Snow Canyon State Park

Snow Canyon State Park is the place locals in St. George go to hike, and it makes a superb first or last stop on a Zion trip, especially in the cooler months. The park protects about 7,400 acres where the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau meet, within the 62,000-acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve set aside to protect the threatened desert tortoise. The scenery is a dramatic mix: towering cliffs and frozen dunes of red and white Navajo Sandstone, the same rock as Zion, overlain by black basalt from lava flows that poured down the canyon from nearby cinder cones. It sits at 3,100 to 4,100 feet, much lower and warmer than Zion or Bryce, so winter hiking is often pleasant when the high parks are cold or snowbound. More than 38 miles of trails include easy options such as Jenny's Canyon, a short walk into a narrow slot, and the paved Whiptail Trail; the Lava Flow Trail leads to lava tubes you can explore with a flashlight, some easy and some requiring scrambling; the Petrified Dunes invite free-form wandering on swirling sandstone; and longer routes climb to cinder cones and canyon rims. A paved walking and biking path runs through the park, and road cyclists ride the 18-mile Snow Canyon loop. Rock climbers have routes on the sandstone walls. The park was named an International Dark Sky Park in 2025. A day-use pass is required; nonresidents pay a per-vehicle fee, with a reduced rate for pedestrians and cyclists, and there is a campground with hookups and tent sites.

The park's history is as colorful as its rock. Created in 1959 and opened to the public in 1962, it was originally called Dixie State Park, and its canyons have served as a backdrop for Hollywood westerns. The name Snow Canyon honors early Mormon settlers named Snow, not the weather, though a dusting of snow on the red rock does happen in winter. The sandstone preserves the cross-bedding of ancient dunes, and the lava flows are young enough, geologically speaking, to look fresh, creating striking contrasts of red, white and black that photographers love.

Plan your hikes around the temperature. From late spring to early fall, the canyon is hot, so walk at dawn or in the evening and carry plenty of water; from November through March, midday hiking is comfortable and the light is soft. Bring a headlamp for the lava tubes and watch your head on the low ceilings. Stay on trails to protect the fragile desert soils and the habitat of the desert tortoise, which you may spot on spring mornings. Some trails, including parts of Johnson Canyon, have seasonal access to protect wildlife, so check at the entrance. Removing rocks, plants or wildlife is prohibited.

Snow Canyon is an easy add-on to any trip that starts or ends in Las Vegas, two hours down Interstate 15, or in St. George, where many travelers stay before heading to Zion, about an hour away. Pair it with Kolob Canyons, a short drive north on I-15, for a day of quieter red rock, or use it as a warm-weather alternative when Zion's higher trails are icy. Evenings here are made for stargazing under the newly certified dark skies.