Coal Road

Total Miles13.3
Technical Rating
1Easy
Best TimeSpring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Trail TypeFull-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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Latham Fell
Jun 27, 2026
2018 Toyota 4Runner
Open
Just a gravel road; connects to Bald Mountain. Campers and bikers are usually found along it.
Michael D
Jun 26, 2026
2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
Open
Dusty
Easy dirt road, barely a trail although it's getting a little washed out in some spots. Saw plenty of people camping, even ran across two hikers so don't go flying down the road. Disappointing to see several of the creekside campsites along the road littered with trash.
Santa
May 16, 2026
Open
Normal
Robbie Therrien
Feb 18, 2026
Open
Normal
Mike B
Aug 09, 2025
Open
Normal
Well packed with some mild pot holes. 2wd hatchbacks could make it to camping sites with little trouble.
Mark Bertolino
May 22, 2025
Open
NormalDusty
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
Normal
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
2002 Land Rover Discovery
Temporarily Closed
Fire Danger
Closed due to fire on the western end. Bald Mountain is also closed.
Wallace Browning
Dec 08, 2024
Temporarily Closed
Fire Danger
All trails in this area are closed due to a forest fire. Roughly 2000 acres are affected.
Jim Schaner
Nov 13, 2024
Open
NormalDusty
pretty boring drive, not much for views...
Paul Roche
Oct 26, 2024
Open
Normal
Easy single lane road but a little rough at some spots. Very easy in the jeep wrangler
Randall Baker
Apr 06, 2024
Open
Normal
Derek West
Oct 26, 2023
1991 Jeep Wrangler
Open
Normal
Dustin Yetzer
Apr 07, 2023
2019 Jeep Wrangler
Open

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

  • High Clearance
  • Full Width

Coal Road Map

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