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Thread: 4 days and 3 nights in the Coal Wash area

  1. #1

    4 days and 3 nights in the Coal Wash area

    Thursday, June 3:
    With the heat of summer fast approaching, I really wanted to get in one last camping trip to the San Rafael Swell, so I took last Friday off work and headed to the Coal Wash area on Thursday after work. My family and I camped just east of the Coal Wash staging area--it was a little wide-open, but it was close to all the action. After setting up camp, we had time for a short 4-wheeler ride before dusk, so we checked out the Yellow Seep area.


    Our camp


    Wildflowers on the trail


    More wildflowers


    Not much to see at Yellow Seep except for this old water trough


    View east from Yellow Seep at sunset


    View southeast



    Friday, June 4:
    The following morning we rode the Little Wedge loop, which follows the north rim of North Salt Wash, then the south rim of the San Rafael River, then follows the bottom of the Red Ledges back to Coal Wash. We stopped for a short 1.2-mile hike from the McCarty Canyon trailhead to the rim of North Salt Wash, and another 2-mile hike along a canyon that ends in a short slot before exiting above the San Rafael River. After lunch and again after dinner we spent some time less than half a mile from camp in North Salt Wash looking for frogs and enjoying the little oasis in the desert.


    There were carpets of purple lupine all over the desert


    View from the McCarty Canyon trailhead


    North Salt Wash


    Some flowers that I'd never seen before


    A canyon that drains into the San Rafael River


    A bend in the canyon ahead


    View up-canyon


    A tree in a sand-filled pothole


    The very short narrows section


    More narrows


    The last bit of narrows before the canyon's end


    View of the San Rafael River from the end of the canyon


    More lupine along the Red Ledges


    Looking for frogs in North Salt Wash near camp


    Bradley holding a frog


    A frog


    Torrey hunting water skeeters


    Frog eggs


    The family in North Salt Wash at dusk
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  3. #2
    Saturday, June 5:
    The next day was the big ride--the Coal Wash loop. We did the loop counter-clockwise: from camp to the South Fork of Coal Wash, Eva Conover Road, Secret Mesa, Eagle Canyon, Swasey's Cabin, Head of Sinbad, Devil's Racetrack, North Fork of Coal Wash, and back to camp. It was a long day, with about 10 hours on the trail and covering over 50 miles.


    Ready to leave camp


    Splashing through North Coal Wash


    The Drips


    Hiking through a short canyon near the Drips


    Coal Wash Fork


    Looking at tadpoles in the South Fork of Coal Wash


    Near the north end of the Eva Conover Road


    Desert bighorn near the Eva Conover Road


    Another bighorn sheep near the Eva Conover Road


    View north toward Joe and his Dog


    The south end of the Eva Conover Road on Secret Mesa


    Lunch spot on Secret Mesa


    View of the Eagle Canyon bridges


    Under the bridges


    Eagle Canyon Arch


    A tree in the Ice Box near Swasey's Cabin


    Me, the boys, and Torrey in the Ice Box


    Swasey's Cabin


    Dutchman Arch


    Devil's Racetrack


    A nice overlook along Devil's Racetrack


    Three-wheel motion


    Winching up a really ugly spot on Devil's Racetrack


    The series of ledges we had to winch up


    Twin Priests along Devil's Racetrack


    Slipper Arch


    Joe and his Dog


    Finally at the end of Devil's Racetrack



    Sunday, June 6:
    On our last day there, we took it easy and went for a short ride and hike to a degree confluence (N 39
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  4. #3
    Wow! What a great trip! Epic win!


  5. #4
    Sweet pictures. I have done Devils Racetrack several times but never from the top down always from the bottom up. I don't have a winch and could never imagine getting up that one spot It has given me enough trouble the other way.

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