Coal Canyon

Total Miles
5.1

Technical Rating

5

Moderate

Best Time

Summer, Fall

Trail Type

Full-Width Road

Accessible By

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Coal Canyon
5

Trail Overview

Close to Grand Junction, Coal Canyon provides easy access to multi-use recreation. This route begins in a wash and climbs to an overlook of Palisade. The trail continues in the wash, which gets narrower and eventually stops. Camping available. Please stay on trail and be respectful of hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers. Open June through November.

Photos of Coal Canyon

Coal Canyon
Coal Canyon

Difficulty

Moderate. Mostly smooth with short rocky sections when crossing the wash. Steep climb to overlook is moderate with some loose rock. Other sidetrails in area can be more challenging. Stock, 4WD, high-clearance SUVs can do it. Not recommended for oversize vehicles.

Technical Rating

5

Status Reports

Derral Slaugh
May 01, 2025
4x4
Open
Trail opens May 1
Merrit Crum
Jul 27, 2024
2003 Chevrolet S-10
Open
Normal
Dusty
Solid, short trail. Easy for the most part, with a couple of ruts and rock features in the bottom that require some articulation. I would rate this trail at around a 4 or 5 in comparison to similar difficulty trails I’ve run in Moab. Completed in a stock Chevy S10 and a stock FJ Cruiser with no issues. Completed in almost exactly 2 hours. Would not recommend doing when wet. Take care while in the wash to make sure you don’t miss where the trail turns up out of the wash. We missed it and drove down the wash a couple hundred yards further. Not a big deal but puts you on a different trail. The shelf road is steep and off-camber in spots. I could see this being an issue if you are very afraid of heights. The views on top are great, and if you’re feeling extra motivated I think you could hike to Mt Garfield pretty easily from the end of the trail.
Blake & Sheri Mcelwain
Jul 04, 2024
SxS
Open
Normal
Dusty
There were a few tight/rought spots on the trail, but pretty easy going. Managed to see some wild horses. And the view from the top was amazing.
Devin Drayton
Sep 16, 2023
Obstructed
Washout

Access Description

Get off I-70 at Cameo, Exit 46. On north side of I-70, head north on frontage road and turn left to cross river. After power station, cross canal, then stay right at 4-way intersection. Continue in canyon another 1.4 miles to large parking area with kiosk.

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