This is a hike that I like to do yearly. There is a lot of room for exploring and sight seeing. This is not an easy hike, however. You cannot take your dog or any animals with you.
 
Head east to Hurricane from St. George. You will pass through La Verkin and turn right at the Chevron on the highway that takes you to Zion National Park. You will travel through Virgin, but if you go to Rockville, you will have gone too far.
 
Coalpits Wash is one of the first major washes you will come across. The highway actually crosses this wash, and it has a marker that says Coal Pits.
 
Just after you cross the bridge, turn left into a dirt parking lot. This is a primitive parking lot so don’t expect much. There will be a gate you can walk through and some trails that follow the wash. Usually there is some water in it, as well.
 
At this point you can decide how far you want to go. I follow the trail by the wash until it splits to the right. The wash that goes to the right is not the main wash and has no water in it unless it is raining, or a very wet year. So I start out to the right and follow that until I see a switch back steep trail going up the canyon wall to the left.
 
I follow that to the top of the canyon. Once on top, you will connect with another well-traveled trail.  If you take it to the right, you can see large pieces of petrified wood.  This used to be called the Petrified Forest Trail. I usually just go to the left and follow that trail along the rim of the canyon that Coalpits Wash (the one with the water) goes up.  I follow it until I can get back down into Coalpits and then continue to follow it back to where the washes separate.  Then I just follow it back down to the parking lot.  
 
This loop takes 4 to 6 hours. It is 6 to 8 miles long and can be steep in a few places. Take lots of water, snacks, a jacket if it is cooler and be prepared. There are many trails and if you don't pay attention to the markers and the area
closely, you could easily take off on a different trail.