Snow Canyon SP
Around St.George - Utah
General information about the state park
Situated in the north of St.George, Snow Canyon State Park is a very diverse park. The park offers plenty of opportunities for recreation. You can find everything from cooled lava flows to sand dunes and the red sandstone rocks typical for the southwest. Because of its proximity to the city, it serves mainly as a recreational area and is thus also included in events that take place, such as the Ironman . If you want to enjoy the park without crowds, you should better avoid such events, holidays and weekends.
Entrance fees and opening hours
- 15$/car and max. 8 passengers
- Not covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open daily from 6 am to 10 pm
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Our visits: So far 1 visit in April 2022
Jenny´s Canyon
Description: The short trail to Jenny'Canyon is mostly level with few inclines and steps. You reach a very short but worth seeing slot canyon. A turnoff also leads up a short trail to an overlook.
Trail length: 0.3mi
Altitude difference: 30feet
Time needed: 0.5 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: The short walk to Jenny's Canyon was a nice start to our visit to Snow Canyon in April 2022. Not super spectacular but well worth a look especially since the walk is very easy and short.
Sand Dunes
Description: Deep sand with some hills. The official path leads to a large area of red sand, which serves as a huge sandbox and playground for children.
Our rating: This was the least attractive part of the park for us. Because of the mass of people, there were footprints in the sand everywhere and we also found the dunes not really spectacular. Untouched nature is different than this. In addition, walking in the deep sand is correspondingly exhausting.
Petrified Dunes
Description: This trail passes over massive Navajo sandstone boulders and sand dunes, frozen in time. There are some steep drops, and the surface is rather uneven. Although there is also an official trail, you can walk freely on the petrified dunes and explore the area.
Trail length: 0.9mi
Altitude difference: 164ft
Time needed: 1-2 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: We liked the trail here very much because it offers not only the great petrified dunes, but also beautiful views into the canyon. Here you can certainly hike repeatedly, because the area is large and you can always discover new things.
White Rocks
Description: On this trail we turned at the trail junction and stayed mostly in the amphitheater. The trail is short, mostly level, and leads up a sandstone cliff to the amphitheater towards the end. If you climb the surrounding rocks, you have a great view into the canyon.
Trail length: 1.5mi
Altitude difference: 530feet
Time needed: 1-2 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: We also liked this trail very much. The white rock offers an interesting contrast to the otherwise predominant red sandstone rocks. The amphitheater is huge and impressive and definitely worth a visit. Climbing the rocks to enjoy the view of the canyon definitely requires a little courage and surefootedness.
Cinder Cone
Description: The trailhead to this trail is north of the Snow Canyon Drive/State Route 18 intersection. There are a few parking spots on the side of the road. You hike up about 500 feet on loose, uneven ground to the top of an extinct volcano. Here you can get a view of the volcano crater and the great canyon scenery around it.
Trail length: 1.2mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: 492ft
Time needed: 1-2 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: We also liked this short, but quite a bit strenuous trail very much. Not only the views at the end on the summit, but also the path itself offered many beautiful photo motifs.
