Looking for a good Spooky Season hike? Look no further than Colorado’s Penitente Canyon. This remote spot in Colorado’s San Luis Valley—a region with it’s own strange history—has “witches,” rattlesnakes, and a controversial and unusual religious history.
Backpacker Associate Editor Will Brendza solo-tripped to Penitente this October to explore it. He camped on BLM land off South Witches Road, saw wildlife, ancient rock art, and religious iconography. Check out our trip report on Penitente Canyon, and watch this video for a preview of what hikers should expect along its storied trails.
Transcript
“Hey, I’m Will with Backpacker magazine, and I’m here today to talk to you about my favorite spooky hike: Penitente Canyon. It’s beautiful and located in the highest alpine valley in the world, and filled with awesome hiking, biking, climbing, and a bizarre religious history.
In the late 1800s, this place was occupied by Los Penitentes, a secretive sect of Catholics that practiced self-flagellation and reenacted the crucifixion of Christ within this canyon. Now, the Penitentes left long ago, but the name and a prominent painting of the Sacred Mother high up on a rock wall are signs of their history here.
The canyon has become a popular place for hikers, campers, backpackers, climbers, mountain bikers, and even curious Catholics interested in the religious history of the canyon. Right at the trailhead, there’s an awesome campground where you can pay for campsites, or there’s free dispersed camping along South Witches Road directly adjacent to Penitente, which accesses BLM land.
But the weirdness doesn’t stop with Penitente. The canyon is located in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, which is famous for its religious centers, spiritual retreats, UFO sightings, cattle abductions, alligator farms, 14er access, and, of course, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, which is just about a 55-minute drive from the trailhead.
If you’re looking for a great hike with some spooky history, you can’t do better than this one.”
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