Penitente Canyon in Colorado’s San Luis Valley is associated with the Penitentes, who once used the canyon as a refuge. Its name preserves that older religious history, while the site today serves a different role on Bureau of Land Management land. Now known as a climbing area with a campground, it attracts visitors to its rock walls and broad valley setting. The canyon’s significance lies in this blend of past and present, linking a historic place of shelter and religious association with a modern landscape of outdoor recreation.