The Best Scenic Drives Around St. George

This guide covers the day trips — drives worth half a day or a full one. For the short close-in routes like Snow Canyon Drive and the Red Hills Parkway, see scenic drives in St. George.

Into Zion, without the crowds

Kolob Canyons — a five-mile paved road into red finger canyons at Zion's northwestern corner, with its own entrance off I-15 and a small fraction of the main park's traffic. Late afternoon light is the reason to time it.

Kolob Terrace Road climbs from Virgin onto the high plateau, passing from desert to forest with a genuine change of climate. Seasonal at the top — snow closes the upper section.

The byways

Smithsonian Butte Backway runs between Rockville and Highway 59 — short, rough and spectacular, with views over Zion and down to Grafton. High clearance recommended.

The Joshua Tree Backway heads southwest into the Beaver Dam Wash country and the northernmost Joshua trees in the world — a landscape completely unlike the red rock people come for, and one of the more surprising drives in the region.

North, into forest

Highway 18 to Pine Valley climbs from desert into pine forest, several thousand feet above the valley. In summer it is the best escape within an hour, and in autumn it is where the colour is — see fall colour near St. George.

The Veyo, Gunlock and Dammeron loop passes volcanic country, Gunlock State Park and rural valleys most visitors never see.

Further afield

Cedar Breaks and the high plateau, an hour and a half north, is a high-elevation amphitheatre of red rock near 10,000 feet — twenty degrees cooler than St. George and superb in summer. Seasonal access.

The backcountry, honestly

Routes toward Toquerville Falls, Yant Flat and the remoter mesas are unpaved, rough, and change condition after rain. They are genuinely rewarding and genuinely unsuitable for a low-clearance car.

Do not set out on the strength of a line on a map. Check conditions locally, carry water and a full tank, tell someone your route, and be honest about your vehicle. Recovery out here is slow and expensive.

Practical for a day of driving

• Fuel before you leave. Stretches of this country are genuinely empty.
• Elevation changes everything. Carry layers even in summer; a hot valley afternoon is a cold evening at 9,000 feet.
• Check seasonal closures on anything high before setting out.
• Drive early or late in summer for better light and bearable stops.
• Watch late-summer storms, which make dirt roads impassable and flood washes fast. See desert hiking safety.