Serpents 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 upper trailhead parking area is 2.3 miles past this point, just after the tunnel.
Mileage: 1.75 one way (2.8 km) Difficulty Level: Steep Elevation: 5,060 to 5,760 feet (1542 to 1756 meters) Average time: 1 hour Usage: Hiking only. Horses prohibited. Description: Called "the crookedest road in the world," this historic trail has 16 switchbacks.
The trail climbs steadily from east to west through Wingate Sandstone. Built in the early 1900s, this route was part of the main road until 1950.
- States
- Colorado
- Trail type
- National Monument trail
- Centroid coords
- 39.0319°, -108.6310°
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/serpents-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 Serpents 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
Echo Canyon Trail (Colorado National Monument)
0 miles from this trail's centroid
No Thoroughfare Canyon Trail (Colorado National Monument)
0 miles from this trail's centroid
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
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.