NPS Photo Colorado National Monument will begin a repair and stabilization project on Monument Canyon Trail starting July 7th, 2025. Work will be conducted along the first 2.5 miles of the trail from lower Monument Canyon Trailhead off Highway 340 to the intersection of Wedding Canyon Trail, located near the base of the Independence Monument rock formation. Visitors may experience short hiking delays while work is occurring. Trail work will occur Monday–Thursday and on some Fridays from 7 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The project will likely conclude in early September. Work will involve the use of hand tools and some motorized equipment. A large segment of the work will take place directly adjacent to or near the tall metal historic bison fence and private property. The trail will remain open for most of the project duration except for a period of up to one work week to remove a large boulder that has fallen on the trail; dates for this removal will be announced on our website later in the project. Project work will primarily focus on repairing and replacing failing trail structures critical to trail stability. These structures include stone or timber soil retaining steps, retaining walls, and various drainage structures such as waterbars, lateral open ditches that run parallel to the trail, and culverts. The large fallen boulder, which is 20 feet long by 10 feet wide, will be broken into smaller pieces and cleared from the trail. These improvements will improve trail conditions and increase hiker safety. Later in September 2025, another project occurring about a half mile down canyon from the upper Monument Canyon Trailhead will take place. Due to steeper and more challenging terrain, this portion of trail will be closed during the work week. More details will be announced on the website as the project nears. 
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Last updated: July 3, 2025