Coalpits Wash Trail

Coalpits Wash is Zion's quiet back door — a desert wash hike that most visitors never find because it starts outside the main canyon and lacks the Instagram fame of Angels Landing or The Narrows. From the trailhead off Kolob Terrace Road, you'll drop into a sandy wash and follow the creek bed through a corridor of sandstone walls streaked with desert varnish. The terrain alternates between packed sand, loose gravel, and occasional rock-hopping over dry pour-offs. As you push toward the Scoggins Wash junction, the canyon walls tighten and the geology gets more interesting — eroded alcoves, cross-bedded sandstone layers, and the kind of silence that reminds you why you came to Zion in the first place. The elevation change is gentle enough that your legs won't complain, but the sandy stretches will slow your pace. This one's perfect for hikers who want real desert canyon exploring without the crowds or the white-knuckle exposure.