The Joe Faris Runway

The park terrain except for the hogback is flat averaging 6425 feet of elevation. The hogback on the park north boundary gains 40 feet of elevation in the west and increased to 140 of elevation in the east. Much of the park ground cover is prairie and juniper prickly with scattered candelabra cholla. The park woodlands are primarily juniper and piñon. Exotic woodlands are cottonwood and Russian olive. The area west of Horseshoe Lake is partially marsh land with cattails and bulrush.

Welcome to Lathrop State Park. We want you to have a good time walking our trails and hiking our terrain through grass, trees, cactus and rocks that may require using your hands seeking your geocache. Specific geocaches inform you of terrain that is more that a casual walk. Each individual geocache description lists a parking lot where you can start your walk, and that gives you time to see what this park is about as you seek your goal. Do not forget to enjoy the view of the mountains on the horizon.

We recommend that you do not use the geocache description Driving Directions printed below the latitude and longitude coordinates. Using the Driving Directions has you parking and walking on private land outside the Lathrop State Park boundary fence. You may be issued a citation and/or have your vehicle towed. There is one fence within Lathrop SP that separates Martin Lake and Horseshoe Lake. This fence has two roads to travel from one lake to the other for you to use. Please use your park map that you were issued when you entered the park to see the park boundary fence.

Lathrop State Park, while sitting in the shadows of the Spanish Peaks, has the distinction of being Colorado’s 1st State Park and covers 1594 acres. One of the main features of the park is its two lakes; Martin Lake covers about 180 surface-acres while Horseshoe Lake has about 150 surface-acres. Both host a wide range of water activities.

Entrance to Lathrop State Park in Walsenburg, CO requires a park pass that can be purchased at the visitor center for display on your vehicle windshield. There is also a self-serving station near the park entrance.

Two types of passes are available: A daily Pass is valid from the day purchased until noon the following day. An Annual Pass is valid at any state park recreation area for the calendar year. Colorado disabled veterans displaying Colorado Disabled Veteran (DV) license plates are admitted free without a pass.

Joe Faris began ranching a few miles west of Walsenburg, CO in the 1940s. His main ranch was north of hogback that is Lathrop State Park's north boundary. Another piece of his property was south of Hwy. US160 close to Lathrop State Park. Joe wanted to run his cattle back-and-forth from the north and south ranges without detouring several miles westward. He spoke with the property owners about an easement for land to move his cattle. Joe did obtain his easement to run his cattle and that is the double fencing you see a few yards to the west of the geocache. Later in life he became a land developer in Southern Colorado.

Joe Faris was an interesting sight on the golf course, of which he was a founding member, in Lathrop State Park. He quite often wore western jeans, cowboy boots, and hat. No golf shoes? He had a shoemaker put in golfing spikes on his cowboy boots. He was known locally as the Marlboro Man.

Colorado State Parks and the Department of Wildlife (DOW) were in the same division when Lathrop State Park was established. DOW wanted to move some of their buffalo herd to different state parks and Lathrop State Park was selected. Many people over the years thought the buffalo were for hunting, raised by Joe Faris or other ranchers for butchering, or for sale to interested people. Some even thought that they were there to keep down the grass in the park. The DOW finally moved the buffalo because they were getting too big for the fences. The area where you found this geocache is where the buffalo roamed. Did you see any deer or pronghorn antelope playing? Good chances for deer, but you need to drive east of Walsenburg on Colorado Hwy. 10 to see the pronghorn.

Additional info Lathrop State Park is 3 miles west of Walsenburg via US Hwy. 160. Park your vehicle at the Horseshoe Lake south boat launch to begin your route to the geocache.

The geocache is a 4 inch by 7 inch hard plastic tube that contains a log to validate your find and souvenirs. Your option to replace the souvenir you selected with one of your own of equal or greater value.