Daulton Wash to Chinle Trail, to Scoggins Stock Trail, to Coalpits Wash 2026

 The close proximity to Zion National Park makes this a great hike. Although we missed the main petrified forest section in the area on a portion of the Chinle Trail that we didn't go on, we did see a lot of petrified wood and had a great view of the west side of many prominent peaks of Zion National Park such as West Temple, Altar of Sacrifice, and Mount Kinesava. 

To get to the beginning of the trail from Hurricane Utah, we took the Daulton Wash road off of the left (north) side highway 9 for 4 miles until we came to a popular mountain biking area called Guacamole. The dirt/gravel road to this point is well maintained (though quite a bit of wash board exists for brief points) and easily passible for a passenger car. But from Guacamole, which is a very open, flat, rocky area that has plenty of unmarked space for parking, the road is rough and better suited for a high clearance vehicle. This rough portion of the road ends after .4 miles into a barbed wire boundary fence, so it would be possible to hike from Guacamole to this point pretty easily. 

This is a look at the parking area at the start of Daulton Wash. The boundary fence and cattle gate is just off to the right side of the picture.

A cattle gate through the barbed wire boundary fence marks the start of the hike and just through the gate there is a Zion National Park boundary sign. The trail heads in a east direction and is faint but discernable. Still, having a map of the area is recommended and makes navigation more obvious in places where the trail becomes faint.   

This is the cattle fence you pass through to start the hike. Just through the gate is the sign marking the Zion National Park Boundary.

The Daulton Wash trail portion of the hike lasts just over 2 miles until it runs into Coalpits Wash and camp site #5 where we encountered come campers. I remembered that there were some oil ruins up Coalpits Wash that I hiked to 15 years earlier so we actually decided to hike up Coalpits wash to see if we could run into them. We ended up hiking about 1.5 miles up Coalpits but never came to the oil ruins. I read when I got back that they were only about .25 of  a mile from where we turned around. So we retraced our steps back to Coalpits Wash, where the Chinle trail intersects on the east side of the wash, opposite of where the Daulton Wash trail came in on the west. 

The extra 3 miles up and back on Coalpits Wash wasn't a complete waste though as we took some really cool pictures of ice that had frozen on the stream. 

I had just taken Coalpits wash all the way down to the exit of the hike from this point two months earlier with my son, Trey, when we hiked the Chinle Trail to Coalpits wash, but a member of our hiking group wasn't familiar with that route and recommended that we take the Chinle Trail to the Old Scoggins Stock Trail, so that's what we did. We were on the Chinle Trail for about a mile and a half before the Scoggins Stock trail intersects the trail on the right (South-west) and is marked with a small sign. 

We took the Scoggins trail for about a mile until it intersected with Coalpits wash. In analyzing both ways we could have gone (the way we did this time taking Chinle to Scoggins and back to Coalpits vs just taking Coalpits all the way down), taking Coalpits all the way down would have saved about a mile in distance but the trail is more maintained the way we went on this trip. Staying in Coalpits Wash is fairly easy with the exception of a shot 100 yard section through some overgrown bushes, but even that section isn't too bad. There are intermittent use trails throughout Coalpits and the route is obvious since you're just following the spring fed stream down the wash. 

Once back to Coalpits wash, it was just under 3 miles until we made it back to our car, which we left just off of highway 9 where it crosses Coalpits wash (it is signed on the highway). Overall, we lost 1100 feet of elevation and only had 300 feet of ascent (most of it on the Chinle Trail). Two vehicles are needed for this hike to avoid hiking back along the busy highway 9 for an additional 3-4 miles.  Including our 3 mile jaunt up Coalpits Wash to try to find the oil ruins, we hiked about 10.5 miles and it took us 5 hours and 22 minutes at a leisurely pace, stopping to eat lunch too.

Gould's Wash Rim Trail Hurricane, Utah December 2025

 It has been a mild December so far with temperatures in the low 60's with sunshine. With the weather so great, I figured I should get out and explore. A couple of weeks ago, Trey and I stumbled upon a trail that led us to the top of Gould's Wash Canyon while trying to find the Three Falls trailhead. We headed up a little way but that day was a very frigid, windy, and rainy day so we didn't go too far. Today, I decided to see how far the trail went.

My hike began near the Three Falls Trailhead at the south end of 60 East in Hurricane Utah. Basically, just take 60 East as far south as you can and it will dead end into a small dirt parking area. At the time I did the hike, there was construction being done near the Three Falls Trailhead (which is what confused Trey and I on our hike a couple of weeks earlier. 

Here's a look at the start of the trail from the parking area. This is the same parking area you park in to get to the Three Falls Trailhead, which is off to the right (further down the parking area) of this picture.

The trail to reach the Gould's Wash Rim Trail from here is found on the left (east) side of the parking area, just north of the mouth of Gould's Wash canyon. The trail switch backs its way up the side of the Hurricane cliffs and ends up heading north, taking you further away from Gould's Wash Canyon. 

There are a couple of options you have to get to the top of the cliffs. First, you can continue straight (north) on the trail which will end up taking you to the letter "H" which watches over the town of Hurricane. This route is longer (adds about a mile to the hike) but much less strenuous and involves no route finding. The second option is to cut pretty much straight up the cliffs to the right (east) side of the trail and just head to the top where a 4-wheel drive dirt road is impossible to miss. This route is steep, with lose scree and just a very faint game trail in one spot which is easy to miss so route finding is necessary. Here's an overview of each option:

Option 1 Stay on the trail to the H:  This is the way that Trey and I went a couple of weeks ago. The trail heads north with a very slight incline until it switches back hard to the right and ascends at a more rapid pace, taking you just above the "H" which is made of rocks that have been painted white. From there, you're following a 4 wheel drive road back to the south towards Gould's Wash Canyon. It is along this 4-wheel drive road that option 2 will connect with this trail.  

Option 2 Cut straight up the cliffs on the right of the trail: This is the route I opted for when I went by myself. There really isn't an exact spot that you have to start the ascent. If you scan the cliffs to the right of the trail, you'll know when you can start the ascent, and when you can't because of obvious cliff bands that block your way. A couple things to look for before making the ascent are are a small, man made foot bridge you'll cross about 300 yards or so before you start the ascent, and the trail will cross a couple of different flat rocks beforehand as well. Again, the best way to tell when to start up is just by using common sense - you won't have to climb up rocks so if you see cliff bands blocking the entire route, go a little farther. On my way down, I actually found an extremely faint use trail that I took which made traveling much easier than it was on the way up when I didn't see it. Once to the top of the cliff band, you'll immediately see a 4-wheel drive dirt road which runs the entire length of the ridge top. Take this road and head right (south) back toward Gould's Wash.

Here's a look at the small, man-made foot bridge I described earlier. The route up the cliff band starts a few hundred yards past this point.

This is a look at the flat rock section that the trail passes. It is just past here that I started my ascent up the cliffs to the right.

When looking up the cliff band to the right, this is what it looks like when you should start the ascent. It looks pretty benign...but looks can be deceiving.

If you're able to find the faint use trail, there are intermittent cairns like this one that mark the way towards the top. But don't count on seeing them. Just take the path of least resistance to the top. 

This is the dirt 4-wheel road that greets you at the top of the cliff ridge. 

To get to the Gould's Wash Rim Trail which is marked with a slender sign, continue on this dirt road for about a mile. (Sometimes the dirt road will split but they always end up at the same point - some just follow more closely the ridge top while others veer slightly away from the ridge top, only to reconnect after a little bit). At one point, you'll get to a ridge where you can see the dirt road far off in the distance, descending the other side. You'll also see some powerlines that join the road - just past where the powerlines meet the dirt road is where the Gould's Wash Rin Trail sign marks the beginning of the trail on the right side of the road. 

Here's a look at the dirt road as it descends the ridge top. You'll be taking it for about as far as you can see it in this picture (1 mile) where the power lines join the road.

Here's a look at the slender sign that marks where the Gould's Wash Rim Trail breaks off from the road where the powerlines connect to the road.

The Gould's Wash Rim Trail is a 3 mile long trail (one way) that is well maintained and easy to follow. It starts off going through a fence with a cool looking cattle guard. You'll also see a small sign indicating that Motorcycles are prohibited. The trails primary use is mountain biking and while I didn't see any other hikers on my hike, I did see two groups of Mountain Bikers. 

This trail would be brutally hot in the summer months as there is no shade at all as the trail winds its way around the finger washes that connect to Gould's Wash. At times, you're able to look down inside the wash and see the Three Falls trail as it winds its way up the canyon below. 

Another thing I noticed is that there is an entry point into the Gould's Wash Canyon after about 2 miles or so from one of the minor washes, making it possible to get to Molli's Nipple from this route. You would simply have to head up Gould's Wash through what looked to be a very picturesque rock narrows portion of the wash and then up the other side of the wash shortly thereafter. 

After a relatively flat 3 miles, you'll come to the end of the trail, which is marked by a large map and sign which looks to be more of the official start of the trail rather than the end. I did the hike as an "out and back" hike meaning I just headed back the way I came in but I can see why people would mountain bike because I'm sure that it would be easier to bike on the dirt road back to where I started on the trail in the first place. 

In all, I hiked about 10 miles, cutting off the section of the trail that takes you to the letter H both on the way up and on the way down. I would assume that saved me about 2 total miles. The only physically demanding section of the trail is the first mile where you ascent about 500 feet to get to the top of the Hurricane Hill from the Valley. After that, there is some up and down on the dirt road but not too much and the Gould's Wash Rim Trail is relatively flat for its 3 mile one-way duration. 

Zion Nation Park is an excellent backdrop on this hike!

Indian Canyon Pictographs, Southern Utah 2025

 August 2, 2025

I decided to take the opportunity to go with a church group to see the Indian Canyon Pictographs in Southern Utah. Because I don't have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and one is definitely needed to traverse the last 5 miles of deep sandy track, it was the perfect opportunity to join friends that had the needed vehicles.

The trailhead is located about 54 miles (or just over an hour) from Hurricane, Utah. To get there, I took highway 59 (also 100 south) out of Hurricane for 28 miles just past Colorado City, Arizona, where I took a left onto highway 237 (which turns into Coral Pink Sand Dunes Road) and followed it for about 20 miles, just past the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. From there, I took a right on Hancock Road which can be easy to miss if you're not paying attention. You'll take Hancock Road for about 3 miles or so (I didn't clock this so this is an estimation) where a small dirt road beaks off on the right and heads to a small dirt parking area. One landmark that might help locate this turnoff is that it is not far past the Ponderosa Grove Campground (slightly less than a mile). At the dirt parking area there is room to off load a side-by-side or 4 wheeler if you are pulling one in a trailer. Otherwise, proceed with your 4 wheel drive vehicle back down the sandy road which turns back in a south-westerly direction (you're basically going around the back side of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes). 

This road is impossible to get through without a 4-wheel drive. In fact, our 4-wheel drive SUV almost got stuck on the way out because the sand is so deep in spots. It is also just wide enough for 1 vehicle which very few turnouts along the way so if there are vehicles coming in the opposite direction, it can be difficult to figure out a way to pass. (One thing I will consider for next time is to actually hike this part of the road since I don't have a 4-wheel drive vehicle. It would be a difficult hike through sand and not much shade and would add about 9-10 miles to the hike, but it would be doable). The road here has a moderate amount of elevation gain and loss, up and down a generally sandy track with some rocks that must be driven over here and there. Also, about half way through this road, the road splits with a sign indicating that the left fork (service road 50) will take you to the pictographs.

If you notice how sandy the road is, it is just like this through most of the drive.

 

Although the sign doesn't indicate where the right fork (service road 51) goes, I was told that it ends in a canyon overlook viewpoint. 

Eventually the road takes you to a small parking area, big enough for about 7 or 8 vehicles, and a signed trailhead indicating the Indian Canyon Pictographs.

There is also room for maybe 2 vehicles behind where I'm taking the picture from.

 

This sign indicates that the trail is 1.5 miles and has a 1700 foot elevation change. I have no idea where these numbers are coming from because the trail ends at the pictographs and to that point is only about .4 of a mile and 270 feet elevation change. 

Once through the trailhead signs, it is about a half mile to get to the pictographs. The trail descends about the entire way to the pictographs, losing about 270 feet of elevation in total. The trail, made mostly of just native sand, is easy to follow. There are a few sections where rocks must be navigated to descend (or ascend on the way back). Those sections would be considered a difficult class 2 or easy class 3. We had 2 members of our group that were around 80 years old and both were able to make it with much assistance. 

This is one of the areas of the trail where you have to do a little climbing.

This is the last portion of the trail before reaching the pictographs.

The trail ends at the pictographs which are found in a cool, shaded alcove which was home to Indians hundreds of years earlier. The exact time the pictographs were made is under some dispute with some believing they date back to 70 BC-400 AD while others believe they were most likely made between 1000 and 1400 AD. Either way, the pictographs are really cool to see. Depicted on the art are the faces of 12 people (sometimes referred to as the 12 apostles), along with many other full body drawings of people and animals. 

This is what awaits you where the pictographs are.

It is in a very secluded area and we didn't encounter any other people while we were there. I was very glad that I went to see this incredible piece of history. If you'd like to see a video of the pictographs, you can see it on my YouTube channel by clicking here. Here's a look at more photos from the trip. 

And here are a couple maps that might help finding the trailhead:

Petroglyph Point Trail, Mesa Verde National Park 2023

 June 29, 2023

Although the Spruce Tree house has been unfortunately closed since 2015, the Petroglyph Point Trail is a great way to see the tree house from a far and also hike close to some smaller structures. Along the way the trail also takes you to some really neat petroglyphs. The trail which starts at the Spruce Treehouse Overlook near the Chapin Mesa Museum, is a loop trail that is about 2.4 miles long. It is listed as strenuous on the official website, but I was able to hike it easily in late June with my 16, 14, and 9 year-olds. The trail is well marked and easy to follow and starts by winding its way just below the rim of the canyon and returns to where it started by ascending to the rim of the canyon and leisurely making its way back to the trailhead There is only one spot that might be difficult for the elderly or people with conditions that limit mobility and that was just past the petroglyphs which requires a 4 foot climb to start the ascent back to the rim of the canyon. Here's a look at the hike in pictures:

This is near the Museum where the Spruce Tree House overlook is and where the Petroglyph Point Trail and Spruce Canyon Trails Start at the same place.

Here's a map of the area.

A look across the canyon at the Spruce Treehouse.

My daughter, Judi, and son, Trey, on the trail.

Here's where the Petroglyphs Point and Spruce Canyon Trails split. Up to this point from the trailhead, they are the same trail. We took the left to the petroglyphs.

A look at the trail not long after the trail split. It is easy to follow, but at times it isn't on level ground.

One of the few grotto's the trail passes through on the hike.

Here's a look at one of the ruins that the Petroglyph Point Trail takes you to.

An optional, difficult climb off of the left side of the trail will take you to what is left of another old ruin.

Judi also had fun exploring the natural caves along the trail.

We took a rest at the petroglyphs to have some snacks and enjoy the beauty of the area.

Just past the petroglyphs, the trail starts climbing toward the rim of the canyon. Here's a look at my 9 year old, Judi, using the foot holds that have been carved into the rock to help her climb up to get to the trail (where my son is in the background).

Once up the 4 foot climb, the trail continues ascending over uneven ground.

Once back to the rim, there are some amazing views...

...and the trail flattens back out.

I was originally planning on doing the Spruce Canyon hike, but when I saw the sign for the petroglyphs, I decided to go check them out, not realizing that it was the Petroglyph Point Trail. The 2.4 mile hike took us about one hour and 20 minutes to finish.