"Is this where the good geologists go when they die?"
That was my question halfway through the petrified dunes trail at Snow Canyon State Park in St. George. Snow Canyon is a jumble of bright orange sandstone, red and white cliffs, and dark lava rocks including basalt flows, lava tubes, and cinder cone volcanoes. This scenery easily rivaled the view in any national park, yet I had the trails mainly to myself nearly every afternoon I spent in St. George, compared to the throngs of people I experienced in Zion late on a Tuesday afternoon.
I spent a fair amount of time here. I hike A LOT, but I took my time on these trails, and not just because it was a bajillion degrees out in the late September afternoon (seriously how does anyone survive summers here?!). There was just so much to NOTICE, and the shadows made the landscape even more dramatic as the day went on. I hiked the petrified dunes trail (1.3 miles), the lava tube trail (2.4 miles), the cinder cone volcano trail (1.8 miles), and the Johnson Canyon trail (1.8 miles). A lot of people were also road biking through the park as it has a nice paved bike path.
The petrified dunes is a must if you are capable of walking on uneven surfaces. You get to a high point and it really exemplifies all the park has to offer in terms of scenery. There are also 'soft' dunes in the park to roll around and frolic in.
On the lava tube trail, you can make tons of different loops with all the other trails shooting off of it. I didn't get in the tube as I was alone and totally not equipped, but it was cool to see the entrance. Look for moss on this trail- it surprised me to see soft, bright green moss on basalt rocks in the desert.
The cinder cone is a little steep at the end, but if you make it to the top, you can walk around the entire crater, and see other cinder cone volcanoes from the top. This one is in a separate parking lot, and I had it all to myself. I also found a working flashlight at the top- score.
Johnson Canyon features an arch, but is closed seasonally for wildlife habitat (it's the only reliable water source in summer). When I went, I saw a bold desert toad and the largest grasshopper I've ever seen!
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