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Visit Spanish Peaks Country CO's natural beauty, cultural richness, and outdoor adventure combined. Get Back to Some Place New!

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs through October 15, and in Spanish Peaks Country it is local history.In the early ...
10/06/2026

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs through October 15, and in Spanish Peaks Country it is local history.

In the early 1860s, Hispano shepherds from the San Luis Valley built La Plaza de los Leones along the Cuchara River. That plaza grew into Walsenburg. By 1865, nearly all of Huerfano County's settlers were Hispano families who ranched and farmed these valleys, and Hispanic families remain at the heart of these towns today.

You can still read that history on the map. Huerfano means orphan. La Veta means the vein. Cuchara means spoon. And in La Veta, the adobe walls of Francisco Plaza, built in 1862, now hold the Francisco Fort Museum.

Read more in our October guide: https://spanishpeakscountry.com/blog-october-in-spanish-peaks-country/

October in Spanish Peaks Country is one of the most underrated stretches of fall in Colorado. The aspens along the Highw...
10/05/2026

October in Spanish Peaks Country is one of the most underrated stretches of fall in Colorado. The aspens along the Highway of Legends are turning, the trails are quiet, and the Spanish Peaks look different every morning. A few hikes worth getting out for this month:

The Hogback Trail at Lathrop State Park is a short, accessible walk that puts you right in the middle of the geological story of this landscape. The North Lake Trail near Cuchara climbs through aspen groves with views of the peaks that don't need a filter. And the d**e trails radiating out from the Spanish Peaks are as good as it gets for a fall morning hike, especially with low crowds and cool air.

Late October keeps the color in the valley even after the high country peaks. Don't wait too long.

La Veta Oktoberfest is this Saturday, October 3, and it's been a downtown tradition for over 30 years. The event runs 10...
09/29/2026

La Veta Oktoberfest is this Saturday, October 3, and it's been a downtown tradition for over 30 years.

The event runs 10 AM to 6 PM in downtown La Veta with a car show, live music, vendors, and a biergarten, all with the Spanish Peaks as your backdrop.

And it's more than just a great day out.

La Veta Oktoberfest is one of Huerfano County's premier philanthropic organizations, supporting community members in need year-round and offering scholarships to local graduates each spring.

Come for the b**r garden, stay for the community.

Full details at https://spanishpeakscountry.com/spc-event/la-veta-oktoberfest-3/

Fall arrives today, and there is no better way to meet it than a drive on the Highway of Legends.The byway runs 82 miles...
09/23/2026

Fall arrives today, and there is no better way to meet it than a drive on the Highway of Legends.

The byway runs 82 miles from Walsenburg to Trinidad, wishbone shaped, climbing past La Veta and Cuchara and over Cucharas Pass. Volcanic d**es stand up out of the meadows like walls. The aspens along the pass turn gold in the last week of September and the first two weeks of October.

Here is the part most people miss. There is a free audio tour that plays as you drive, telling you the geology, the history, and the legends behind what you are looking at. It is available in both English and Spanish through the TravelStorys app, so the whole car can hear the story in the language they prefer. Download it before you go, cell service is thin up on the pass.

Plan on half a day. Stop in La Veta for lunch, stretch your legs at the top of the pass, and let the drive take as long as it takes.

Four days of fiddles, pipes, and dancing under the Spanish Peaks.The Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival r...
09/17/2026

Four days of fiddles, pipes, and dancing under the Spanish Peaks.

The Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival returns to La Veta Thursday, September 17 through Sunday, September 20. World class performers come from Ireland, Scotland, and across the U.S. for concerts, ceilidh dancing, and hands on workshops in music, dance, and storytelling.

This year's lineup includes Gnoss, Caroline Keane and Tom Delany, Máire Egan, and Cary Novotny, with more to come.

What makes this festival different is the setting. A town of about 800 people, a walkable Main Street, and 13,000 foot peaks at the end of every block. You can catch a concert, walk to dinner, and be back for the next set.

Tickets and the full schedule are at celticmusicfest.com.

Book lodging soon, La Veta fills up this weekend.

The new moon lands the night of September 10, which makes this the darkest week of the month. Perfect timing, because Hu...
09/10/2026

The new moon lands the night of September 10, which makes this the darkest week of the month. Perfect timing, because Huerfano County has almost no light pollution and three very different places to look up.

Down low, Cucharas Canyon northeast of Walsenburg is finally comfortable again. It bakes in July and August, but September evenings cool off fast and the canyon walls block what little glow there is from town. Easy access, wide open sky.

Up high, Cuchara Mountain Park sits above 9,000 feet with some of the clearest, darkest skies in southern Colorado. Thinner air, less haze, and the Milky Way overhead on a clear night.

Out west, Highway 69 past Gardner opens into the Huerfano valley and the sky gets bigger in every direction. Public land runs out that way toward the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness and up into San Isabel National Forest near Greenhorn. Wide valley floor, dark ground, and the Sangres standing on the horizon.

Bring layers wherever you go. Nights in the high country drop into the 40s in September. Give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust, skip the flashlight, and let the sky do the rest.

Where do you go to stargaze in Spanish Peaks Country?

09/10/2026

Fifteen seconds of fall in Spanish Peaks Country.

Gold aspens closing in over a two lane road. Light coming down through a grove that has already turned. Volcanic d**es standing up out of the hillsides with the mountains stacked behind them. A guitar player under a tent on a warm afternoon. The Spanish Peaks going soft over still water at sunset.

Early October is when all of it lines up at once. The aspens on Cucharas Pass hit peak from the last week of September into the first two weeks of October, and the towns are still easy to get around before winter sets in.

That is the whole pitch. Come see it in person.

Plan your trip at SpanishPeaksCountry.com

Labor Day weekend is here, and Downtown Walsenburg is throwing the party.Mountain Mining Days returns this Saturday, Sep...
09/05/2026

Labor Day weekend is here, and Downtown Walsenburg is throwing the party.

Mountain Mining Days returns this Saturday, September 5, from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Main Street parade steps off at 10 AM, then the street fair takes over West 6th Street and Miner's Plaza for the rest of the day. Live music, food vendors, pop-up shops, mining cart races, and kids' activities.

This one has been on the calendar in Walsenburg for generations. It honors the coal mining families who built this town, and it is still the day the whole county shows up. Free to attend, easy to park, and a short drive from Pueblo, Trinidad, or Colorado Springs.

Make a weekend of it. Camp at Lathrop State Park, drive the Highway of Legends up to Cuchara, and catch the Sunday farm and makers market at Heritage Park before you head home.

Click here to read the Huerfano County September newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/948a2019bf0e/sept2026-newsletterThis mo...
09/02/2026

Click here to read the Huerfano County September newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/948a2019bf0e/sept2026-newsletter

This month, we highlight the Museum of Friends mention in the Colorado Sun, community members coming together to paint the concession stand at Fiesta Park, scenes from the County Fair and more!

Save the date for something you don't see every day!On Sunday, September 27, the Walsenburg Farm & Makers Market is brin...
08/27/2026

Save the date for something you don't see every day!

On Sunday, September 27, the Walsenburg Farm & Makers Market is bringing an aerial artist performance to town.

Fresh local produce and makers' goods paired with a jaw-dropping performance overhead. It's a first for the market and a great reason to plan an end-of-September visit.

Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
Time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Location: Heritage Park, Walsenburg

Address

401 Main Street, Suite 201
Walsenburg, CO
81089

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