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| Snow Canyon State Park, Utah |
I recently visited Snow
Canyon State Park in southern Utah for the first time. Snow Canyon has several
unique and interesting features including arches, petrified dunes, slot
canyons, a few small caves, sand dunes and a natural spring which can be easily
accessed from the road or by a paved bike trail that runs through the park. The
park is located about ten minutes from St. George Utah. If you’re headed to
Zion National Park from Las Vegas on I-15, you’re going to come within a few
miles of Snow Canyon State Park. I highly recommend taking a half day to explore
Snow Canyon State Park.
Unlike Zion National
Park which is usually filled with tourists, visitors to Snow Canyon Park are
sparse by comparison. However, most of the major trails in Snow Canyon State
Park are less than a mile round-trip, so you should expect to see families and and
some tourists on the trails. The paved “Whiptail”
bike trail gives you access to most of the trailheads without ever having to
cross the road. I highly recommend bringing your bike to this park.
There are several
great hiking trails for families including a short quarter mile jaunt on Jenny’s
Trail to see a small slot canyon, the Sand Dunes Trail and the Johnson Canyon
Trail. For more of an adventure, one of the best ways to experience Snow Canyon
State Park is to find the Petrified Dunes trail and just start exploring. The giant
sandstone mounds on the Petrified Dunes Trail are perfect for climbing and rock
scrambling. From the top of the Petrified Dunes, you get an amazing birds-eye
view of the park below. The Petrified Dunes were my favorite feature in the
park.
Admission to Snow
Canyon State park is $6 per vehicle or $4 per bike. If you have multiple people
wanting to bike, it’s a much better deal to drive into the park with your
bikes, park your car and start your bike ride inside to avoid the multiple per-person
fees.
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| Petrified Dunes: Snow Canyon State Park |
Snow Canyon has a
campground, but it's located very close to the road. While it’s probably a great
place for an RV, I would probably avoid tent camping in Snow Canyon State Park
if you’re sensitive to road noise like I am. The noise probably won’t be an issue in
the off-season during the fall and winter when most of the visitors have dwindled. Campsites are $20/per
night and can be reserved in advance here: https://utahstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/snow-canyon-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=UT&parkId=345781
Just a few miles down the road
from Snow Canyon Park, there is a free area to explore called Pioneer Park
which has several fun features you can explore including a cave, a small slot
canyon and a miniature arch. Pioneer Park is situated high above St. George with
an amazing view of the town below and it’s one of the best places in the area
to catch a sunset. Pioneer Park is comprised of the same type of red Sandstone
you’ll find in Snow Canyon. It’s a really great area for rock scrambling and
climbing. I definitely recommend taking an hour or two to explore Pioneer Park.
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| Pioneer Park, St. George Utah |
I would avoid visiting
this part of Utah in the late summer when the temperatures are usually
sweltering. You get very little shade and the sky is cloudless for most of July
and August. My favorite time of year to visit is in late September and October
when the crowds are gone and the temperatures are in the 60’s and 70’s.
For a good list of
trail descriptions in Snow Canyon State Park, visit: http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/snow_canyon/trails.html
For and interactive
map of Snow Canyon State Park, click
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| Pioneer Park overlooking St George Utah |
