Serpents Trail is the kind of Colorado National Monument “big view” that feels earned without turning into an all-day project—especially when you know what you’re looking at. Those dramatic zigzags aren’t just scenic; they were deliberately engineered over a century ago to climb No Thoroughfare Canyon in a tight, workable line. The result is a switchback stack that’s easy to follow, fun to explain to kids (“This was a road!”), and ridiculously photogenic from the right spot.
Key takeaways
– Serpents Trail is a short, famous hike in Colorado National Monument with big views and lots of zigzags (switchbacks).
– The maintained trail is about 1.75 miles one way, and you can turn around anytime.
– The zigzags look this way on purpose because this used to be a road built in the 1910s.
– Switchbacks make the climb feel easier by spreading the steep hill out into smaller pieces: walk, turn, repeat.
– The trail is built like a shelf in places (cut into the rock, sometimes supported), and it is shaped to help rainwater run off instead of washing the trail away.
– Two easy starting choices: lower near the east entrance for the full switchback view, or higher near Devils Kitchen for a shorter out-and-back.
– Best photo idea: hike up a bit, then turn around and take a picture across the switchbacks so you can see several turns in one shot.
– For safer family photos, stand on the inside of a switchback (closer to the rock wall), not near the edge.
– Go early to avoid heat, bring more water than you think, and wear shoes with good grip; the way down can be the trickiest.
– Help protect the trail: stay on the path and do not cut corners, because that causes erosion and damages the historic route..
If you’re coming from the Grand Junction–Fruita area with a short window, this hike rewards a simple plan: pick your start point, hike until the switchbacks “stack,” then head back while everyone still feels good. That turn-around-anytime flexibility is the whole superpower here, especially with kids and a dog in tow. You’ll still leave with a real “we did something” view, without turning your day into a logistics marathon.
You’ll also enjoy it more if you treat the trail like a living explanation. Each switchback is a clue: why the turn is tight, why the tread feels shelf-like, and why the route sheds water instead of channeling it. Once you see those details, the climb becomes a story you can point at, not just a hill you’re trying to finish.
In this guide, you’ll get two things most people miss: the simple engineering story behind why the turns are shaped the way they are (grade, drainage, and those narrow benched sections), and the best photo angle to capture multiple switchbacks in one frame—without stepping off-trail or crowding an exposed edge.
Hook lines to keep you reading:
– Want the “wow” overlook with the least fuss (and the fewest “are we there yet?” moments)?
– Curious why the trail feels steep—but still somehow doable—turn after turn?
– Trying to nail the postcard shot where the switchbacks *actually look like a serpent*?
– Need the safest, easiest family photo spot where everyone fits—and nobody’s near the drop?
Serpents Trail at a glance (so you can plan fast)
You’re hiking a maintained slice of a much bigger story. Today, Serpents Trail is a 1.75-mile maintained hiking segment within Colorado National Monument, running from the east entrance area up toward the Devils Kitchen vicinity, according to the NPS trail page. That distance is long enough to feel like you went somewhere, but flexible enough that families can turn around whenever the group’s energy changes. The views open up quickly, and they keep expanding as you gain elevation and look out across the Grand Valley, which is a big part of why this trail stays on local must-do lists.
There are two low-stress ways to use it, and neither one requires committing to the whole climb. If you start lower near the east entrance trailhead, you get the full “switchbacks story” as the turns stack above you and the canyon drops away behind you, as described on the NPS trail page. If you start higher near Devils Kitchen Picnic Area, you can do a shorter out-and-back that still puts you in position for strong zigzag photos and that satisfying perched-on-the-wall feeling. Either way, the best plan is the one that matches your group: kids who need quick wins, grandparents who prefer predictable pacing, or photographers who want the light and a clean angle.
If you’re also building a Colorado National Monument morning around Rim Rock Drive viewpoints, Serpents Trail fits nicely as the “move your body a little, earn the view” stop. You don’t need a huge hike to make the scenery feel bigger; you just need a few switchbacks and the right place to turn around. Think of it like a scenic staircase with built-in photo landings.
This was a road first: the quick origin story you can share on the climb
Half the fun of Serpents Trail is realizing you’re walking an engineered alignment, not a random footpath that wandered uphill. John Otto conceived the route and began survey work in 1911 with civil engineer J.F. Sleeper, as documented in the National Register PDF. The road was then constructed through the 1910s and early 1920s as an automobile route climbing out of No Thoroughfare Canyon toward the monument rim, which helps explain why the turns feel intentional and repeatable. When kids ask why the trail keeps switching back and forth, you can point to the canyon wall and say, “They built a road where there wasn’t one, and this is how it fit.”
That historic-road DNA shows up in the way the route behaves under your feet. The climb has a steady, purposeful rhythm—straighten out, gain a bit, turn, and repeat—because early builders were trying to solve a real transportation problem, not just create a scenic stroll. Later documentation recognized the route as a historic resource, which is why the remaining segment is treated as more than a convenient hiking track in the National Register PDF. When you pause at a turn and look along the next traverse, you’re standing inside a century-old design decision that still works.
If you’re hiking with curious adults (or a kid who loves “how things work”), this is a great moment to play a quick observation game. Ask: “If you had to drive a car up this canyon in 1918, where would you put the next turn?” Then look at what they did, and notice how often the line uses what the rock already offers. It’s a simple way to make the place feel alive, not just pretty.
What you’re actually seeing in the zigzags: switchback engineering in plain English
Yes, switchbacks make a climb less steep, but the real trick is how they turn a cliffy problem into a series of manageable decisions. Instead of charging straight up the slope, the route lengthens the climb so the average grade becomes doable, a concept that’s central to the trail’s switchbacking ascent described on the NPS trail page. On the ground, you can see this in the way each short segment feels like a chapter: a traverse with a view, a turn, then another traverse. That structure is exactly why families do well here, because kids can focus on the next corner instead of the entire canyon wall.
The turns themselves also tell you how tight the terrain is. Historic documentation describes the route as a steep climb that uses tight switchbacks to gain the rim, built to fit the canyon’s terrain, in the NPGallery asset. In places where the wall pinches in, the curvature tightens because the builders didn’t have unlimited space to sweep a wide arc. Even so, the line stays predictable: you can usually see where the path is going, and the tread guides you into the turn without surprise, which is a quiet safety feature when you’re watching kids and watching your footing at the same time.
Now look for the “shelf” feeling: one side cut into the slope, the other side supported. Early-road characteristics of the historic alignment include a narrow, graded roadway and retaining walls where needed, again described in the NPGallery asset. That bench-and-support approach minimizes excavation while keeping the route continuous across uneven rock, which is why the trail can cling to the canyon wall instead of constantly dropping into gullies. When you see stacked turns from above, you’re not just seeing a pretty zigzag—you’re seeing a series of small engineered shelves stitched together.
Drainage is the behind-the-scenes reason the route still reads as a clean line today. On a steep alignment, water wants to turn the tread into a chute, and builders had to encourage runoff to leave the path instead of carving it deeper. As you hike, notice subtle outslopes, hardened edges, and little places where the tread seems to tip water away from the walking line, which matches the idea of a graded roadway managing steep grades described in the NPGallery asset. If you hike after a storm, you’ll appreciate how much of the design is about where water goes, not just where people go.
One last engineering detail you can feel in your body: “narrow + steep” is part of the character, and it’s why the route feels dramatic. Documentation notes steep grades and intended roadway width on portions of the alignment in the NPGallery asset. Translation for hikers is simple: keep your steps small, keep your attention on the tread, and give yourself permission to pause at turns. Those turns were built as control points, and they still work that way.
Safety-first desert switchbacks: how to keep kids (and knees) happy on the way up and down
Serpents Trail is exposed, sunny, and honest about being a climb, so your best safety tool is timing. Desert routes feel dramatically harder once the day heats up, and this one doesn’t offer much shade on those open traverses. If you can, go earlier than your instincts suggest, because the same switchbacks that make the grade doable also keep you facing the sun for long stretches. You’ll enjoy the views more when you’re not negotiating melt-downs, thirst, and hot rock all at once.
Water and footwear matter here more than the mileage suggests. Carry more water than you would for a casual neighborhood walk, because sun and grade stack up quickly and you shouldn’t count on reliable water sources along short monument trails, consistent with the planning emphasis on the NPS trail page. Wear shoes with solid traction, since loose grit collects on hard surfaces and the turn entries can feel slick on the way down. If someone in your group has knee concerns, trekking poles often help most on the descent, when braking muscles and confidence start to fade.
Treat the descent as the technical part, even if the climb felt fine. Many hikers power up the switchbacks, celebrate at a viewpoint, then lose focus on the way down when legs are tired and steps get longer. Short steps, a controlled pace, and staying locked in through each turn reduces slip risk, especially when kids are excited and moving fast. And around edges, assume small rocks can move underfoot and that the safest place for family photos is never the very lip of a drop-off.
If you want one simple “kid system,” make the turns your checkpoints. Pick a turn, walk to it, stop on the inside of it, drink water, then pick the next turn. You’ll look calm and organized (even if you’re improvising), and you’ll naturally avoid the temptation to push into the hottest part of the day. Plus, the inside of turns tends to be where you can regroup without feeling like you’re in anyone’s way.
The best family photo angle for the iconic zigzags (and three backup shots)
The best Serpents Trail switchbacks photo is less about a single magic pin and more about a repeatable setup: gain a little elevation, then turn your camera back across the stacked turns. As you climb, watch for a switchback where you can stand on the inside of the turn on durable tread, giving you a wider stance and keeping everyone away from the exposed outside edge. From there, aim so the trail enters from a bottom corner and zigzags upward through the frame, using the switchbacks as leading lines. This is the angle where the route finally looks like a serpent, because your camera can see multiple turns at once instead of a single corner.
To keep it family-friendly, build the shot around stability, not drama. Put kids on the inside of the turn, closest to the rock wall side when possible, and keep the group together so nobody drifts toward an edge while you’re framing. If you want a human-for-scale photo, have one adult stand still on a visible part of the next switchback up or down while everyone else stays out of the walking line, then take the photo quickly and let hikers pass. You’ll end up with a better story image anyway: a small figure moving through the engineered geometry.
Three backup shots that work even when it’s busy or the light is harsh can save your whole outing. First, from above looking down, you can stack turns and let the valley sit behind them, which pairs well with the expanding views described on the NPS trail page. Second, mid-slope, shoot a side view so the trail cuts across rock layers, because that contrast shows how the benching clings to the wall and hints at retaining support documented in the NPGallery asset. Third, from below looking up, you can exaggerate steepness by letting the next turn rise toward the skyline, which works especially well with a phone if you tap to expose for the bright sky and keep the trail darker and graphic.
Light strategy is the difference between a snapshot and a postcard. Low-angle light tends to reveal texture in the canyon walls and makes the trail line pop, while midday light can flatten the scene and increase harsh contrast between shadowed rock and bright sky. If you can, plan for early or later hours when the sun is lower, and use the switchbacks themselves to create depth through highlights and shadows. Most importantly, keep compositions safe and sustainable by staying on the established tread, because stepping off-trail for a cleaner foreground can damage fragile desert surfaces and creates new social paths that scar the route.
If you want a quick “phone camera” tip that works almost every time, it’s this: simplify the frame until the zigzags read clearly. Move a few steps along the inside edge of the turn (still on trail), and wait for a second when fewer people are in the switchbacks. Then tap to set exposure so the rock and trail don’t wash out, and take two versions: one wide for context, one slightly zoomed to make the turns feel tighter and more graphic.
Low-stress visit plan from an RV stay in Grand Junction
If you’re staying in Grand Junction, this is the kind of outing that fits neatly into a half day without feeling rushed. The night before, pack a dedicated trail bag so you’re not hunting for sunscreen, snacks, and a hat while kids bounce off the RV steps. Add a small first-aid kit, a light layer, and more water than you think you’ll need, because the monument setting is the kind of place where it’s smart to assume limited services once you arrive. In the morning, you can roll out early, knock out a few switchbacks while the air is cooler, and be back in town with the whole afternoon still open.
Keep your vehicle day-ready, especially if you’re road-tripping with the usual family clutter. Secure loose items, make sure everyone has bathroom handled before you drive in, and treat parking as part of your plan rather than a surprise, since access and parking are tied to the east entrance trailhead area and the Devils Kitchen Picnic Area described on the NPS trail page. If you’re coming in via I-70 and trying to keep the morning smooth, the best trick is to decide your turnaround photo goal before you ever pull into the lot. When you’ve captured multiple turns stacked in frame and everyone still feels good, that’s your cue to head back while it’s still fun.
This trail also adapts well to different energy levels in the same group. Strong hikers can continue upward for more expansive views, while a shorter out-and-back still delivers the serpentine geometry that makes the route famous. If you’re traveling with grandparents, or anyone with joint concerns, treat each switchback as a natural rest stop and use the inside of turns as calmer places to pause. The engineering rhythm that made this a workable road in the 1910s is the same rhythm that makes it a predictable, family-manageable hike today, as reflected in the historic alignment context in the National Register PDF.
If you’re deciding between the lower and higher start, think about what your group needs most: story, or speed. Starting lower gives you the feeling of “earning” the rim and watching the view grow with every turn. Starting higher near Devils Kitchen favors quick wins, shorter exposure to heat, and faster access to that stacked-switchbacks perspective that makes the whole route click.
Keep the serpent intact: simple stewardship that protects a historic route
Switchbacks only work when people let them work. Cutting corners feels like a shortcut, but it creates social trails, accelerates erosion, and quickly turns a clean engineered line into a braided mess. On a desert slope, those scars last a long time, and they can undercut the very tread everyone depends on. Staying on the established path is the easiest way to protect both safety and scenery, especially in steep terrain where one new footpath invites the next.
Treat the built features like you would a historic building: look closely, but don’t climb or rearrange. Retaining walls and benched edges can be destabilized over time by repeated disturbance, even when they look solid, and the route’s historic-road characteristics are part of what makes it special per the NPGallery asset. On narrow sections, yield with care on durable surfaces and communicate clearly, because stepping off-trail to let someone pass can damage fragile ground and put you on looser footing. Pack out everything, including tiny scraps, and keep overlook sound levels considerate so families, photographers, and quiet-morning hikers can all share the same view without stepping on each other’s experience.
A good rule of thumb on Serpents Trail is that your best photo is never worth a new footprint. The canyon wall will still be there, and the zigzags will still look like a masterpiece, even if your frame includes a railing, a hiker, or a patch of shade you didn’t plan. When you stay on the tread and shoot from stable inside turns, you’re not just being careful—you’re helping the trail stay photogenic for the next family, too.
Serpents Trail sticks with you because it’s equal parts ingenuity and awe: a century-old road alignment still doing its job—taming grade, shedding water, and serving up those perfectly stacked switchbacks that make your photos look like you planned them. Hike it early, shoot from the inside of the turns on solid tread, and you’ll walk away with a “serpent” frame that’s dramatic without being risky—and a story you’ll find yourself telling at the next overlook.
If you want this kind of big-view morning to feel easy, make Junction West Grand Junction RV Park your home base. Our convenient location makes it simple to roll out for cool-air switchbacks, then come back to spacious sites, clean & modern facilities, and a place to relax and recharge (yes, it’s pet-friendly and family-friendly, too). Book your stay at Junction West and turn one iconic overlook into the start of a Grand Junction weekend you’ll want to repeat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Serpents Trail is one of those hikes where time is more about conditions than distance. Heat, sun exposure, and how often your group stops for water, photos, and breathers will shape the experience more than the mileage number. If you plan for a steady climb, a handful of switchbacks, and a smart turnaround point, the whole outing stays fun instead of feeling like a grind.
If you’re choosing between start points, think in terms of effort versus payoff. East Entrance gives you the full “zigzags stacking” story as you climb, while Devils Kitchen is the shortcut to a strong out-and-back. For photos and kid-wrangling, the safest default is still the same: group up on the inside of a switchback on durable tread, and let the trail do the leading-line work for you.
Q: How long does it take to reach the Serpents Trail overlook from the trailhead?
A: Serpents Trail starts delivering “big view” moments quickly, and many groups are happy turning around after just a handful of switchbacks once they’ve captured the stacked-zigzag view; because the maintained segment is 1.75 miles one way and the climb is steady and sunny, your time depends more on pacing, photo stops, and kid/snack breaks than on the mileage number.
Q: Is Serpents Trail safe for kids, and where should we be extra careful?
A: It can be a great family hike because the route is predictable and easy to follow, but it is exposed in places, so the main safety focus is keeping kids on the established tread, using the inside (rock-wall) side of turns for stops and photos, and staying locked in on the descent when tired legs and loose grit can make slips more likely.
Q: What’s the easiest “wow view without a big hike” plan on this trail?
A: The easiest plan is to hike only until you can clearly see multiple switchbacks stacked across the canyon wall and the Grand Valley opening up, take your photos from stable trail tread, and then turn around while everyone still feels good rather than aiming for a distance goal.
Q: Where’s the best photo angle to capture multiple switchbacks in one frame?
A: The most reliable angle is gained by climbing a bit and then turning your camera back across the route from the inside of a switchback, where you can stand with a wide, stable stance on durable tread and compose so the trail enters from a lower corner and zigzags upward as clean leading lines.
Q: What’s the safest family photo spot where everyone fits and nobody’s near the drop?
A: Look for a switchback where the inside of the turn gives you extra room near the rock wall side, then group everyone together on that inside line so no one drifts toward the exposed outer edge while you frame the shot.
Q: Can I get the “serpent” switchbacks photo with just a phone?
A: Yes—phones do especially well if you shoot from that higher-inside-switchback position looking back so the turns stack clearly, then tap to set exposure (often on the brighter sky or lighter rock) to keep the zigzag line crisp instead of letting the scene wash out.
Q: What time of day is best for photos without keeping kids out too late?
A: Earlier or later in the day is typically best because low-angle light adds texture to the canyon walls and makes the trail line pop, while midday light can look harsh and feel hotter, which is when short attention spans and thirst tend to show up fast.
Q: Why were the Serpents Trail switchbacks built this way?
A: The zigzags follow a deliberate, road-like alignment conceived in the early 1900s to climb No Thoroughfare Canyon at a workable grade, using repeated traverses and tight turns to gain elevation while fitting the narrow terrain and helping manage runoff so the tread wouldn’t turn into a water chute.
Q: Was Serpents Trail really a road?
A: Yes—the route was conceived and surveyed beginning in 1911 (with John Otto and engineer J.F. Sleeper) and built as an automobile road through the 1910s and early 1920s, which is why the line feels intentional and “engineered” rather than like a wandering footpath.
Q: Which direction should I start—East Entrance or Devils Kitchen?
A: Starting lower near the
