TR: Coal Wash

[Udink]

I am really starting to like Coal Wash! I've ridden there three times in the past three weeks. There's a lot to see and do if you know where to look. There's rock art, wildlife (bighorn sheep and antelope), an old copper mine, natural arches, and a lot of fun riding. The trail follows the bottom of the canyon almost the entire way, and there are quite a few smooth sandy sections where you can get a lot of speed. There's still a lot in Coal Wash that I haven't checked out (including the entire south fork), but I plan on spending a lot more time there in the future. If you ever wanna ride Coal Wash, hit me up and I'll be happy to accompany you.

The Drips, a natural spring that flows out of the cliff
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SffNuYaqAyI/AAAAAAAAEH4/29Nqni4Oxb4/s800/IMG_7881.jpg

Sand dune in Coal Wash
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZFZsQqMI/AAAAAAAAERo/wzfEyD8xbdc/s800/IMG_4338.jpg

Riding in Coal Wash
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZHw2mYSI/AAAAAAAAER0/Fj4y2jNc1kY/s800/IMG_8113.jpg

"Spanish crosses" pecked into the rock
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZMHv1TdI/AAAAAAAAER8/vwDdBdJwV-I/s800/IMG_8119.jpg

Pictographs
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZM81vG7I/AAAAAAAAESA/MHnSAOwY-gY/s800/IMG_8126.jpg

More riding in the wash bottom
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZQEROkhI/AAAAAAAAESM/IU1DY-Y8Du8/s800/IMG_8136.jpg

Lone sheep petroglyph
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZQ0pMofI/AAAAAAAAESQ/gkbClvtXUz0/s800/IMG_8139.jpg

Slipper Arch (also known as Swasey Arch)
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZSPBsFjI/AAAAAAAAESU/6jXTsneByeg/s800/IMG_8142.jpg

Backside of Slipper Arch
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZTMuV3kI/AAAAAAAAESY/4bpe7a2TsaM/s800/IMG_8173.jpg

Stone shelter near ZCMI mine
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZV7E8aZI/AAAAAAAAESg/GwxoVOVtl2o/s800/IMG_8185.jpg

The lower shaft at the ZCMI mine
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZZ7NRITI/AAAAAAAAESw/FLs7SvSByOI/s800/IMG_8197.jpg

Upper shaft at ZCMI mine
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZbfzM4PI/AAAAAAAAES0/zi1Gr_f6V78/s800/IMG_8212.jpg

Unnamed arch near Coal Wash
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgwdCDix7HI/AAAAAAAAEXU/U5qidCc2Euo/s800/IMG_8247.jpg

Parked along the trail
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgwdEjx32MI/AAAAAAAAEXc/EpPBM9WQ3lI/s800/IMG_8271.jpg

The Autobahn - really fun to ride along in 5th gear!
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgwdH0_nutI/AAAAAAAAEXs/SkHznLtCuuU/s800/IMG_8285.jpg

Joe and his Dog
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgwdI7e6HnI/AAAAAAAAEX0/p2wzNOHcfxo/s800/IMG_8291.jpg

Devil's Monument
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgwdJ8cWZXI/AAAAAAAAEX4/xikaaM4RnAY/s800/IMG_8292.jpg

View from the top of Slipper Arch
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgwdPB6rSgI/AAAAAAAAEYU/GrWRo3LvHQ0/s800/IMG_8314.jpg

Here's the full photo gallery:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/CoalWashMay2009

And here's my GPS tracklog and waypoints in Google Earth KML format:
http://castlecountry.org/geo/CoalWash.kml

Also, check out Hatchcanyon's trip report from Coal Wash in his Grand Cherokee!
http://bogley.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15277

[Mooseman70]

:2thumbs: Sweet TR, Dennis! Wish I could go along on some of your excursions. They look awesome!

[accadacca]

Excellent stuff! :popcorn:

[fouristhenewone]

Great TR Udink - my buddy and I drove this in his jeep several years ago, and it was fantastic. You got much better pictures then I did at the time though.