De Beque Canyon, Canyon in western Colorado, United States

De Beque Canyon is a 15-mile (24 km) canyon on the Colorado River in eastern Mesa County, Colorado, where the river cuts along the western end of Grand Mesa. Its walls are stairstep cliffs of Mesaverde Group sandstone deposited during the Cretaceous. Interstate 70 follows the river through the canyon between De Beque and Palisade.

The canyon's rock walls hold low-sulfur coal seams of the Mesaverde Group, which thicken to as much as 50 feet (15 m) at the Cameo Mine near Mile 46 on Interstate 70. The coal is soft bituminous coal, never compressed by overlying rock enough to form harder coal. Interstate 70 now follows the river through the canyon.

The canyon lies in a narrow passage where the Colorado River runs along the western end of Grand Mesa, and Interstate 70 follows the river through it. The Cameo Mine near Mile 46 worked low-sulfur coal seams up to 50 feet thick, and the soft bituminous coal was never compressed enough to harden. The canyon opens onto the Grand Valley at Palisade, about 10 miles east of Grand Junction.

Interstate 70 cuts directly through the canyon, making it easy to reach and explore the area. The highway runs between De Beque and Palisade, allowing visitors to view the landscape from multiple vantage points.

The coal found here has an unusual quality that sets it apart from other deposits in the region. Unlike many coal seams, the soft bituminous coal was never heavily compressed by the weight of rock above it, keeping its original form.