Box Canyon Trail
in Colorado
Casting a looing shadow over the Josie Morris cabin, Box Canyon stands as a cooling refuge. The trail is fairly level and hikers will have stunning views on all sides of the craggy Weber sandstone from Split Mountain. This trail is excellent for families with children, even during the heat of the day.
Length: ½ mile round trip. Not a loop. Level of Difficulty: Easy. The trail is gravel and even terrain for most of the hike. Trailhead Location: End of the Cub Creek Road (Tour of Tilted Rocks Auto Tour) at Josie's Cabin, 10 miles east of the Quarry Visitor Center.
Your Safety: Be prepared for desert hiking. Take a hat, sunscreen, and water. Let someone know where you are going, and when to expect you back. Wear comfortable shoes, such as hiking or athletic shoes.
- States
- Colorado
- Trail type
- National Monument trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Salt Lake City, UT · 144 mi · ~4 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 40.4259°, -109.1746°
About Dinosaur National Monument
This trail is inside Dinosaur National Monument, a national monument managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/box-canyon-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Box Canyon Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Hog Canyon Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Desert Voices Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Sound of Silence Trail Stop 13
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Sound of Silence Trail Stop 15
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Sound of Silence Trail Stop 1
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Sound of Silence Trail Stop 12
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.