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.

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