Outdoor Adventures Camping in Snow Canyon State Park | Utah

Looking for some outdoor adventures while camping in Snow Canyon State Park, Utah? We’ve got a sunset stroll in the park; a paved bike path leading to enlightenment (seriously!); a hell of a… I mean a Hellhole Canyon hike; and a beauty of a Bearclaw Poppy mountain bike adventure. Read on for all the deets!

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Endless outdoor adventures camping in Snow Canyon State Park 

Snow Canyon State Park in southwestern Utah near the city of St. George is the perfect pitstop for snowbirds and winter wanderers heading south for some warmer weather.

Why?

Don’t let the name fool you. Snow Canyon sits at a pleasant elevation ranging from 3,100 to 4,100 feet (945 to1250 m). The land was originally set aside as a park in 1959. When it opened to the public as a state park in 1962, it was called Dixie State Park. The park name was later changed to Snow Canyon State Park in honor of brothers Lorenzo and Erastus Snow – pioneering Utah leaders.

Whew, not winter camping.

Well… there can be snow in Snow Canyon, but not often, not for long, and not today.

When we arrived in late January there was a window of warm, sunny weather with daytime highs to the mid-60s F (high teens C). 

Time to break out the hiking boots and shine up the bikes!

Keep a running tally of your outdoor adventure distances with our handy trackers!

Setting up Camp in Snow Canyon

Arriving mid-afternoon, we set up, sorted out a few travel glitches (lost drain plugs and a tap that wouldn’t flow), and set out on a sunset stroll.

Heading out from our site near the park office/visitor center, we walked across the road to the paved bike path and headed uphill a short distance to the Hidden Pinyon trailhead. It’s a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) guided nature trail. Perfect!

Note: this is not your mother’s nature trail. There are rocky slopes, deep sand, drop-offs, and a whole lot of active adventure on this little gem. Limbs stretched and we smiled.

But wait… Gear Guru stops at a junction. 

“We could go up there for a view of the sunset.”

He’s pointing to the high point of the Petrified Dunes trail. Petrified Dunes – 1.2 miles (1.9 km) total length. Rating: moderate with some steep slopes – yup, we’re looking at them right now – and uneven surfaces. 

Climbing up the red Navajo sandstone outcrop and across scampering across sand dunes frozen in time, I didn’t regret the detour. Late day light made the rocks glow.

Luckily it’s a quick jaunt down to the Petrified Dunes parking area, along the road for a short stretch to Upper Galoot to get back on the paved bike path that leads right back to camp. A perfect 2.5-mile (4.1 km) stretch of tight travel muscles. 

The sun has set. A great horned owl hoots. So happy to be back in canyon country. I have to make some notes before I forget these sights and sounds.

Love Utah State Parks? Check out this bucket list journal.

Biking Berm Trail and beyond!

Outdoor adventures while camping in Snow Canyon State Park are easy – and many can be accessed without having to drive anywhere. Beyond the numerous hiking trails in the park itself, the bike path leads to even more opportunities.

Bikes ready, we roll 2.5 miles (4 km) down from our campsite along the paved path, past towering red sandstone walls and pocket dunes and through the entrance gates before stopping near a low fence with three stacked logs blocking a dirt path on the uphill side of a housing development. 

It’s the start of Toe Trail – a short, but sweet single-track section of trail. The logs are a fence to keep the tortoises in the preserve. We follow the route as shown on our TrailForks app along to the end of the Berm Trail at about 4.7 miles (7.5 km) from camp. 

Skirting past Ivins Cemetery, we ride up past the Animal Shelter to see if we can continue along the berm. 

No go. 

Heading back down, we decided to ride through the neighbourhood before looping back. We came to a T-intersection. There’s a paved bike path heading off to the right.

Huh.

That isn’t on TrailForks. 

I wonder where it goes?

I wonder… this is how most of our best mini-adventures and discoveries start.

The path to enlightenment

We ride up the bike path through a well-spaced, wealthy-looking, dark brown Adobe-style neighborhood before crossing the road and following the path to where it ends on a slight knoll with short gravel section back down to the road again. 

Huh.

Wonder where…

Pedalling on, we pass by Hellhole Canyon Trailhead (approximately 7.1 mi/11.5 km from camp). Signed and marked – it looks like tomorrow’s adventure is sewn up! Lace up those boots.

Gear guru suggests we go to the top of the hill to look further up the canyon. 

“Oh look, Kayanta village, only a mile ahead. Maybe we can get a coffee.”

On we go. 

And at 8.4 miles (13.5 km) from camp, we come to Kayenta Art Village. 

It’s a cute, trendy, little art village with studios and a cafe. We opt to eat our crackers and cheese, carrots, and snap peas to a bench in the Desert Arboretum with its plants and rusty metal sculptures… and a sign pointing towards a labyrinth. 

We must check it out. 

Walking past the cafe and parking area following signs, we cross Kayenta Parkway at Kwavasa Drive (above the tennis courts) and follow gravel path to the entrance of the labyrinth. It’s a desert rose.

There are 3 stages of walking the labyrinth. The first is the walk to the center. This is called “purgation” meaning to purge, shed concerns, and quiet minds. 

The middle is the illumination received while in the center of the labyrinth where open hearts and minds gain insight. 

The walk out from the center of labyrinth is where new insights help us reveal our unique gifts to the world.

Our gift is taking the path not on the map; it almost always leads to enlightenment!

Time for one more side adventure

Heading back to camp on our bikes, we take one more detour, this time at other end of the Berm Trail. Instead of heading back along Toe Trail, we head up to check out Tuacahn Center for the Arts and its outdoor amphitheatre. 

The impressive setting at the foot of Padre Canyon is an inspiring stage for music and theatre. Sadly, spring concerts don’t start until March this year, so we won’t have the opportunity to take in a show. Another time.

Back up the hill to our campsite in Snow Canyon we check the total distance for the day: 18.5 miles (29.8 km). So thankful for an e-bike! 

And look, there’s still time to write a few notes in the sunshine; life is good.

Hell of a… I mean… Hellhole Canyon crawl!

Remember that hike we discovered on our outdoor biking adventure the other day? We’re back at the trailhead and ready to explore!

The route in and out of Hellhole Canyon is relatively straightforward and not too difficult – but where’s the fun in that? We managed to turn the Hellhole Canyon hike into a bit more of a canyon crawl.

From the small dirt pullout beside the road into Kayenta, a signed path leads down into the wash. Bewick’s wrens – the only wren species native to North American, FYI – flitted in the bushes and an unidentified raptor flew overhead as we picked our way among the boulders. 

After a half hour or so, we hear voices. Looking up we can see people walking on a path above the creekbed. 

Huh. 

That looks easier. 

A short way up, another dirt route leads out of the wash and directly onto the higher route. We follow it to the “official” end of the trail and then beat our way up a little further to a tiny trickle of a waterfall on the lefthand fork of the wash. Perfect lunch spot.

And then the real fun begins…

Heading back down, Gear Guru scouts a route to get us around and down to the righthand fork of the wash. It’s a challenging sidehill – not for those with any fear of heights – that comes in below another dryfall. A bit more of a scramble and we were up the dryfall to a series of beautiful little pools and access to more of the narrower canyon. 

A canyon wren calls.

Getting back down and around one or two… or ten or more massive boulders in the wash on our way down was a bit of a full body workout. Eventually we found a safe route to climb back out of the wash and back onto the upper trail.       

The entire hike was less than 6.2 miles (10 km) total, but it was full half day of adventure. If you’re keen, the access trailhead is about 8 miles (13 km) from Snow Canyon via Center Street through Ivins to N 400 W. We used Google maps to plot the best driving route.

Bearclaw Poppy mountain biking adventure 

Birds greet us again this morning – a group of quail, a pair of scrub jays, a lone woodpecker, and a noisy pair of red-tailed hawks. 

After a leisurely morning at camp in Snow Canyon, we load up the bikes and drive over to another recreation area in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve about a half hour away. We’ve ridden here before, but today went a bit further – cycling 13.7 miles (22 km) on green and blue trails up Bearclaw Poppy to Stucki Springs trail before taking Stucki connector back to the down trail along Bearclaw Poppy. 

A red-tailed hawk flew by at eye level as we rode above red canyons on high desert cliffs. Distant mountain views had us stopping more than once to take it all in – simply stunning. Stucki Springs had a few challenging sections, but I would do it all over again!

Love these outdoor adventures discovered while camping at Snow Canyon State Park?
While in southwestern Utah, you might also want to explore these posts:
Put This in Your Pocket: Nevada’s Mount Irish Archaeological Site (we drove here on a day trip while camping at Snow Canyon one year)
Lovin’ Leeds History (about a 30-minute drive from Snow Canyon)

Camping at Snow Canyon State Park – all you need to know

There is so much to do in and around Snow Canyon State Park that you need to get a campsite to spend the time this area deserves. Reservations are a must for the popular but small campground. 

There are 14 standard RV sites with water and electricity and a covered picnic table with an overhead light that can be turned on at night near the entrance station and 17 stunning, unserviced campsites tucked in amongst the red sandstone cliffs. All campers have use of clean restrooms and hot showers.

Book your site through the Reserve America site by filling in the boxes with the name of the park, interested in camping, looking for any camping spot, and your dates. It’ll show you what’s available on a map and you can choose the best site and reserve.