Trail Name: Coyote Wash West Side Cyn 1
Best Use: Hiking, Birding
Best Time for Use: Spring, Summer, Fall
Difficulty: Intermediate to Expert
Length: 3.8 miles (6.1 km) out and back from the trailhead
Start Elevation: 6,441 ft (1,964 m) Maximum Elev Gain and Loss from Start Elev: 0 ft, (0 m) gain – 1,126 ft (-343 m) loss
Trail Surface and Use: Combined cross-county and following drainages. Rarely used.
Trail Head Access: Suitable for high clearance 2WD in good weather or 4WD in poor weather. Some road bed erosion is possible near the trailhead. Extended wet weather will make vehicle access difficult. Trailhead is about 11.8 mi (19.0 km) from Utah Hwy 46.
Trail Head Coordinates: 675,713E; 4,237,048N UTM WGS84 Zone12
Best Feature: Very remote area with the bulk of the canyon within the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Dolores River Wilderness Study Area (WSA). Some isolated pools and hanging gardens.
Cautions: The entry side canyon drainage to the main canyon is steep, rocky and requires some care. Be careful in the main canyon during times of thunderstorms (flash floods).

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF VERSION, GPX VERSION, OR KMZ VERSION OF THE COYOTE WASH WEST SIDE CYN 1 TRAIL.

Description: From the trailhead, travel west cross-country for about 0.25 mile (400 m) until you encounter the side drainage, then follow the drainage down into the main canyon. A few small areas of slick rock travel and route finding will be required. Once in the canyon bottom, descend until you hit West Coyote Wash. The junction of West Coyote Wash and the Dolores River is about 4.75 miles (7.6 km) further east of this point. Retrace your steps to the trailhead, or as an alternative, at about coordinate 675,060E; 4,235,463N, divert to the east up another side canyon until you come out onto the mesa top about 0.50 miles (805 m) SSW of the trail head. Walk NW until you intercept a 2-track dirt road and follow the road back to the trailhead.