Just a short drive north of Del Norte, Colorado is Penitente Canyon, the location of Crystal Mine, and many hiking and mountain
biking trails. One of the trails is the Blue Sky Loop trail. About 50 yards before the trailhead parking, the trail starts and heads north then northwest, if hiking the trail counterclockwise, on a 2.8-mile loop. The Blue Sky Loop Trail has some nice views of the surrounding area with a mix of boulders, Colorado pine trees, cactus, and cypress trees.
At about 2.3 miles on the loop, you pass a historic marker pointing out Wagon Tracks. These tracks are from as early as the 1850s when Hispanic settlers used carretas[1]Spanish for cart to gather wood for fuel and houses. These small carts were pulled by oxen and the tracks were embedded in the hillside.
Figure 1
Near the Blue Sky Loop Trailhead, you will find rock paintings, see Figure 1. These rock paintings are interpreted by the Jicarilla Apache as Family or hunters, game animals, most likely elk, and a corral.
References
| ↑1 | Spanish for cart |
|---|
