It is located in southeastern Colerado,about 60 miles east o Pueblo. The county seat of Otero County,La Junta has or more than a hundred years ormed a junction for commercial,agricultural,and ranching ventures. Before that La Junta was the junction where the Santea Fe Trail branched south to New Mexico,while a lesser route continued west to Pueblo and beyond. The Santa Fe Trail was one of the nation's first great trade routes.

La Junta sits on the south bank of the Arkansas River in what is primarily shortgrass prairie country. The mountains for which Colorado is so famous can be seen to the west,but this is rolling prairie land. Farming dominates the landscape in a narrow corridor along the river,while a short excursion north or south of US Highway 50 brings travelers to miles upon miles of grasslands.