Coal Pits Wash, Zion National Park, Utah
Coal Pits Wash
Zion National Park
Travel conditions through Coalpits Wash are relatively mild no matter what path you take; only when flowing briskly need you mind the trail carefully. Notable en route are basaltic lava rock piles on the slopes above you (remnants of volcanic activity and fault leaks in the nearby Crater Hill area), and rugged Cougar Mountains on the distant horizon.
| Related Trails: | Coal Pits Wash to Scoggins Wash Confluence |
Coal Pits Wash is verdant riparian corridor
Wildflowers flourish during rains and around natural springs
Zion was a relatively flat basin near sea level 240 million years ago with subsequent erosion causing its shape today
Sage grows large adjacent to Coal Pits Wash
While rarely encountered, rattlesnakes are seen within the Coal Pits Wash area
Sedimentation - the process of rock formation via sediment layering is responsible for Zion's canyon structure
Due to its riparian nature, Coal Pits Wash is a central point for the area's wildlife
Geologic uplift is still occurring - in 1992 a magnitude 5.8 earthquake caused a landslide just outside the south entrance of the park in Springdale
The trail can be more difficult in rainy weather - prone to flash floods and sticky footing
Perrenial streams make for verdant landscapes along Coal Pits Wash
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