Monument Canyon Trail (Colorado National Monument)
in Colorado
Location: Two access points: (1) from the Saddlehorn Visitor Center, turn left onto Rim Rock Drive and travel 3.8 miles (6.1 km) to the trailhead on the left. It is also the trailhead for Coke Ovens Trail. (2) from the west entrance of the monument, turn right onto Highway 340 (going east); after 2.1 miles (3.4 km) turn right just beyond mile marker #5 onto a dirt road that appears to be a driveway; go 0.1 mile (0.2 km) to the trailhead.
Mileage: 6.0 one way (9.7 km) Difficulty Level: Moderate to steep Elevation: 6,140 to 4,700 feet (1871 to 1433 meters) from upper trailhead to lower trailhead. Average time: 4 hours Usage: Hiking only. Horseback riding permitted along the lower 5 miles.
Description (from upper access): Steep 600-foot descent from the plateau into Monument Canyon where you can walk beside many of the park's major rock formations: Independence Monument, Kissing Couple, and the Coke Ovens. Check out a photo gallery of this hike.
- States
- Colorado
- Trail type
- National Monument trail
- Centroid coords
- 39.1088°, -108.7017°
About Colorado National Monument
This trail is inside Colorado 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/monument-canyon-trail-colorado-national-monument.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/colm/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 Monument Canyon Trail (Colorado National Monument) 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
Window Rock Trail (Colorado National Monument)
1 miles from this trail's centroid
CCC Era Campground C-Loop Restroom
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Canyon Rim Trail (Colorado National Monument)
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Black Ridge Trail (Colorado National Monument)
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Alcove Nature Trail (Colorado National Monument)
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Otto's Trail (Colorado National Monument)
2 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.