Outdoor Recreation Guides

• The West Rim Trail: Zion From Above — Eleven miles from Lava Point down into Zion Canyon — the park's best backpacking route, and the trail whose last mile every Angels Landing hiker climbs.
• The Riverside Walk in Zion — Zion's most-walked mile: paved, shaded, accessible with assistance, and the doorway to the Narrows.
• Hot Springs Near Zion National Park — There are no hot springs inside Zion National Park. The region's geothermal water surfaces twenty minutes west of it, at a spring that has been closed to the public since 2013 — and there is now somewhere you can actually soak in it.
• Camping in Zion National Park — Zion's three campgrounds, the three different reservation windows that decide which one you can actually get, and what the park offers an RV.
• Swimming and Water Recreation Around St. George, Utah — Where to get in the water around St. George: three reservoirs, a spring-fed pool, indoor pools and splash pads — what each is good for, and the desert-water safety that catches visitors out.
• Off-Roading at Sand Hollow — Off-roading at Sand Hollow: Utah's best-known sand and slickrock playground, and the permits and rules that apply before you ride.
• Spring Wildflowers Around St. George — Spring wildflowers around St. George: when the desert blooms, why it varies so much year to year, and where to look.
• Disc Golf in St. George — Disc golf in St. George: desert courses with real elevation and wind, and why the terrain changes how you play.
• Where to Watch the Sunset in St. George — Where to watch the sunset in St. George: the best free viewpoints in and around the city, and how the light actually works here.
• Fishing Around St. George: Where to Drop a Line — Fishing around St. George: warm-water reservoirs close to town and cold-water fishing an hour uphill, plus the license you need.
• Dark Sky Sites Near St. George: Where to Drive for Truly Black Skies — The regional dark-sky trip: which high country to drive to, what elevation does for what you can see, and the cold nobody plans for.
• Camping Near St. George: Where to Pitch a Tent — Camping near St. George: state park campgrounds, forest sites up high, and the desert rules that catch first-timers.
• The Best Hikes Around St. George (Beyond Snow Canyon) — Hikes beyond Snow Canyon: where to go once you have done the obvious, from slickrock domes to slot canyons and waterfalls.
• Yes, You Can Ski Near St. George: Brian Head and Winter in the Desert — Skiing Brian Head from St. George: red rock in the morning, snow in the afternoon, about two hours apart.
• Pickleball in St. George, Utah: Where to Play — Where to play pickleball in St. George, Utah: the Little Valley complex and the city's other courts, why the season runs backward here, and how to find a drop-in game as a newcomer.
• Mountain Biking St. George: Where to Start (and Where Not To) — Mountain biking in St. George: a winter destination with slickrock mesas, technical desert singletrack and the region's original trail.
• A Day at Sand Hollow: Dunes, Red Sand, and a Warm Reservoir — A day at Sand Hollow: warm water, red sand dunes and an off-road playground, all in the same state park east of St. George.
• Snow Canyon Without the Crowds: A Local's Hiking Guide — Snow Canyon without the crowds: the park is fifteen minutes from town and far quieter than Zion. How to have it to yourself.
• The Snow Canyon Overlook via the Red Mountain Trail — The Red Mountain overlook: looking down into Snow Canyon from above, on a trail most visitors never find.
• Silver Reef Ghost Town Near Leeds — Silver Reef: the ghost town built on silver found in sandstone — which geologists had said was impossible.
• Pioneer Park (Dixie Rock): Red Rock in Town — Pioneer Park: free red-rock scrambling in the middle of St. George, and the best sunset in the city.
• Where to See Fall Color Near St. George — Fall color near St. George: the desert does not turn, but drive an hour uphill and it does. Where to go and roughly when.
• Desert Hiking Safety: Heat, Water, and Flash Floods — Desert hiking safety in southern Utah: heat, water, flash floods, snakes and the mistakes that actually put people in trouble.
• Tonaquint Nature Center: An Easy Family Outing — Tonaquint Nature Center: a pond, shade and easy paths in southwest St. George — the gentlest outdoor outing in the city.
• Anasazi Valley Petroglyphs (Tempi'po'op) — Anasazi Valley Petroglyphs: a short hike to one of the region's best rock art panels — and how to visit without damaging it.
• Warner Valley Dinosaur Tracks (and Fort Pearce) — Warner Valley dinosaur tracks: genuine footprints in open desert, reached by a dirt road that decides whether you get there.
• Horseback Riding Around St. George — Horseback riding around St. George: red-rock trail rides, when the season actually works, and what to ask before booking.
• St. George's Paved Trails: Biking, E-Biking, and Walking — St. George's paved trail network: flat, shaded in places and genuinely useful — the city's most underrated outdoor asset.
• Camping at Snow Canyon State Park — Camping at Snow Canyon: a small campground inside the park, why it books out, and what the desert demands of a camper.
• Whiterocks Amphitheater in Snow Canyon — Whiterocks Amphitheater: the pale sandstone bowl at Snow Canyon's north end, and the quietest corner of the park.
• Snow Canyon's Lava Tubes — Snow Canyon's lava tubes: hollow caves you climb down into, on a trail across black volcanic rock. Bring a flashlight.
• Jenny's Canyon: Snow Canyon's Easy Slot Canyon — Jenny's Canyon: a short slot canyon almost anyone can walk into — with a seasonal closure worth checking first.
• Petrified Dunes: Snow Canyon's Slickrock Playground — The Petrified Dunes: frozen sand waves you can walk straight out onto, and the best short outing in Snow Canyon.
• Zion's East Side: The Tunnel, Slickrock, and Fewer Crowds — Zion's east side: slickrock, Checkerboard Mesa and almost no crowds — the part of the park most visitors drive straight through.
• The Subway: Zion's Iconic Canyoneering Hike — A permit-only route through the Left Fork of North Creek — two versions, neither of them a hike in the ordinary sense.
• Toquerville Falls: A Desert Oasis Off-Road — Toquerville Falls: desert waterfalls at the end of a rough road — the vehicle is the hard part, not the walk.
• Grafton Ghost Town Near Zion — Grafton: the most photographed ghost town in the West, abandoned because the river kept winning.
• The Pa'rus Trail: Zion's Paved, Pet-Friendly Path — The only trail in Zion that allows dogs and bicycles — 3.5 miles, paved, level, and the park's most accessible walk.
• The Watchman Trail in Zion — The one real Zion hike you can walk to from the visitor center without boarding a shuttle — 3.3 miles, no permit, and the best evening light in the park.
• Canyon Overlook: Zion's Best Short Hike — Half a mile each way and 154 feet of climbing for the classic view down Zion Canyon — no shuttle, no permit, and parking as the only real obstacle.
• Zion's Emerald Pools Trail — Three pools on one route, so you pick your effort at the trailhead — plus why the water is green, why you cannot swim, and when the falls actually run.
• Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park — Coral Pink Sand Dunes: a genuine dune field of pink sand, split between an OHV area and a protected conservation zone.
• Kanarraville Falls: A Slot-Canyon Creek Hike — Kanarraville Falls: a slot canyon with ladders and waterfalls — and a permit you must buy in advance, with numbers capped daily.
• Pine Valley: The Cool Mountain Escape — Pine Valley: pine forest, cool air and a reservoir an hour above St. George — the escape when the desert is unbearable.
• Red Cliffs National Conservation Area — Red Cliffs: a conservation area on St. George's doorstep that exists to protect the Mojave desert tortoise — and what that means for visitors.
• Quail Creek State Park — Quail Creek State Park: the smaller, calmer reservoir east of St. George — warm water, good fishing and fewer crowds than Sand Hollow.
• Gunlock State Park and the Gunlock Falls — Gunlock Falls: spectacular when it runs, and most years it does not. How the reservoir spill works and when to check.
• Kolob Canyons: Zion Without the Crowds — Zion's northern section off I-15: the five-mile scenic road, the three walks worth knowing, and honest expectations about Kolob Arch.
• Hiking The Narrows in Zion — The Narrows: hiking up the river itself. The route to Big Spring, the two closures, what belongs on your feet, and why you must not filter the water.
• Angels Landing: Zion's Most Thrilling Hike — Angels Landing: the permit is the hard part, not the climb. How both lotteries work, what the route does, and how to decide about the chains before you are standing on them.
• Veyo Pool — Veyo Pool and Crawdad Canyon: a spring-fed swimming pool and a private climbing canyon, half an hour north of St. George.