The Best Scenic Drives Around St. George
Four drives worth the gas: the Snow Canyon loop, Kolob Terrace, Gunlock, and a dirt backway almost nobody is on.
Some days you do not want to hike or golf. You want to point the car somewhere pretty, roll the windows down, and stop when something catches your eye. St. George is good for that. Here are four drives worth the gas.
Snow Canyon Loop
The easy classic, ten minutes from town. Take Snow Canyon Drive up through the park and connect to Highway 18: red-and-white sandstone, black lava flows, and cinder cones the whole way. Pull off at the overlooks, and if you have time, walk out to the Petrified Dunes. Short, gorgeous, doable anytime.
Kolob Terrace Road
From the little town of Virgin, this road climbs into the high country of Zion that almost nobody sees: quiet meadows, lava flows, and big views with none of the main-canyon crowds. It gains real elevation, so it is a cool-off in summer and closed by snow up top in winter.
Gunlock Road
Head northwest toward Gunlock for red rock, ranch land, and the reservoir all in one easy loop. Best in late spring if the Gunlock waterfalls happen to be running.
Smithsonian Butte Backway
For the adventurous: an unpaved backroad between Rockville and Hilldale, out past Gooseberry Mesa, with sweeping mesa-and-red-rock views and almost no one on it. Check your clearance and the weather first, because it is dirt and you do not want to be on it in the rain.
Fill the tank before the longer ones, bring water, and go for golden hour if you can. The light out here does most of the work.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best short scenic drive from St. George?
The Snow Canyon loop, about ten minutes from town, runs through red-and-white sandstone, lava flows, and cinder cones, and can be done anytime.
Are there scenic drives that stay cool in summer?
Kolob Terrace Road climbs thousands of feet into the high country of Zion, making it a summer escape. It is closed by snow at the top in winter.