Trinidad Lake State Park
Day-use fee or Colorado state park pass required.
The puzzling structures that you pass on your way into the
Reilly Canyon entrance to Trinidad Lake State Park, that vaguely
resemble ancient Roman ruins, are actually called coke ovens. These
coke ovens were used in the late 1800's-Early 1900's. They worked
by burning off the impurities in the raw coal to form a purer,
hotter burning form of coal called "coke." This coke was used as a
fuel for smelting in the steel mills of the West.
The area that you are exploring is called the pinyon-juniper
forest, one of Colorado's most dynamic ecosystems. This ecosystem
is marked by short, drought-tolerant trees such as the pinyon pine
and one-seed juniper. This area hosts unique species such as the
pinon jay, roadrunner, pinon mouse, and collared lizard, along with
providing crucial wintering habitat for elk, deer, and mountain
lion.