St George | Western Trail Rider

After a great day of riding into the southern part of Zion National Park, near Hurricane, Utah, I spent the following day, Saturday, with Jon Tanner, Michael George, Craig Sorensen, and a number of members of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association riding Red Mountain Trail, just northwest of St. George, Utah.

This trailhead is located just north of mile marker 15 on Highway 18. There is a very nice parking area with a restroom, which was built by the local Back Country Horsemen Association a few years ago, with the cooperation of the Bureau of Land Management. The parking lot was built to accommodate horse trailers and allows even large trailers room to park and maneuver in the lot. There is no running water and no electrical service, so you’ll need to consider that if you’re hauling horses from any distance to this trailhead. There are no parking fees, but I’m not sure if overnight camping is allowed. You’d have to check that with the local BLM office.

Once we got everyone together, we had about 31 riders, most mounted on Fox Trotters. There were at least two other groups, smaller than ours, starting on the trails at about the same time. There are several trails and plenty of room for all and we never bumped into any of the other groups while on the ride. The Red Mountain Trail makes a loop of about 6.7 miles, starting at one end of the parking area and ending at the other, so you can pick which direction you want to go. There are steel gates at either entrance, built to allow hikers, bicyclers, and horses, but not ATVs. As this area is actually outside the Snow Canyon State Park, dogs are allowed on the trails off-leash.

We headed out the south end of the parking area and got just outside the gate and waited while we gathered our forces. Once we got started, the group quickly separated into several smaller groups, all traveling the same direction. With a group of gaited horses, such as Fox Trotters, there are those who travel quite a bit faster than others, so those who wished to slow down a bit, and stay out of the dust trail, hung back a bit.

The terrain, for the most part, consists of very fine sandstone dust, juniper trees, manzanita, and sage. There are several parts of the trail that are pretty rocky, and a couple places that might present a challenge to the uninitiated rider, but I would consider the trail to be in the category of fairly easy overall. Many of our horses, including mine, were barefoot and handled it very well.

About half-way through the trail loop, one suddenly comes upon the northern rim of Snow Canyon, which drops away about 1,400 feet in sheer cliffs from the trail. There are no walking paths and no guardrails, so one has to pay attention to things when going up to the edge for a look or for photos.

What one sees here is breathtaking and cannot be adequately captured on my little iphone 6 camera. I did my best, but this is a sight one must take a look at in person to really experience it.

We broke there for lunch and sat around enjoying stories from some of the more experienced riders in the group, which was enjoyable all in itself. This area is primitive, so don’t expect any picnic tables or trash cans.

After a restful half-hour or so, we mounted up and headed out to finish the loop. The entire ride took under 3 hours, covered 6.7 miles, and was quite easy on the horses and riders. On the way out, there are at least two trails that diverge from the main, so one must pay attention to make sure he/she is tracking where they want to go. The trail markers were not entirely clear as to which way was back to the parking area. Having someone along who actually knows the trail is nice, but not absolutely necessary, as one would have to try pretty hard to get lost. Just keep tracking east and eventually you’ll hit the power lines and Highway 18. Then just look around and you will be able to find your way back to the parking area, since the area is almost clear of trees for at least a hundred yards from the highway.

This was a short ride and would make a good “filler” ride for some extra time during a weekend trip to the area. There are a number of other similar trails in the area, so one could actually fill up a weekend, and more, hitting them in turn. Each trail around the Snow Canyon area holds its own particular spectacular views and adventures.

Enjoy the photo gallery.

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 climb up out of Coal Pits Wash on the Coggins Trail.

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.