Rimrocker Trail East 2.0

Rimrocker Trail connects a bunch of individual roads to make one continuous 160 mile trail from Montrose to Moab.  This page cover the eastern portion between Montrose and Highway 141.  The western section from Highway 141 to Moab is covered on Rimrocker Trail West 2.0 in the Moab Region.

Spanning a distance of 160 miles, the Rimrocker Trail provides 4WD, OHV and bicycle access through some of the West’s most stunning scenery. Visitors are immersed in natural beauty as the trail guides them through a landscape of redrock canyons, winding rivers, desert vistas and alpine forests.  Rimrockertrail.org



There is a GPS - gpx track file at the bottom of the page.

Trail is well signed

Rimrocker Trail begins 8 miles west of Montrose at the end of State Route 90, which is the beginning of County Route 90.  I do not think ATVs are allowed on the State Highway between Montrose and this point.

The roads from here to Nucla are wide, graded gravel roads through the trees.  They are pleasant but nothing special so are not featured on this website.  If you want tracks beginning in Montrose you should download the Access Road files.  Go west on 1A Divide Road GP, then south on 1A 25 Mesa Road GP.  This will take you to Nucla, then the track for this trail will take you on an ATV-legal route around the Town.

The first few miles out of Nucla are on paved road and you will pass the New Horizon Coal Mine.  See the trail Nucla GP for more information.

​Head out on a series of graded County roads across fairly level country until you come to the first "rim", then drop down into Tabeguache Creek.

County roads leaving Nucla

Drop into Tabeguache Creek

Go a short distance up Tabeguache Creek then climb up to a rim above the San Miguel River Valley.  Pass barricaded shafts of the Rock Raven Uranium Mine up on the rim.

On a rim beyond Tabeguache Creek

Shaft at Rock Raven Mine

Continue along the rim and come to the Wright Mine just under the road.  The shaft is barricaded but you can peer through the gate to see a fork in the shaft.

Wright Mine below road

Shaft forks inside the Wright Mine

Descend to Atkinson Creek and enjoy the shade of large cottonwood trees.  Head back up onto the rim and pass by miles of mining debris left over from the uranium boom.

​The Uravan mineral belt is the oldest uranium mining area in the U.S., and historically the most productive uranium and vanadium region in Colorado. The Uravan mineral belt has an estimated 1,200 historic mines that produced over 63 million pounds of uranium and 330 million pounds of vanadium from 1948 to 1978.

Along Atkinson Creek

Mining debris

There are many mines accessing a layer of uranium ore from the face of the cliff well below the Rimrocker Trail.  There is a road to all these mines but it has been closed.  I believe a person could still walk to the mines, but you cannot drive.

Big Dick Mine

Club Sandwich Mine

A sharp eye will see remnants of the Hanging Flume along the San Miguel River below.  For more info see Hanging Flume GP.

​There is a corral at the end of the trail that appears to offer a shaded cave to the livestock.

Hanging Flume

Livestock cave

Page updated 2017.

---

---

rimrocker_trail_east.gpx
File Size:	252 kb
File Type:	gpx

Download File

---