Several weeks ago, I was invited by Jon Tanner to fill a slot in his trailer for a ride down to the Saint George area of southern Utah for a couple days. He was going down to meet members of the local Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association for a couple days of riding. After he twisted my arm a while, I agreed (that’s exactly how it happened, right Jon?).

Jon picked up me and my horse, Ranger, Friday morning at 6:30am and we headed south. We arrived at the designated meeting site, the Washington County Equestrian Center at Hurricane, Utah at about 10:30am. I was surprised to see that about 30 riders showed up. I had no idea there would be that many. Due to the large size of the group, and that some wanted to see one area while others wanted to see another, the group split for the day’s ride.

Jon and I followed Janet Carver to the Coal Pits Wash trailhead, located about 8 miles and a bit east of Hurricane on Highway 9. The parking area is a wide spot on the north side of the road just before the highway turns a bit north. I don’t recall seeing a road sign announcing the location, so you just have to look for it. The parking area will hold several trucks and 4-horse trailers and there is room for a turn-around, if necessary.

The trailhead is easy to see. There is a gate that marks the trail. Once through the gate (make sure you close it after passing through) the trail is easy to follow. It tracks generally northward. Just a short distance up the trail, you will cross into Zion National Park. Although there are only trail markers where different trails intersect, it’s not terribly difficult to see where others have gone before. In some areas, where the trails my diverge or where the rocky ground sort of hides the trail, you will find rocks stacked to mark the trail. Also, this trail is open to horse,  bicycle, and foot traffic, so be aware of other travelers and be courteous to all.

The trail heads north into a broad canyon where the traveling is fairly easy. The trail has a slow, steady climb, crosses through the creek several times, but more often stays up on the bench on the east side of the creek. It is a good idea to water your horses in the creek, as once you start your climb up out of the wash, there is likely to be little water on the trail.

There are several deep cuts in the bench, from erosion, that one must either go around or cross through. Which you choose to do is up to you and your horse; a couple of the cuts were pretty steep and narrow. In fact, coming back we simply jumped a couple of them, rather than taking the long way around. This is an area in which an inexperienced rider and/or horse can get themselves into trouble, so don’t bite off more than you can chew, so to speak.

On up the trail about two miles, you will come to the intersection of the Coggins Trail. This trail leads up a steep switch-back that climbs very quickly up out of Coal Pits Wash and up through a saddle. This trail, while not particularly challenging for the average horse, may be quite intimidating for the uninitiated rider. The climb is steep and the slope falls steeply away from the narrow trail. As you climb higher on the hillside, you will find some pretty spectacular views of the area you have just passed through. If you will click on the photo below and enlarge it, you will see a string of riders from our group about three-quarters of the way up the hillside.

The trail then goes over a saddle into some fairly level and easy-riding areas that track generally east-by-northeast through juniper and pinon trees toward beautiful red and white cliffs. At this point you are above the wash and will find little water, other than the occasional puddle left over from recent rains.

At this point we tracked generally toward the cliffs, following a well-marked trail – marked by traffic, rather than signs – until we felt we had gone far enough and turned around. We found

a small, sort of mini-slot canyon off to one side of the trail that we followed up a ways. It added interest to the ride, but was just a short diversion that required either a return trip the same way we entered, or a little bushwhacking to make our own way over the ridge back to the trail. We chose the bushwacking.

Also, along the way up on top, keep your eyes open for petrified wood, such as the log laying across the trail in the photo to the left. I’m told there are dinosaur tracks somewhere in the area, but we didn’t take the time to look for them. I’m sure you could get more information as to where they are located from park rangers (we didn’t see any rangers during our ride).

We followed the same path out that we followed in, however one has to pay attention, as there are several trails that diverge from the main trail. As mentioned, there are trail markers at points were marked trails diverge from the main, however, sometimes it is difficult to determine where the trails actually diverge. At one point we missed a turn and went several hundred yards on the wrong trail before we realized we didn’t recognize the terrain. We simply went back to the last marker and found the trails diverged on a large, flat rock and we simply missed the trail. Once we recognized our mistake it was easy to see the small stack of rocks that marked the trail we wanted.

Although we traveled out on the same trail we followed in, the views were as spectacular as before. Each direction offers its own views and perspectives and there is nothing lost in following the same trail out.

Our ride took about four hours and covered around seven miles. It was an excellent way to spend a nice February afternoon. By the way, the temperatures were in the high-sixties, with clear blue skies for us. In the summertime you can expect temperatures above 100 degrees. Wintertime is the time to see this area by horseback.

Enjoy the photo gallery.