Discover Otero: Festivals, Culture and Nature

Plan a trip to Otero around events, cultural history and nature. A specific festival date creates a different framework than excursions to historic sites or hiking trails. If you decide on the purpose of your trip first, you can tailor your hotel search accordingly.

Festivals and seasonal planning

The Arkansas Valley Fair takes place every year during the third week of August in Rocky Ford. It began in 1878 and is described as Colorado’s oldest continuously running county fair. A recurring part of the Saturday morning program is the free distribution of 30,000 pounds of Rocky Ford watermelons. If you are planning your trip around the fair, check the current dates and program in advance.

Another annual event is the Tarantula Fest in downtown La Junta. The program described includes a parade, vendor booths, an education area, tarantula tours and live art. Since program details may change, it is advisable to check the dates and current program before your trip.

Farmers’ markets typically take place around La Junta between July and October; individual market dates may vary. Farmers in the Arkansas Valley grow crops including corn, watermelons and cantaloupes. This gives you different time frames to plan around: the specific week named for the fair and a longer, seasonal market period. The crops grown here also offer insight into agriculture in the Arkansas Valley.

Cultural history and collections

The Grand Theatre is significant for its cultural history because of its long-standing use as a local entertainment center. The Carnegie Public Library Building in Rocky Ford, built in 1908, offers a different historical perspective. It reflects the nationwide movement to build public libraries, promoted by steel manufacturer and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

The original Koshare Kiva, dating from 1949, is listed as a state-protected historic site. At the same time, the Kiva serves as a performance venue for the Koshare Dancers and houses the Koshare Museum. These functions connect the historic site with a performance tradition and a museum, without assuming there is a current event date.

The Otero Museum documents the history of Otero County in southeastern Colorado. Its railroad collection includes a 1939 Plymouth switcher locomotive and an AT&SF freight car. These objects offer a specific look at the collection’s focus, while the museum as a whole centers on the history of the county.

Landscape and outdoor activities

Comanche National Grassland encompasses gently rolling shortgrass prairies and rugged canyons lined with pinyon-juniper woodlands. It is home to 300 different species of birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Petroglyphs and pictographs left by Native Americans can be seen on rock faces and overhangs. The landscape, wildlife and rock art offer different points of interest to consider when planning your trip.

B Vogel Canyon offers picnic areas and hiking trails of varying lengths and difficulty levels. Two permanent springs at the bottom of the canyon provide habitat for a diverse range of wildlife; rock art left by Native Americans can also be seen on the canyon walls. The different trail lengths and difficulty levels give you concrete points of comparison when planning a hike. Facilities and trail conditions may change; check current conditions before your visit.

The Withers Canyon Trailhead is on the plateau above Picket Wire Canyon and provides access to hiking trails as well as opportunities for horseback riding and mountain biking. Guided tours through Picket Wire Canyonlands visit an early Catholic church and cemetery associated with Hispanic and European settlement. Access to these tours depends on the schedule. Check the available dates if you plan to visit this historic site.

Unit 125 of the Oxbow SWA has a specific access restriction: the area is small and access is limited. Check current access conditions before visiting. This allows you to factor the different options for hiking, guided tours and wildlife viewing—and their respective conditions—into your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: La Junta, Rocky Ford, Costilla County, Garfield, Lincoln County, Rio Blanco County, Douglas, Rio Grande County.

For the broader travel overview: Colorado.