Utah’s Snow Canyon State Park showcases great vistas year-round

The beautiful cliffs and canyons known as Snow Canyon State Park near St. George, Utah, have been attracting visitors for thousands of years. Artifacts left well over 2,500 years ago indicate humans came to hunt, gather food and find shelter over a span of about 700 years. Then came the Anasazi, Ancestral Puebloans, farmers and pueblo builders who occupied the area for more than 1,000 years.

The Southern Paiutes followed for the next 600 years until Mormon colonists began settlements in the area in the mid-1800s. Now people visit the area for its scenery, history and recreational opportunities. They follow in the footsteps of many different native visitors.

Located about 10 miles northwest of St. George, Snow Canyon State Park was originally protected in 1958 as Dixie State Park with its two pioneer homes. The scenic area was separated, enlarged and renamed Snow Canyon State Park for early leaders Lorenzo and Erastus Snow.

The state park is surrounded by the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve, Bureau of Land Management lands set aside for their distinctive landscapes. Learn more about the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve at a visitor center at 10 North and 100 East in downtown St. George.

To reach Snow Canyon, drive 120 miles on Interstate 15 north from Las Vegas into Utah. Exit at Bluff Street (Highway 18) in St. George and turn left to reach the Snow Canyon Parkway toward Ivins and the Tuacan Arts Center. Turn left again and follow the parkway 3.5 miles to Snow Canyon Drive. Follow this paved road to the park’s southern entrance. The park road is a scenic drive that explores the merging canyons forming the heart of the desert park.

From pullouts at vantage points, the twisted, eroded red and white Navajo sandstone is a vivid panorama with strong contrasts of black where ancient lava flows capped the bright stone beneath. Two of the volcanic craters from that tumultuous period are part of the park’s enlarged boundaries east of the entrance road.

The park is open all year from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Park entrance fees are $6 per vehicle with up to eight passengers. Amenities include a dozen trails, a visitor center, seasonal programs, picnic areas and a campground with restrooms and showers. For details, call the park visitor center at 435-628-2255. The campground is not large with sites for tents or RVs up to 40 feet in length. Nightly fees for sites are $20 without hookups and $25 with hookups. Those who plan to stay overnight in the park should reserve a site by calling 800-322-3770. Fire restrictions are in effect.

The climate is considered mild most of the year. Winters rarely bring snow, although the high Pine Valley Mountains to the north get plenty. Even during hot summers, the desert cools off rapidly after sunset. Because of the surrounding cliffs that block light from nearby towns, the night sky above the park is usually brilliant with stars, delightful to watch.

Visitors to Snow Canyon explore on foot, on horseback or by bikes, which are restricted to paved roads and trails. Technical rock climbing is allowed, but is not for the untrained. Permits may be required. Call the park to find out about guided trail riding availability on rental horses or rules about bringing your own horse into the park.

The trails cover 16 miles, probing side canyons, following washes or climbing to viewpoints. Trails in the park range from short walks to more strenuous climbs and several miles of distance. Popular short walks include the Jenny Canyon Trail of about a quarter of a mile, which ends in a minislot canyon that sometimes has running water. The Pioneer Names Trail is a short stroll to a site where pioneers used axle grease to paint their names on the sandstone walls starting in 1881.

Snow Canyon is a photographer’s paradise with scenic picture-postcard views wherever you look. Great photo memories recall bright skies, vivid sandstone, dark lava and ever-changing shadows, as well as brilliant sunsets, glittering night skies and unexpected shots of the wild creatures that call this park home.

Margo Bartlett Pesek’s Trip of the Week column appears on Sundays.