2026 Marks 105 Years of Serpent’s Trail in Grand Junction

A special anniversary is quietly taking place in Grand Junction this year. A trail that has shaped our outdoor identity since 1921 will celebrate its 105^th anniversary as part of the Colorado National Monument. Have you hiked it?

Long before a visitor’s center or Rim Rock Drive, Serpent’s Trail at the Colorado National Monument was the only way to access the park. In the beginning, it wasn’t just a road; it was a bold way to explore the red rock canyons that were not very easy to get to.

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Why It’s Called the “Crookedest Road”

Read More: How John Otto Made the Colorado National Monument a National Park

Did you know that Serpent’s Trail climbs about 700 to 1,100 feet in less than two miles? More than a dozen tight switchbacks, which earned the trail/road its famous nickname for extreme curves. The next time you hike up the trail, imagine a 1920’s Ford Model T trying to make it around some of those tight turns. Imagine getting a flat tire on the way up, which many guests did. Imagine trying to get past another Model T trying to drive back down from viewing the canyons. Yikes! The road is preserved today as a hiking trail and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 for its engineering and legacy.

John Otto’s Vision for a Connected West

Like many of the trails on Grand Mesa and the Colorado National Monument, they exist thanks largely to John Otto, whose early 1900s dream was to make the monument accessible to Grand Junction. He imagined a scenic road network designed to show off the area’s beauty, which he felt deserved National attention. Construction began in 1912 and relied on local labor and true Western Colorado grit before it was completed in 1921. The first portion of Rim Rock Drive in Fruita opened in 1937 and was completed and paved by 1951.

Before Rim Rock Drive Changed Everything

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From 1912 to about 1950, Serpent’s Trail was the main route up and into the Colorado National Monument for automobiles, livestock, and early tourists. Rim Rock Drive was a safer, more modern drive that replaced the narrow, cliff-hugging Serpent’s Trail. If you have never hiked the Serpent’s Trail, it remains open today to tell the story of how visitors first experienced the landscape. While the 775-foot climb isn’t easy, it’s a great way to experience the monument the way John Otto did.