Coal Gulch is a picturesque drive down a scenic canyon through the Book Cliffs north of Grand Junction, Colorado. Several side canyons offer wonderful hiking and mountain bike trails along the way. Natural Gas wells and pumping stations are scattered throughout your drive as you make your way up out of the canyon, across Ross Ridge, and ending with spectacular views of the Grand Valley. This trail is ideal for any 4wd vehicle in dry conditions but can become extremely treacherous and impassible when wet.
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Head west on US Hwy 6 to 16 Road - turn right/north on 16 Road for approximately 11.5 miles. The road transitions from paved to dirt, and after dropping down a long hill, the road forks with a bridge on the right. This is the start of the trail.
Go right through a small neighborhood to the Coal Canyon entrance. From the first fork, in about 6.3 miles you will come to another fork. Left is fairly difficult while the right fork will take you up a long, steep climb.
The left fork has some side roads that dead-end at some nice views.
The right fork also has some side road that dead-end at well sites.
First off, this was a fun trail. The views through the gulch are great, and as you near the top, it opens up to beautiful, wildflower filled meadows. As you get to the end of the trail, the views of the valley stretch on for miles and miles. Absolutely breathtaking.
The first 10 miles or so are easy, just a dirt road with some rough spots. Then the last 2 miles or so get a little trickier, but manageable. We actually bailed at the last 1/4 mile, there's a rocky, descending shelf section that's pretty steep, and we just weren't comfortable with our Jeep Commander with a 2.5" lift and 31" tires. We'll come back to finish it when we get 33"s and a little more experience.
Oh, and the top camping spot is as good as it gets, stunning views and meadows of wildflowers... BUT there is a grave with a headstone at it... so we opted for one of the lower campsite in the canyons.
Ran this in a 2020 Ram Power Wagon. No issues, well marked, really a 2 wheel drive service road trail except for a few short section in the last mile. Great views, nice day trip.
As of today, 9/29/20, Coal Gulch is only open to the fire edge, which is right around waypoint 9. The current closure will likely remain in effect through winter, with the exception of a possible opening of the entire Coal Gulch area. The local BLM office will update their pages when updates occur.
Closure Map: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/ClosureAreaMap_40x40_20200910_PineGulch_COGRD307_topo%20%281%29.pdf
Info: https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-information/colorado/southwest-district
Although super easy, this is a really cool canyon to drive through, with some killer views, and great camp spots.
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Hi, I'm Ryan!
I am a Colorado native and I've been wheeling since I was 16 years old. I grew up with a relentless passion for all things Jeep and off road related, and that passion has never died out. I am a member of the Mile-Hi Jeep Club, and currently own a customized '05 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (LJ) with a 5.7 Hemi swap.
I am a huge supporter of Stay the Trail and Tread Lightly, and have participated and even been in charge of many trail restoration projects. I have been a trail leader several times for events such as All-4-Fun, ColoradoFest, Set Them Free, 14er Fest, and others. I am also the creator of the Unlimited LJ Adventure.
My rig is built for extreme offroading, but I love to get my tires dirty on any kind of trail whether it's rock crawling or just scenic high Alpine drives. I've wheeled all over the country and love a great adventure, especially if I get to share those adventures with others.
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