Parking
From Highway 9, turn onto Anasazi Way. About 500 feet up, take the first side road on the right to the designated dirt parking area. Private land lies between parking and the park boundary; stay on the marked route.
Overview
About Chinle Trail to Coalpits Spring
Why go
- Petrified wood, spring wildflowers and wide desert views.
- The open route lets you turn around at any point.
Heads up
- The full route is a long, exposed day.
- Some paths are faint, and the spring may be dry.
The Chinle Trail to Coalpits Spring is a desert out-and-back from Anasazi Way across Zion’s low southwest country to a spring in Coalpits Wash. It is 8.2 miles each way, 16.4 miles round trip. The park estimates 4–7 hours to the spring one way, so allow a full 8–14-hour day for the return. The path rolls over sandy hills rather than climbing steeply for long, but the distance, sun and navigation make it a hard hike. Turn around whenever you need to; this is not a loop.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Zion map
Full mapElevation3,832–4,344 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
3 active Zion alerts
- CautionToxic cyanobacteria in Zion waterwaysDo not drink Zion in-stream water, submerge your head, or touch or ingest algae mats; cyanobacteria can produce harmful toxins.Official details
- ClosureWatchman Trail closed for repairsWatchman Trail is closed pending repairs; do not enter the trail and choose another hike. Check current park conditions before setting out.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Zion Tour Guide
Your drive to Chinle Trail to Coalpits Spring, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Zion National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Zion audio tourMore stories near here in the app
- How a Cottonwood Gets Its Start
- Watchman Campground
- Zion Canyon Visitor Center
- Zion Nature Center
- 45 audio storiesacross Zion’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor California Condor, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Lion, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 54 trails, 36 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Chinle Trail to Coalpits Spring
From the neighborhood into open desertThe broad sandy path leaves its designated parking area in the Anasazi Plateau neighborhood.
The broad sandy path leaves its designated parking area in the Anasazi Plateau neighborhood. A gate about 1.2 miles in marks the park boundary. After roughly three miles, houses fall away and the route crosses low hills and dry washes among pinyon and juniper. The trail has little shade, and not every path in this network is well marked, so carry a good map and follow the established tread or durable wash surfaces.
Petrified wood and the viewAround four miles from the start, small colorful pieces of petrified wood appear in the desert.
Around four miles from the start, small colorful pieces of petrified wood appear in the desert. They are remnants of prehistoric forests; leave every piece where it lies. The biological soil crust beside the path can take decades to form and is easily damaged by a footstep, so stay on the trail or in durable washes.
As the path rises and dips, views open toward Mount Kinesava, Eagle Crags, Gooseberry Mesa and the West Temple. Spring brings wildflowers through the low desert. This is a broad-landscape walk rather than a single summit viewpoint; the changing angle on the surrounding cliffs is the payoff.
Scoggins Wash and Coalpits SpringNear the Scoggins Wash crossing, a short optional scramble follows the streambed between…
Near the Scoggins Wash crossing, a short optional scramble follows the streambed between boulders to pools and small waterfalls. It is a separate detour, not part of the 16.4-mile distance. The main route continues to Coalpits Wash and the spring, which sits beneath an overhang in the canyon wall a short walk downstream from the junction. The spring often flows but can dry in some years, so do not count on it as your water supply; any natural water needs treatment.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Zion
291 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
350 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
22 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,326 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
23 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
15 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Zion. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
