No Thoroughfare Canyon Trail (Colorado National Monument)
in Colorado
Location: From the east entrance, travel 0.2 miles (0.3 km). Limited parking is on the left. For additional parking, turn right into the Devils Kitchen Picnic Area. The trailhead is shared with two other trails: Old Gordon Trail and Devils Kitchen Trail.
An upper trailhead enters from the head of the canyon off Little Park Road, accessed from outside the Monument. Mileage: 8.5 one way (13.7 km) Difficulty Level: Moderate to strenuous Elevation: 5,000 to 6,820 feet (1524 to 2079 meters) Average time: Full day Usage: Hiking only. Horses prohibited.
Description (from lower trailhead): Enjoy a moderately easy hike along the canyon wash for 1 mile to the First Pool, sometimes dry by mid summer. Continue for another 0.8 miles to the First Waterfall, also often dry by summertime. Canyon walls rise over 400 feet around you.
- States
- Colorado
- Trail type
- National Monument trail
- Centroid coords
- 39.0317°, -108.6307°
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/no-thoroughfare-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 No Thoroughfare 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
Old Gordon Trail (Colorado National Monument)
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Devils Kitchen Trail (Colorado National Monument)
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Echo Canyon Trail (Colorado National Monument)
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Serpents Trail (Colorado National Monument)
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Corkscrew Trail (Colorado National Monument)
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Liberty Cap Trail (Colorado National Monument)
3 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.