Colorado National Monument: Hiking the Coke Oven Trail
Coke Oven Trail in the Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction is an easy hiking trail that is great for just about everyone.
The trailhead is located on the left, 3.8 miles up Rim Rock Drive from the Saddlehorn Visitor Center. This is also the upper trailhead for Monument Canyon Trail. Both trails are pretty popular hikes in the monument, so you can expect other people.
We pulled into the small parking lot on a weekday morning in the middle of summer. We were not the only car there, but it was fairly empty.
- Trail Name: Coke Ovens Trail
- Trailhead Location: 3.8 miles from the Saddlehorn Visitor Center on Rim Rock Drive.
- Distance: 1 Mile Roundtrip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: ~200 Feet
- Type: Out & Back
- Features: Scenic Views
- Dogs: No
The trail to Coke Ovens goes down steadily with some steep places and parallels the hillside to an overlook of the incredible rock formations. The rocks are named Coke Ovens because the rounded cone-shaped rocks resemble old coke ovens used to convert coal into fuel.
Keep an eye peeled for Desert Bighorn Sheep in this area. They are often spotted, especially on the Monument Canyon Trail.
This hike took us about 45 minutes, but we were definitely not in a hurry. When we returned to the trailhead, the parking had completely filled in. Try to get here to make sure you get parking.
If you want to extend your stay in the Colorado National Monument, the Saddlehorn Campground is a great option.
