Colorado · National Monument trail

Mitten Park Trail

in Colorado

This hike takes you through a diversity of scenery, it follows a faint path through the grassy meadows of Echo Park to cliffs south of the Green River. Look for ancestral Native American petroglyphs on the cliffs. The trail includes a small rock scramble in one area and slickrock section.

After crossing a ridge, the view of Mitten Park opens up and the trail descends. when river levels are lower, a broad sandy beach is present along the Green River. This makes a nice turn around point. The beach may be completely covered when rivers levels are high.

If the river levels are very low, you can follow the river's edge for a view into Whirlpool Canyon. Length: Approximately 3.0 miles round trip Level of Difficulty: Moderately Difficult. This is not a maintained trail.

States: Colorado
Trail type: National Monument trail
Centroid nearest city: Salt Lake City, UT · 153 mi · ~4 hr drive
Centroid coords: 40.5219°, -108.9942°

About Dinosaur National Monument

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/mitten-park-trail.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

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 Mitten Park Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.

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Colorado