The Best Day Trips from St. George

One of the underrated things about basing yourself in St. George is how much sits within a tank of gas. You can wake up in the desert and be standing in a completely different landscape by lunch. Here are the ones worth the drive, roughly by distance.

Under an hour

• Kolob Canyons. The quiet corner of Zion, right off I-15 about forty minutes north. Same red cliffs, a fraction of the people. A great half-day when the main canyon is a zoo.
• Snow Canyon. Barely counts as a trip since it is ten minutes away, but if you have not been, go.

An hour or two

• Zion, main canyon. The headliner, under an hour to Springdale. Get there early and ride the shuttle. (There is a separate guide on doing this one right.)
• Cedar Breaks. About an hour and change up the mountain and thousands of feet higher, so it is a summer escape: a giant red amphitheater of hoodoos and, in July, wildflowers. Snowed in through winter.
• Valley of Fire. Across the Nevada line, ninety minutes or so, bright red sandstone and easy short hikes. Pairs well with a Vegas trip.

A bigger day

• Bryce Canyon. Around two hours, and worth every minute. The hoodoos do not photograph the way they look in person. Leave early.
• Grand Canyon North Rim. Roughly three hours, and only open late spring through fall, but it is the quiet, cool, high side of the canyon and a genuine bucket-list drive.

For the far ones, treat them as a full day: leave at dawn, pack food and water, and top off the tank before you go, because services get thin out there.