Roadside Attraction Coke Ovens
East Carbon
Overview
Wed 91 | 69 |
Thu 89 | 68 |
Fri 86 | 71 |
Sat 86 | 67 |
Sun 88 | 68 |
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Wed 91 | 69 |
Thu 89 | 68 |
Fri 86 | 71 |
Sat 86 | 67 |
Sun 88 | 68 |
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Carbon County is rich with mining history. A great place to explore that history is at the Coke Ovens near the small town of East Carbon. The area around Sunnyside and East Carbon was once home to hundreds of Coke Ovens. Most have been buried or otherwise destroyed over the years, but this site contains a fair number of them and is fascinating to visit.
What is a coke oven? Coal, when first mined, is full of impurities. A coke oven is a large brick “oven” structure that is used to heat the raw coal in order to burn off impurities. The result of the baking of the coal, called coke, is a more energy dense, cleaner form of fuel. Coke, with impurities removed, was above half the weight of the original coal, making it much more energy dense and easier to ship and use.
How did it work? The coke ovens were covered in dirt, with a railway track on top of them. A train, loaded with coal, would travel on top of the ovens, stopping to deposit coal from the train into the ovens via the hole in the top of each oven. The coal was then “baked”. After baking, it was a manual process to remove the coke from the bottom of the oven, separating it from the ashes during the process, and put it on another train for transport out of the region.
Getting There
From Price Utah, head south on highway 6 toward I-70/Green River for about 14.4 miles to the junction with SR-123 signed East Carbon/Sunnyside.
Go east on SR-123 for 8.7 miles to the small town of East Carbon. Turn right (south) on SR-124.
- Reset your odometer as you turn onto SR-123. This route is well signed, so mileage shouldn't really be needed. ( 12S 550302E 4377215N / 39°32'35"N 110°24'53"W )
- 1.1 miles - Left onto dirt road signed to Coke Ovens / Range Creek Trailhead ( 12S 551302E 4376173N / 39°32'01"N 110°24'11"W )
- 1.4 miles - Right toward old building. ( 12S 551681E 4376260N / 39°32'04"N 110°23'55"W )
- Trailhead ( 12S 551738E 4376203N / 39°32'02"N 110°23'53"W )
Route
From the parking area is a large abandoned building that was the office space for the coke oven process. It, though quite dilapidated, is very interesting to walk around and look into, along with a couple of smaller outbuildings. There are two long rows of coke ovens south and east of the old building.
The playground is to the south/southwest, with the small primitive campground just to the west of the playground.
Trailhead |
12S 551738E 4376203N 39°32'02"N 110°23'53"W |
Campground |
12S 551600E 4375984N 39°31'55"N 110°23'58"W |
Old Building |
12S 551742E 4376173N 39°32'01"N 110°23'52"W |
Coke Ovens |
12S 551822E 4376080N 39°31'58"N 110°23'49"W |