Sego Canyon

4.7/5 (3 reviews)
Green River, Utah (Grand County)
Last Updated: 07/11/2022

Trail Information

Highlights

Whether passing through on I-70 or exploring the Book Cliff trails, this historic and immersive drive through Sego Canyon will elevate your opinion of this desolate landscape. Starting at 5,500' and ending at 8,500', this easy trail packs a bunch of history and scenery in just over 10 miles. The trail slowly begins to leave the rugged flat desert after a short stop at the Sego Cemetery, where some of the town's residents were laid to rest. Continuing up into the cliffs, you will see signs of an abandoned railroad spur built in 1914 to retrieve coal from the town of Sego. An impressive 13 bridges had to be constructed to crisscross the creek. As you approach the ghost town, you will see the small stone buildings being overtaken by nature, but one structure still stands tall. The American Fuel Company Store was built in 1911 and still has all four walls standing today. The now crumbling town reached its peak in the 1930s when the mine employed 125 miners, and the town had approximately 500 residents. Continuing through a seemingly hypnotizing canyon, you'll have more opportunities to see how the early settlers lived when you stop at the stone and log cabins. The now vertical cliffs become much tighter while precariously balanced rock spires threaten to tumble down at any moment. The vegetation changes dramatically as you switch back to the top, where you enter a dense pine and aspen forest, ripe with memorable camping on the rim.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4.7/5 (3)
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 05/27/2023

This was a great trail beautiful landscape. Very easy when dry seen Subaru and cars out on it. If was wet could be very slick. Some section are narrow so be cautious of on coming traffic there are a lot of different trails in this area.
Partially Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 04/01/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

We took a ride up this trail but with many wet and snowy days in these parts, it became very muddy. Decided to turn back instead of destroying the road and rutting it even further.
Official Crew
73600
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 04/17/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Our first attempt at a summit of this trail was a little too early in the season. We wanted to enjoy the cooler temperatures around the townsite and catch the spring bloom on the way up. We were three weeks too early and got stopped by snow just after the last switchback at WP 10. Trust me; it was really deep and on a narrow ledge. So we returned in May to even better blooms and beautiful green grass at the top. We enjoyed the old town site but preferred the drive up the canyon. It really does immerse you into the wilderness. A top-off kind of trail. It seems to go on forever before you eventually really start to climb. The trail was in good condition, but a couple of boulders and trees were almost blocking the trail. If you're going up to see the ghost town, then you could just about drive anything up to that point.

From the Community

Start a free trial and get this level of detail on every trail guide
Start Free Trial