Hike Coal Mine Canyon

Coal Mine Canyon is a remote gem of the southwest that borders the Hopi and Navajo Indian Reservation. Coal Mine Canyon is located about 15 miles from Tuba City Arizona, The access to the canyon is off of Hwy 264 between mile marker 337 and 338 (right around 337.25). Once you make the turn off you will be on a dirt road the rest of the time, no need for four wheel drive vehicles. Once on the Dirt road you can drive to a parking area that passes a windmill and water tank, ending at a parking area near some picnic tables. I ended up not driving to that area, rather I just parked off to the side of the road and went exploring to the right and left sides of the canyon. Once you reach the Canyon rim you are introduced to the array of eroded spires, hoodoos, gullies, cliffs, of every color imaginable. Coal Mine Canyon gets it’s name because of the coal deposits spread throughout the canyon, the rim of the canyon is soft and crumbly with thin layers of Dakota sandstone. The red, white, black and gray colors found in the canyon are from the Entrada Formation, the red layers are from coloration of shale due to partial burning of the underlying coal.

Hiking at Coal Mine Canyon can be done but theres no direct path into the canyon, faint trails lead east and west along the rim and to some ridges that project outward “these have the best views”. You can see some trails on the canyon floor from the rim but again finding the route down can be hard, and also a permit may be requited to hike down into the canyon. Coal Mine Canyon is a great place to explore with virtually no crowd at all, its also an amazing opportunity for photography, and a place you can spend the night camping. For camping or hiking into the canyon permits you may need to contact Navajo or Hopi Nation, hiking along the rim requires no permit. Call +1 (928) 679-2303 for more info.