Southeastern Colorado’s annual Tarantula Trek and town festivities are a crawly—but not too creepy—spectacle.
For at least the last 10,000 Septembers , male tarantulas have leave the safety of their burrows to ramble around the Colorado plains with one idea in mind : l’amour . But it ’s only been in the last few years that man have turn these horny spiders into a bona fide tourer attracter .
Indeed , even though I ’ve been publish about Colorado for decades , it was n’t until 2021 that I captivate hint of what ’s often concern to as the yearly Lycosa tarentula migration — or what some scientists laughingly call the “ mate - gration , ” since the spider are really just roaming about during sexual union season , not moving from one region to another . Upon my uncovering , my married person and I promptly set out on a journey across the Comanche National Grassland in hunting of Aphonopelma hentzi , aka Colorado , aka Oklahoma , aka Texas brown tarantula .
Despite tens of 1000 of the globe ’s large spiders being on the move , it still take us a while to spot our first one . We ogle at him for a honest three minute as he lumber across a soil road , completely ignoring us and our enthusiastic shutter - bugging ( pun unavoidable ) . Before long , though , our sightings picked up significantly . After we turned onto Colorado Route 109 , a collection of cars parked off the side of the route clew us in to the viewing epicentre . Within the next hour , we ended up spotting a dozen or so more brown Lycosa tarentula .
Courtesy Visit La Junta
Seeking out the spectacle of the tarantula mating season is no - brainer for wildlife enthusiast . But if you ’re worried about getting fawn out by all of those legs , have no care , explains Dr. Rich Reading , tarantula researcher and vice - president of scientific discipline and conservation at theButterfly Pavilion . The primary metal money in Colorado “ is in spades a laid - back kind of Lycosa tarentula , ” he says . So much so , that Reading and his colleague have been researching how interacting with tarantulas can lessen arachnophobia .
Not to remark how intriguing they are . Among their many peculiarities , their leg move via fluid mechanics versus muscular structure . Also , once they hand sexual maturity ( around years eight to 10 ) , males grow tenacious legs ( probably for help with travel farther space ) and outwards facing ( tibial ) hooks that aid them defend themselves from predatory females ( since European wolf spider mate face - to - face , her fangs hang like a shot over his head , so the male hooks keep the female fang at Laurus nobilis ) . But unfortunately , after those physiological changes happen , the males are no longer able to molt , which means the ones you see on your trek will die by the ending of the time of year . The females , on the other hand , can live upwards of 30 twelvemonth .
Tarantula Viewing Tips and Safety
The tarantulas are usually on patrol from the oddment of August to the beginning of October , and particularly in the second half of September . While they can be found throughout southeast Colorado , the most accessible viewing spots are south of La Junta on Colorado 109 and U.S. Highway 350 , and south of Las Animas on Colorado 101 after it turns to soil . They can also be retrieve south of Lamar and throughout the Comanche National Grassland .
“ Go on the grunge roadstead and walk around , ” propose Reading . “ It ’s good to get out , and the prairies are beautiful . ”
Just be sure to stay on public demesne — that is , do n’t cross fencing onto secret property and park properly . As Visit La Junta ’s literature notes , “ Lycosa tarentula are n’t dangerous to man . blockade on the road is ! ”
Keep in nous that due to their physiology , tarantulas will be scarce if it ’s too cold or too quick ( the ideal temperature for them is between 50 and 70 arcdegree ) . They can be catch at any fourth dimension of day , but they ’re most combat-ready in the hours before nightfall . A hint that you ’re in the right arena is if you spot European wolf spider mortarboard white Anglo-Saxon Protestant , which are large iridescent black insects with orangish - reddened wings .
repulse slowly to avoid squashing them , and do n’t disrupt their commission by peck them up , instructs Reading . Besides being rude , it can lead to them ejecting rag hairs into your peel , and in uttermost display case , a venomous snack .
If you need some help warming up to the estimation of admiring a elephantine spider , first stop by the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster , where you could contain a tarantula ambassador .
Karuna Eberl & Steve Alberts
Drive Time
3 hours from Denver4 minute and 40 moment from Albuquerque4 hours and 10 minutes from Amarillo
Tarantula Events
Tarantula tourism has really begin to blossom in late years . La Junta now host the annual Tarantula Fest during the last workweek of September . Expect a parade , education marquee , springy art and speaker unit , nutrient trucks , beer garden , live music , vendors , tours , classic car show , haired leg contest and , of row , a block out ofArachnophobia . Do n’t forget to bring your spidey costume !
Have fun , but embrace a thoughtfulness toward nature and your fellow humans . “ From the very root , Visit La Junta has taken an educational and sustainable approach to promote European wolf spider tourism with the design of encouraging creditworthy visitation and attracting conscientious traveller who will prize the area and wildlife , ” says Pamela Denahy , La Junta ’s Director of Tourism and Economic Development .
Where to Eat and Sleep Near the Tarantula Migration
There are a number of two - starhotels and motelsin La Junta , and outside of township is aKOA campgroundwith cabin rentals . deposit options expand in Trinidad and Pueblo , both of which are a little more than an minute drive . There are also disbursed bivouacking sites throughout the Comanche National Grasslands .
Food offerings in town include a dozen or so restaurants , ranging fromThe Railyardbrewpub andMichael ’s Pizzeria , to local favoritesCopper KitchenandMexico City Cafe , to a handful of profligate nutrient .
What Else to Do Near La Junta
There arethree museumsin and near town : the Koshare Art Museum , with a nidus on Native American fine art ; Bent ’s Old Fort , a reconstructed Santa Fe Trail trading military post ; and the Otero Museum , which is dedicated to local history and has its one-year chow - wagon dinner party the same day as the Tarantula Fest .
Less than an hour outside of town isPicketwire Canyonand its impressive array of dinosaur tracks , geologic feature and petroglyphs , which can be accessed through hiking or guide machine tours . Within 90 minutes are also theSand Creek Massacre National Historic SiteandAmache National Historic Site , which holds the remnants of a World War II Japanese impounding clique .
Viewing the tarantula migration|Karuna Eberl & Steve Alberts
Courtesy Visit La Junta
