This paper describes laboratory and field experiments that were conducted to compare hydraulic and propellant fracturing techniques in the Mancos Shale of Colorado. The Mancos is a Cretaceous shale approximately 2,000 feet thick((1)). Although mainly considered a source rock for other formations, the Mancos is also productive in certain areas. To better understand how stimulation technologies might be used to commercially develop the shale, four unique data sets were compared including results from both laboratory and field hydraulic and propellant fracturing. The results of this work are presented and include the following conclusions: the propellant fractures in the block test were constrained by relative strengths of the strata; the layering of the Mancos shale resulted in better height containment than expected in field test stimulations, although the mechanism of containment in the field tests is still not fully understood; and both propellant and hydraulic fracturing can provide stimulation benefits, but only when applied in appropriate situations.