°

      3 wet · 1 snow

    12. Dec

      47° / 18°

      3 wet · 2 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at La Junta 20 S, CO, 8 mi away at 4,210 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.