Monument Canyon Trail and Coke Ovens Overlook Trail

Colorado National Monument, Colorado

Colorado National Monument, a ruggedly beautiful desert landscape more reminiscent of Utah’s grandeur, provides a look into the lesser known red-rock landscapes of Colorado—miles of trails wind through the monument, but if you can only do one long trail, the 11.6-mile roundtrip Monument Canyon Trail should be your top choice.

In order to hike the out and back trail in its entirety, you must either arrange a shuttle or be prepared to hike nearly 12 miles roundtrip—we weren’t equipped for either option, so the hike described here follows the trail from the Upper Trailhead to the base of Independence Monument for a 6.6 mile roundtrip trek.

From the Upper Trailhead along Rim Rock Drive, the trail immediately descends nearly 600 feet through multiple sandstone layers to the bottom of Monument Canyon—just below the rim, 0.1-mile from the trailhead, watch for the junction with the Coke Ovens Overlook Trail.

The Coke Ovens Overlook Trail, an easy 1-mile roundtrip excursion with 180 feet of elevation loss, provides excellent views of Monument Canyon and is a worthy stand alone destination or side excursion for those spending the day hiking the Monument Canyon Trail, but if you are short on time we suggest skipping it as it doesn’t provide good views of the actual Coke Ovens—four enormous sandstone domes thought to resemble the old charcoal ovens. The overlook itself is perched on a point atop the actual formations, limiting views of the domes but providing inspiring views of the canyon and the free-standing monoliths to the north.

After returning to the trail junction, continue hiking along the Monument Canyon Trail deep into the belly of the canyon—passing from Entrada slickrock to a jumbled mix of the dark red shale of the bench-forming Kayenta Sandstone into the most prominent geologic formation in Colorado National Monument, the Wingate Sandstone, and then eventually into the Chinle Formation, the crumbly brick-red colored rock.

Once the trail reaches the Wingate formation, it begins a long gradual descent to the bottom of the canyon, and then levels out for the remainder of the hike—the route then circumnavigates the base of the cliffs on the canyon’s west side.

Continue hiking along the canyon floor as you watch for signs of wildlife such as deer, desert bighorn, mountain lion, coyote, antelope ground squirrel, and desert cottontail while admiring the unique spires and hoodoos that take on interesting shapes—about 2 miles into the hike you round the canyon wall to face a northerly direction where the views change from towering to expansive.

The vista spread out before you showcases the commanding free-standing monoliths that make Monument Canyon so impressive—within view are the Kissing Couple, Praying Hands, Pipe Organ, Window Rock, and Independence Monument.

One mile from the Kissing Couple, towering above you around the 2 mile mark, the trail veers eastward to pass by the base of Independence Monument—a dramatic 450-foot tall island of rock.

Although the 11.6 mile Monument Canyon Trail continues for another 2.4 miles from the base of Independence Monument to reach the Lower Trailhead just east of the national monument boundary, we opted to end our hike at the monolith for a 6.6-mile roundtrip trek—drink lots of water and fuel up with a snack before tackling the 900-foot climb back to the canyon’s rim.