Entry No. 2 — the Pueblo file — filed under: roadside-oddity

Cokedale Coke Ovens

“On cold mornings steam still curls off the slag pile.”

ASARCO built 350 beehive coke ovens here in 1906, and when the mine quit in 1947 nobody bothered to tear them down. So two double-sided rows still run along Highway 12 like a collapsed Roman aqueduct, the largest surviving set in Colorado, once baking 800 tons of coke a day for the smelters. On cold mornings steam still curls off the slag pile. And the company camp behind them never died: about a hundred people still live in Cokedale, the most intact coal town in the state.

The move: Time the drive for golden hour, pull off CO-12 near milepost 63, and walk the foot trail to the arches while low sun turns the brick portals orange.

📍 Before you go The ovens line Highway 12 right at the Cokedale turnoff; the best vantage and widest pull-off is on the northbound side just south of milepost 63. Informal foot trails lead from the shoulder to the arches over loose slag and uneven brick, so wear real shoes. The free Cokedale Mining Museum in the old Gottlieb Mercantile in town is volunteer-run and seasonal, so treat it as a bonus rather than the plan. Pair the stop with the rest of the Highway of Legends west toward Stonewall and Monument Lake.

• 📍 Cokedale (7 mi west of Trinidad, Hwy 12)
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: CO-12 near milepost 63, Cokedale, CO 81082

Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-11