Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
descends a rocky grade and crosses a wash, requiring a high-clearance vehicle, before entering the
national park at the trail head. Close the gate behind you to keep livestock out.
ChinleTrail
★★★
Wonderful distant views, a small petrified forest, a waterfall, and,
if your timing is right, an abundance of wildflowers help make this quiet desert
trail well worth the 16-mile-plus hike. The first few miles are fairly easy walking
along a wide sandy path. Ahead you have views of Mount Kinesava and the Three
Marys, and behind are the Eagle Crags. A gradual 150-foot incline brings you to
the Petrified Forest. (Please remember, it is illegal to remove anything from the na-
tional park; leave the lovely pieces of petrified wood as you find them.) After cross-
ing Huber Wash, the trail heads for Scoggins Wash through more desertlike ter-
rain, with the addition of juniper, piñon, and sagebrush. Once on the mesa beyond
Scoggins Wash, the trail moves towards three knolls, passing through several small
saddles, traversing a meadow, and crossing the Old Scoggins Stock Trail, built by
the area's early pioneers. Continuing west, the trail passes between two knolls and
bends around to the north. The final descent into Coalpits Wash brings Cougar
Mountain, Smith Mesa, and Lambs Knoll into view; at the bottom you'll find the
lovely sight of a pretty waterfall, a bit upstream from Coalpits Spring—the end of
the trail. This trail can be uncomfortably hot in summer, but it's an absolute delight
November through May, with blankets of wildflowers to dazzle the eye in spring.
The elevation gain of this hike is a gradual 550 feet over the first 5 miles. You drop
about 250 feet over the last 3 miles. You should plan on a long day for this hike.
16.2 miles RT. Easy to moderate. Access: From the south entrance to the park, drive west on Utah 9
for 3 1/2 miles to a parking area on the right (north) side of the road. From here, follow a marked trail
1.4 miles through a recent real estate development.
EastMesaTrail
★
This is an easier and shorter route to Observation Point than the
Observation Point Trail (later in this section), and it is open to equestrians. The trail
moves westward over a fairly open plateau through ponderosa pines and manzan-
ita, turning a little to the south as it passes Mystery Canyon; it then winds around
a steep unnamed canyon, opening to the south into Echo Canyon, and then passes
another canyon to the north that empties into the Virgin River, below the Narrows.
Finally the trail connects to Observation Point Trail, just .2 mile from its end; turn
right for Observation Point.
6 miles RT. Easy. Access: East Mesa Trail Head. From Zion National Park's east entrance, drive 2
1/2 miles east on Utah 9, turn north onto the road to the North Fork and Navajo Lake—impassable
when wet or snowy—and go 5 1/3 miles to the Ponderosa Hunting Club. Visitors should register at
the small mailbox at the Ponderosa Gate—sign both in and out. Drive through the main entrance and
head left (west) on Twin Knolls Rd. for about 1 1/4 miles to a T intersection; turn right (north) onto
