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Trail Name: North Fork Tabeguache Trail
Best Use: Hiking, Birding, possible for an adventuresome Mountain Biker
Best Time for Use: Late Spring, Summer and Early Fall
Difficulty: Beginner icon-beginner
Length: 3.0 miles (4.8 km) out and back from the trailhead
Start Elevation: 7,550 ft (2,301 m) Maximum Elev Gain and Loss from Start Elev: 0 ft, (0 m) gain – 411 ft. (-125 m) loss
Trail Surface and Use: Starts as a short section of abandoned 2-track road, then becomes a single track trail. Lightly used.
Trail Head Access: Suitable for high clearance 2WD in good weather or 4WD in poor weather. Extended wet weather will make vehicle access difficult. The trailhead is about 6 mi (9.7 km) from CO Hwy 25 (Nucla-Delta Rd) at the end of the Copper King Mine Road (FS 602). The FS602/Hwy 25 intersection is about 20 road miles miles (32.2 km) NE of the Town of Nucla.
Trail Head Coordinates: 722,740E; 4252625N UTM WGS84 Zone12
Best Feature: Remote mid-elevation canyon with perennial stream. Great views to Tabeguache Falls. Numerous stacked falls and plunge pools are present a short distance downstream of where the trail crosses the Tabeguache Creek.
Caution: There are steep slopes down to the creek in some areas and poison ivy can occasionally be found along the stream banks.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF VERSION, GPX VERSION, OR KMZ VERSION OF THE NORTH FORK TABEGUACHE TRAIL.

Description: Park at the end of the Copper King Mine Road. At the mine, there are some rocks beautifully colored with copper oxides. The trail starts as a short section of abandoned 2-track road to an overview of the Tabeguache Falls, visible to the NW in the middle distance. From there the track becomes a trail and slowly descends through aspen, oak brush and ponderosa pine to a short, rocky patch, then climbs gently for about 0.5 mi (800 m) through a deeply forested ponderosa pine slope, and then slowly drops the last 0.3 mi (480 m) towards the creek crossing. The plunge pools below the crossing can be fished, though the fish are wary. This trail can be combined with the Pinto Mesa Indian Trail to make a full day hike, although that will require a vehicle shuttle.