Cucharas River facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cucharas River
The river in Walsenburg.
Physical characteristics
Main source	37°20′23″N 105°05′36″W / 37.33972°N 105.09333°W / 37.33972; -105.09333
River mouth	Confluence with Huerfano 5,121 ft (1,561 m) 37°54′58″N 104°31′56″W / 37.91611°N 104.53222°W / 37.91611; -104.53222
Basin features
Progression	Huerfano—Arkansas—Mississippi

Cucharas River is a 75-mile-long (121 km) tributary of the Huerfano River that flows from a source in Huerfano County, Colorado, southwest of the Spanish Peaks in San Isabel National Forest. The river passes through La Veta and Walsenburg before joining the Huerfano River in Pueblo County.

Cucharas Canyon

Northeast of Walsenburg, the river creates a deep, wild canyon called Cucharas Canyon. Much of the land in and adjacent to the canyon was purchased by the Bureau of Land Management in 1998 and is open to the public for recreational activities such as hiking, horseback riding, and hunting. Access to the canyon is via county roads, with trailheads on either side. There are few visitors, and opportunities for solitude are abundant.

A view from the canyon's east rim, looking southwest towards the Spanish Peaks.