Knife Edge Trail
in Colorado
Named after the historic Knife Edge Road which was known for it's scenic value, this trail follows the old roadway and leads to a viewpoint that affords excellent views across Montezuma Valley. A traveler in 1892 once described a trail on this ridge as the Crinkly Edge Trail. In 1911, the trail became the Knife Edge Road, a new section of the main road into the park.
Although scenic, the road was narrow and steep and precariously skirted the top of a steep bluff overlooking the Montezuma Valley. Unfortunately, the instability of the soil made it difficult to maintain. Two years later, the park built a bypass road through Morefield and Prater Canyons, and when the first automobile trip was made in 1914, vehicles used the bypass and the Knife Edge Road was soon closed.
The scenic value of the Knife Edge Road prompted the park to reopen it again in 1924. Although it continued to challenge road crews for the next 30 years, it remained in use until 1957 when the Morefield-Prater tunnel was completed. Today, you can still enjoy the views via the Knife Edge Trail.
- States
- Colorado
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Albuquerque, NM · 182 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 37.3043°, -108.4254°
About Mesa Verde National Park
This trail is inside Mesa Verde National Park, a national park 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: $30 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/knife-edge-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/meve/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 Knife Edge 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
Point Lookout Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Prater Ridge Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Farming Terrace Trail
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Petroglyph Point Trail
9 miles from this trail's centroid
Spruce Canyon Trail
9 miles from this trail's centroid
Soda Canyon Overlook Trail
10 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.