• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Uncover Colorado Logo

  • Blog
  • Activities
    • Year-round
      • Brewery Tours
      • Casinos & Gaming
      • Colorado Brands
      • Federal Lands
      • Food & Dining
      • Ghost Towns
      • Gondola & Chairlifts
      • Hot Springs
      • Mine Tours
      • Museums
      • Paintball
      • Public Parks
      • Scenic Drives
      • Shopping
      • Sports Teams
      • State Parks
      • Train Rides
      • Transportation
      • Wildlife
      • Zip Lines & Aerial Parks
    • Spring, Summer & Fall
      • Amusement Parks
      • ATV Rentals
      • Biking
      • Boating
      • Camping
      • Drive-In Theaters
      • Fishing
      • Golf Courses
      • Hiking
      • Horseback Riding
      • Rock Climbing
      • Tubing & Paddling
      • Waterfalls
      • Whitewater Rafting
    • Winter
      • Cross Country Skiing
      • Dog Sledding
      • Ice Climbing
      • Ice Fishing
      • Ice Skating
      • Skiing & Snowboarding
      • Sleigh Rides
      • Snow Tubing
      • Snowmobiling
      • Snowshoeing
  • Events
    • January
    • February
    • March
    • April
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • August
    • September
    • October
    • November
    • December
  • Lodging
    • Budget Hotels
    • Historic Hotels
    • Luxury Hotels
    • Bed & Breakfasts
    • Cabins & Glamping
    • Casinos with Lodging
    • Dude Ranches
    • Hot Spring with Lodging
    • Wineries with Lodging
    • Campgrounds
  • Towns
  • Trip Planner
  • Search
  • Blog
  • Activities
  • Events
  • Lodging
  • Towns
  • Trip Planner
Coalmont CO School House
Coalmont School House. Photo: Craig Talbert

Coalmont, Colorado

FacebookTwitter

Sitting at 8,219 feet in elevation in North Park, Coalmont is a rural, unincorporated community with a post office. It was named for 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, store, doctorโ€™s office, and stable.

Image of the Coalmont ghost town's schoolhouse sign in Colorado
The school sign. Photo: Craig Talbert

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, Coalmontโ€™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.

Accommodations



Booking.com

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

  1. Begin by traveling southwest along Colorado State Highway 14
  2. Approximately 13 miles from town, turn right onto County Rd 24
  3. Drive for three miles before turning left on County Rd
  4. 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)

Latest in Coalmont

North Park Colorado Never Summer Mountain Range from Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge

Colorado’s Rugged North Park Region

If you’re looking for a vast and remote place to get lost, Colorado’s North Park region…

Colorado’s Rugged North Park RegionRead More

State Forest State Park Gould CO North Michigan Reservoir Mountain Vista

Camping near Walden and Gould, around North Park

The North Park region of Jackson County, centered around its county seat, Walden, makes for a…

Camping near Walden and Gould, around North ParkRead More

Primary Sidebar

Join our Colorado travel community

Enter your email below and grab our free locals' guide and monthly what's up designed to help you live your Colorado life and uncover fun things to do. โ€”and never miss out again.

Jackson County

  • All Towns
  • Jackson County
  • Coalmont
  • Cowdrey
  • Gould
  • Rand
  • Walden

Footer

Get In Touch

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Resources
  • Disclaimer
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter

Disclosure: Uncover Colorado is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Things To Do

  • Travel Blog
  • Colorado Activities
  • Colorado Events
  • Colorado Towns
  • Colorado Hotels
  • Colorado Restaurants
  • Colorado Transportation
  • Made in Colorado

Cheers! Mile High Happy Hour shares showcases Denver neighborhoods' restaurant happy hours.

Winter Activities

  • Federal Lands
  • Ghost Towns
  • Hot Springs
  • Ice Skating
  • Ski Resorts
  • Snow Tubing
  • State Parks
  • Train Rides

Copyright © 2023 ยท Uncover Colorado | Sitemap | Advertise