Coal Road

Total Miles 13.3
Technical Rating
1 Easy
Best Time Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Trail Type Full-Width Road
Accessible By
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Coal Road trail photo

Trail Overview

Coal Road is a 13-mile-long forest service road near Shenandoah Acres Campground and Sherando Lake. Any vehicle type should be able to travel the gravel sections, and the road is paved on either end. You will find many hiking and biking trailheads along the road, the most notable being Cellar Mountain. Cell signal is okay along the trail, and the trail has two-way traffic. One road intersection near the center leads to the town of Stuarts Draft, which has numerous walk-in campsites along the way, with only a handful accessible by vehicle. Coal Road provides access to the Bald Mountain Jeep Trail and Turkey Pen Trail, both open seasonally.

Photos of Coal Road

Difficulty

It is a paved and gravel fire road.

Technical Rating

1

Status Reports

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Santa
May 16, 2026
Open
Robbie Therrien
Feb 18, 2026
Open
Mike B
Aug 09, 2025
Open
Well packed with some mild pot holes. 2wd hatchbacks could make it to camping sites with little trouble.
Mark Bertolino
May 22, 2025
Open
East road most any regular car would be fine. some pot holes here and there so watch your speed because they can sneak up on you and give you a good jolt. Dispersed camping sites along the road but be prepared to pick up garbage at all of them because people have trashed this area. It’s a shame because some of the sites are beautiful.
sdss ekrjfjf
Dec 20, 2024
Open
Eastern entrance on Coal Rd. is open, didn't go all the way down but was open for at least 1/3 of the road. Beautiful day, nice wilderness vibes.
Lukas Muehlberg
Dec 08, 2024
Open
Closed due to fire on the western end. Bald Mountain is also closed.
Wallace Browning
Dec 08, 2024
Open
All trails in this area are closed due to a forest fire. Roughly 2000 acres are affected.
Jim Schaner
Nov 13, 2024
Open
pretty boring drive, not much for views...
Paul Roche
Oct 26, 2024
Open
Easy single lane road but a little rough at some spots. Very easy in the jeep wrangler
Randall Baker
Apr 06, 2024
Open
Derek West
Oct 26, 2023
Open
Dustin Yetzer
Apr 07, 2023
Open

Coal Road Trail can be accessed by the following ride types:

  • High Clearance
  • Full Width

Coal Road Map

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