The Piceance Basin of western Colorado contains a major potential gas resource in the tight naturally fractured blanket sandstones and the interbedded lenticular sands and coals of the Mesaverde Formation. The objective of the slant hole test is to evaluate the directional drilling concept, under field conditions, as a possible alternative development strategy for the tight naturally fractured Mesaverde gas reservoirs. This project is divided into two phases. The first phase involves preparing the site and drilling. coring, logging and casing the well. The second phase includes testing and stimulating a 500- ft horizontal section in the Cozzette Sandstone at approximately 7,840-ft vertical depth, as well as stimulating and testing a 450-ft interval of interbedded sands and coals in the 60? inclined wellbore at approximately 7,04D-ft vertical depth. The total measured depth of this well is projected to be 9,625 ft with the bottomhole location having a 2,700 ft horizontal displacement, on an azimuth of approximately N7?E from the surface location.