Cold Desert Trail
Photo: chip_p, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 0.3 mi
- loop
- Loop
- route
- Easy
- difficulty
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- best months
Clear at last check
Weather is good · OpenWeather · checked 17 h ago
Is Cold Desert Trail open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Dinosaur National Monument. It doesn't name Cold Desert Trail, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).
Echo Park Road and Campground Closure
Park closure covering Dinosaur National Monument · NPS · Dinosaur National Monument
Rainbow Park Closure
Park closure covering Dinosaur National Monument · NPS · Dinosaur National Monument
As of · Source: NPS · Dinosaur National Monument. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Cold Desert Trail is a short 0.33-mile loop in Colorado managed by the National Park Service.
Plug Hat Butte TrailHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: Frans-Banja Mulder, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Ruple Point TrailHiking · ~32 min drive
- Ruple to Ely TrailHiking · ~36 min drive
Hog Canyon TrailHiking · ~28 min drivePhoto: Frans-Banja Mulder, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Sound of SilenceHiking · ~36 min drive
Bull Canyon TrailHiking · ~28 min drivePhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Jones Hole TrailHiking · ~36 min drive
Cub Creek Petroglyph Trail #14Hiking · ~28 min drivePhoto: Frans-Banja Mulder, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- JackalopeHiking · ~56 min drive
River TrailHiking · ~33 min drivePhoto: Frans-Banja Mulder, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit Cold Desert Trail
Best months: April–June and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
30° / 12°
5 wet · 4 snow
Feb
37° / 17°
4 wet · 3 snow
Mar
50° / 27°
5 wet · 2 snow
Apr
59° / 33°
6 wet · 1 snow
May
70° / 42°
7 wet
Jun
83° / 51°
5 wet
Jul
89° / 58°
5 wet
Aug
86° / 56°
6 wet
Sep
76° / 47°
6 wet
Oct
61° / 35°
5 wet
Nov
45° / 24°
5 wet · 2 snow
Dec
31° / 14°
5 wet · 4 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Dinosaur Nm, CO, 0 mi away at 5,960 ft. We don't have this place's elevation, so higher spots nearby can run cooler. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
