5 Easy Hikes in Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument is an untapped gem here on Colorado’s western slope. Located on the border of Utah and Colorado, just outside of Grand Junction, this epic park is kind of like the Grand Canyon - without the crowds! The best way to experience the park is taking the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive which follows the canyon edges and provides spectacular views. There are two entrances into the park; the Grand Junction side, and the Fruita side. Word of caution for those who have a fear of heights or struggle with vertigo, coming in from the Grand Junction side means the views (and drop-offs) will be on the right-hand side of your car. If you’re like me and this freaks you out, I recommend the Fruita entrance. If you have a little extra time, hop onto one of the many hiking trails to experience this place up close and personal. With many of the trails only around 1-mile, I managed to get five awesome hikes in within a couple of hours. Here are five easy hiking trails in the Colorado National Monument.

1.WINDOW ROCK NATURE TRAIL

Entering from the Fruita side, the first hiking trail I hit was the Window Rock Nature Trail. This is an easy 0.5-mile loop that starts at the Saddlehorn Campground. The trail winds through pinyon-juniper brush and opens up with stunning views of Wedding Canyon. Because this is a wide open space, two things to note: 1. When visiting, make sure to stay a safe distance away from the canyon rim. Unlike the Grand Canyon, there are no safety barriers in place near most of the edges so watch your footing and don't get too close to the edge. And 2. The trail markers are hard to find and it’s easy to go off trail in this park. Because it’s pretty open between the edge and the road, it was difficult to get lost on this trail but I did end up connecting with trail #2.

2. CANYON RIM TRAIL

Connecting with the Window Rock Nature Trail, is the Canyon Rim Trail. This easy 1-mile loop follows the cliff edge of Wedding Canyon. It “technically” starts behind the visitor center and ends at Book Cliffs View. As I mentioned before, being a wide open space, it can be difficult to find the actual trail but running alongside the road, there’s no fear of getting lost here; just some extra steps!

3. OTTO’S TRAIL

About a mile from the visitors center, on the left-hand side, is Otto’s Trail. This 1-mile trail is also marked easy and follows a straight sloping descent to a beautiful lookout. From here, you can see Sentinel Spire, Pipe Organ, Praying Hands, and Independence Monument. I’ve added the trail map below with more details on the points of interest. I love that at the end of this trail there is a safety barrier which meant I could go right up to the edge and really take in how high I was!

4. COKE OVEN’S TRAIL

3.8 miles from the visitor center is the Coke Oven’s Trailhead. This is also the start to the Monument Canyon backcountry trail which is a 6-mile one-way moderate hike that heads all the way down to the base of the canyon. This is definitely on my “someday” hiking list! But the Coke Oven’s Trail turned out of to be one of my favorites because you still get that feel of heading out onto the trail away from the main road. The trail is 1-mile but feels much longer. It descends gradually with incredible drop-off views to the left. At the end, it puts you up close to the massive rounded Coke Ovens rock monuments.

5. DEVIL’S KITCHEN TRAIL

The longest trail of the day, for me, was the Devil’s Kitchen Trail. Near the Grand Junction entrance, the parking area is shared with the Thoroughfare Canyon Trail, Old Gordon trail, and the nearby Serpent’s trailhead. Be warned about this one - it is EXTREMELY hard to find the actual trail and this park is located in a desert environment meaning it gets very hot and dry. Be sure to bring LOTS of water and a trail map when heading out onto any of these trails. That being said, this trail was my absolute favorite because you get some perspective on the vast size of the rock monuments here.

The trail is 1.5-miles and is rated as moderate. It begins heading uphill toward the giant rock spires. From here, I managed to lose the actual trail and explore the three big rock formations to the right, this is not technically the Devil’s Kitchen. The other people on the trail with me all spread out and went in different directions. Being a wide open area and being able to see the road from the trail helped me feel secure even when I wasn’t sure where I was going. But according the NPS website the actual trail is found by going right at the first fork and taking a left at the second fork. Follow the trail across the wash and as you head up the canyon you’ll see a large rock opening that is the Devil’s Kitchen.

What the Devil’s Kitchen ACTUALLY looks like. Photo by: Seth Andersen @nps.gov

Whether you find the Devil’s Kitchen or not, this trail is absolutely stunning in every direction! It gets confusing with the river washes that look like trails, but head up and you’ll be alright. There was also a decent amount of people on this trail so I never felt alone. If you have the time though, I highly recommend getting after this one!

The Colorado National Monument is one of the easiest parks to explore, especially if you just take in the views from Rim Rock Drive and the scenic stop-offs. Most of the trails are short and doable within an hour or less and they all have some serious payoff views! If you’re exploring the Grand Junction region, or just driving between Colorado and Utah, this is an incredible park to visit along the way! Watch the full video below.