Monument Canyon Trail - 11.6 Miles Round-Trip

The Monument Canyon Trail is the quintessence of Colorado National Monument. Rangers will tell you that if you have time for only one long trail, this is it.

The trail begins at Monument Canyon's Upper Trailhead and drops 900' in just .9 miles to the canyon floor.

This initial descent follows 50M years of geological history including sedimentary rock deposited during the Upper Jurassic and Upper Triassic periods of the Mesozoic Era. As you descend, you will notice several different layers, all with their own unique characteristics that helped to create these sheer walls and rock formations.

The rock layers, from top to bottom:

• Layer 1 = Variegated sandstone and mudstone layers of the Tidwell Member of the Morrison and Wanakah Formations
• Layer 2 = Salmon-colored slickrock formations of the Entrada Sandstone family
• Layer 3 = Very resistant, darker colored and bench-forming Kayenta Sandstone
• Layer 4 = Towering, sheer walled and cliff forming Wingate Sandstone layer
• Layer 5 = The crumbly, red-brick colored rock of the Chinle Formation

Below the Chinle Formation lies two types of harder metamorphic rock from the Precambrian period called gneiss and schist.

Upon reaching the canyon floor, Pinyon Pine and Juniper Trees dominate the landscape as Yucca plants and Mormon Tea abound. The canyon floor is rife with Wildlife including mule deer, desert cottontail and desert bighorn sheep. If you look close, signs are life are everywhere.

The trail flattens out on the canyon floor and skirts the sheer red-rock walls. At the 1.8 mile mark, the canyon opens up to reveal the giant red-rock monolith formations that give Monument Canyon its name. Within view from a distance are the impressive Pipe Organ, Praying Hands and Kissing Couple formations, all of which get closer as the trail continues.

The next 1.5 miles undulate along the canyon floor with good views of Pipe Organ, Praying Hands and Independence Monument along the way. Independence Monument, a 450' high red-rock formation is where John Otto, the founder of Colorado National Monument, was married.

It was he who first created this 'trail' in hopes that one day it would be made an official monument. In 1911, the area was declared an official monument. Also visible from this spot is Window Rock, an arch-like formation easily identified in the distance.

Upon passing the famous monoliths, at 4.2 miles the trail begins a steady descent on its way to the lower trailhead. Look for signs of Desert Bighorn Sheep along this stretch, as they are frequently spotted in this area of the monument.

At 5.0 miles (4,768') the trail levels past a sign-in sheet for the lower Monument Canyon trailhead. It bears left and follows a barbed-wire fence with residential homes off to the right to the terminus at the lower Monument Canyon Trailhead (5.8 miles : 4,722').