DIRECTIONS:

From Grand Junction, find your way to Broadway (Highway 340) and cross over the Colorado River. Turn south on Monument Road, and make a left on D Road. Turn right on Rosevale Road and right again on Little Park Road. Follow Little Park Road for a little more than 5 miles until you see the sign for the Bangs Canyon Trailhead. The parking area and trailhead is down a short dirt spur road.

HIKE DESCRIPTION:

The Mica Mine Trail is a very popular hiking trail in the Bangs Canyon Special Management Area, administered by the BLM. This is one of the few trails in the area that is closed to mountain bikes so it gets busy with hikers. The lack of solitude (though during my hike I only saw a few other hikers) is worth it however, as the trail is absolutely beautiful. The trail ends at the Mica Mine an interesting geologic feature and remnant of the area’s history, be sure to check out the flecks of mica pealing off the mine walls and littering the ground.

The trail starts off by descending through an old river bed, turn right at the junction with the Rough Canyon Trail, down to the canyon floor. The trail then follows Ladder Creek as it winds its way around the canyon’s stark walls. This is a beautiful canyon and is a pleasure to hike through in the spring when the vegetation is new and crisp. Eventually, the canyon opens up and reveals amazing rock towers and fins as other canyons branch off from Ladder Canyon. Cross the open area, and re-enter the narrow canyon. The trail gets a bit rockier and rougher at this point as you approach Mica Mine.

The mine itself is interesting to explore but be very careful as the area is fragile. The preservation of this abandoned mine offers a lesson in both geology and history and it is pretty amazing to see veins of mica peeling off of the rock face. According to some maps the Ladder Canyon Trail continues past the mine but I was unable to find it. The canyon gets narrow, rocky, and overgrown. If there is a trail here, it is far more difficult than the hike to Mica Mine.

Overall, this is one of the prettier canyons south of Colorado National Monument. There is a reason why this trail is so popular and it is evident as you hike it. I suggest hiking in the late afternoon when the temperature drops a bit and the bulk of the crowds dissipate for the day. The Mica Mine Trail is truly a must-do hike in the Grand Junction Area.