Sitting at 8,219 feet in elevation in North Park, Coalmont is a rural, unincorporated community with a post office. It was named for the soft coal that was mined there.
The community is pretty much a ghost town in Jackson County, the only county in the North Park region, located approximately 16 miles southwest of Walden in northern Colorado. You can visit the old Coalmont School House there, built circa 1915 and restored by the Spicer Club in 1997.
History
Sitting on the Coalmont Geological Formation, Coalmont gets its name from the ample mining opportunities in the area. After over a dozen local coal mines opened nearby, the town was officially founded in 1911 with the installation of the Laramie, Hahns Peak, and Pacific Railroad line.
Slowly growing for the next several decades, Coalmont reached a population of about 200 before all of the coal mines were exhausted. While inhabited, the town was home to 60 company-owned houses, a post office, a store, a doctor’s office, and a stable.
According to local legend, Coalmont developed after local hunters chased a coyote into a hole where easily accessible coal was found. The vein, then known as the Riach Coal Field, is estimated to have produced 400 million tons of coal.
Today, Coalmont’s land is mainly private, although there are opportunities to see a few dilapidated and restored century-old buildings. Notably, the old schoolhouse has been restored, and now serves as a community center.
Recreation
Camping: Read about the camping near Walden and Gould.
Getting There
Access through Coalmont is typically open year-round but could be blocked in the winter due to excessive snowfall. In ordinary conditions, a 2WD passenger vehicle can easily reach the town.
From Walden
- Begin by traveling southwest along Colorado State Highway 14
- Approximately 13 miles from town, turn right onto County Rd 24
- Drive for three miles before turning left on County Rd
- Here, you will pass through the original townsite of Coalmont
Activities near Coalmont
Federal Lands:
- Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (12mi)
- Dumont Lake (26mi)
- Mount Zirkel Wilderness
- Muddy Pass Lake (21mi)
- Never Summer Wilderness
- Platte River Wilderness
- Rawah Wilderness
- Roosevelt National Forest
- Routt National Forest
Ghost Towns:
- Teller City (30mi)
Museums:
- North Park Pioneer Museum (16mi)
Scenic Drives:
- Buffalo Pass (18mi)
- Cache La Poudre Byway
- Cameron Pass (46mi)
- Muddy Pass (21mi)
- Rabbit Ears Pass (23mi)
State Parks:
- State Forest State Park (32mi)
Towns:
- Cowdrey (25mi)
- Fort Collins (115mi)
- Granby (53mi)
- Grand Lake (67mi)
- Gould (37mi)
- Kremmling (47mi)
- Laramie, WY (81mi)
- Rand (18mi)
- Steamboat Springs (45mi)
- Walden (16mi)