Snow Canyon State Park is characterized by old lava flow tubes, stunning sandstone formations, and even more beautiful views. Although you can drive through the park and have a fantastic time, Snow Canyon is best experienced by foot with more than 38 miles of hiking trails.
By Bekah Whitney
Address: 1002 N. Snow Canyon Rd, Ivins, UT 84738
Amenities: Restrooms, water spigots, and campsites are all available
Reservations/Permits: The park will hit capacity at points and is all first come first serve. You may, and are recommended to, make a campsite reservation if you would like to stay overnight in the park.
Time of year: Year round, but we suggest visiting during the winter months!
Fees: Utah Residents: $10 per car, Non-residents $15 per car
Hiking in Snow Canyon State Park is not the most straightforward, as many of the trails end by running into each other. This guide is set up based on parking, completing the set out hike, and returning to your vehicle to drive to the next trailhead. We enjoyed this approach as we were able to carry less water and left our lunch in the car instead of carrying it with us.
If you want to be hiking for all the time and skip reparking your car, you could easily do one out and back hike that includes the Lava Flow Trail, Petrified Dunes, and Whiterocks as all these trails are connected in one way or another
The most popular hikes inside Snow Canyon State Park are to explore the lava tubes on the Lava Flow Trail. Although there is a lot of beautiful hiking in Snow Canyon State Park, going down into and exploring the lava tubes was for sure a highlight of our trip.
Length: 2.5 miles Round Trip, Out & Back, Rated Moderate
Elevation Gain: 396 ft
Trailhead: Lava Flow Trailhead
The Hike: The trail is very well marked and there are educational signs that signify where to enter the lava tubes. There are some off-shoot trails, but as long as you follow the sandy trail and read the signs, you will easily find your way to the cave entrances.
The First Cave: The first cave you come to was my favorite. You have two different entrance options, a small crack that you can slowly descend into, or a larger hole that has a little bit more of a rock climbing feel. We opted for the smaller crack for each exiting and entering. Once down into the first “room” of the cave you can head into another small tube or head over to a large room. The large room is a fun one to explore if you are wary of tight spaces, but I suggest hitting both.
Once you are ready to explore more of the cave, there is an opening near the bottom of the smaller entrance. Head into and down that. To your left you can continue descending or if your path is blocked by other explorers, you can explore the slightly larger room to the left while you wait. After descending once again, you will make it to a very obvious tube. You can follow this until the tube ends in a large room. Many like to hang out here and enjoy the vibe of the cave.
The Second Cave: The second cave is also very fun to explore. It begins at a big rift in the rock and I don’t think we even found the end of it. It is nice and cool in the caves so they are a great way to spend the hotter hours of the day. We turned around at some point because we didn’t quite leave ourselves enough daylight to see all the main attractions of the park.
The Petrified Dunes Hike is one of those that doesn’t have a super clear trailhead from the map, but the ranger at the gate told us it was an absolute must. If you want to follow the actual trail it is kind of marked, but it is allowed to explore on the dunes themselves which makes this hike a choose your own adventure!
Length: Around 1.2 miles Round Trip, Out & Back, Rated Easy to Moderate
Elevation Gain: 216 ft, but depends on how much you explore
Trailhead: Upper Galoot
The Hike: Starting from the parking lot you can see the dunes right away. Follow the trail to them and then literally just pick a point and go! You will see layers of sandstone with different colors, incredible views of the whole park, and depending on the year some gorgeous wildflowers!
How the Petrified Dunes formed: “250 million years ago, an immense desert formed in which thick layers of drifting sand were deposited. The resulting sand dunes were later covered by layers of sediment derived from the adjacent mountains. Over millions of years, the sand dunes were compressed from the weight of the overlying layers and cemented by quartz- and calcium-rich solutions of groundwater eventually “petrifying” the sand dunes. The dunes we see today were exposed after the overlying layers eroded away over the past several million years.”
– Dan Whitney, Hydrogeologist
This hike features the Whiterocks amphitheater, expansive views and opportunities for scrambling up the rocks!
Length: Around 3.5 miles Round Trip, Out & Back, Rated Moderate
Elevation Gain: 449 ft
Trailhead: Whiterocks Trailhead
The Hike: From the Trailhead the hike crosses an open lava field and creekbed until meeting at a T-intersection. Take a right for a short hike into the rocky cliffs ending at the natural amphitheater, which is a very fun place to play with echoes. You can also take a left to see an expansive overlook of the main canyon. This trail intersects with the Lava Flow Trail.
Jenny’s Canyon is one of those hikes that we almost didn’t do because the sun was setting and we were tired of a long day of hiking, but we thought, “what the heck”. This easy half a mile round trip hike is the perfect little adventure to end your day of hiking in Snow Canyon State Park.
Length: 0.5 miles Round Trip, Out & Back, Rated Easy
Elevation Gain: NA
Trailhead: Jenny’s Canyon Trailhead
The Hike: This short hike begins by the side of the road on a small wash. You quickly get to the mouth of the canyon and can hike down it until you get to the spot where you can touch both sides of the canyon, aka the slots! One of the easiest, shortest hikes to slot canyons that I can remember.
Scout Cave is great because you can bring your dog with you and the cave at the end has some opportunity to boulder and is just a blast to explore.
Length: 4.4 miles Round Trip, Out & Back, Rated Moderate
Elevation Gain: 613ft
Trailhead: Johnson Canyon Trailhead
The Hike: Both Johnson Canyon and Scout Cave share the same trail for a short length. You will come to an intersection that has signs telling you which way to Scout Cave. The trail is sandy and easy with nice views, until you get to the descent down into the dry creek bed. You will follow the creek bed towards the neighborhood that butts up right to the edge of this protected area. At the end of the creek end you will start the ascent to Scout Cave.
Scout Cave: Scout Cave consists of one large room with a small hole out the top. In the cave you can look out to have a lovely view or go into the back and boulder up the sandstone walls.
Johnson Canyon is a short hike that has some interesting features including Johnson’s Arch. Dogs are not allowed on this trail and it is important to note that Johnson Canyon is closed annually March 15th-September 14th for wildlife and habitat protection.
Length: 2 miles Round Trip, Out & Back, Rated Easy
Elevation Gain: 154 ft
Trailhead: Johnson Canyon Trailhead
The Hike: Both Johnson Canyon and Scout Cave share the same trail for a short length. You will come to an intersection that has signs telling you which way to Johnson Canyon. Shortly after the split the trail rounds into the bend of Johnson’s Canyon. A fence marks the view of Johnson’s Arch.
The parking lots in Snow Canyon State Park are quite small and fill up fast. You might have to park at another nearby parking lot and walk on the road, or choose to make your hike longer and do a loop with other hikes you are interested in.
Deserts are among the most fragile ecosystems on the planet. Lack of water mixed with the heat makes for little biodiversity. Walking or driving over vegetation can easily kill it leading to erosion. Remember to stay on trails and do not make shortcuts, do not pick up plants, and please do not carve into any rocks.
We visited Snow Canyon in February and were caught off guard with how much water we went through on these short hikes because of the heat and lack of shade. We actually had to backtrack once to refill our water bottles at a spigot near one of the campgrounds.
Hi! I’m Bekah, but you can call me Beks, all my friends do! I travel full-time in a tiny home on wheels that my partner, Sawyer, and I built from a cargo trailer shell in 2019. We started out in beautiful Colorado and have been all over the United States over the years. This space is designed to inspire and guide the nature obsessed nomad, weekend warrior, and future roadlifer. I’m so excited you’re here!
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St George is an outdoor lover’s paradise. With so many hikes, mountain bike trails, state parks, and of course Zion National Park being a short drive away it’s hard to run out of things to do.
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7 Comments on Ultimate Guide to Hiking in Snow Canyon State Park
Wow what a beautiful place to hike. I like the fact that you can complete different hiking trails. What a shame about all the glow sticks people leave behind...Thanks for raising awareness!
I wish I took a picture, it's really sad how much trash is in the caves.
This looks really cool! I would love to visit some day after reading this.
I've been tp St.George but sadly missed Snow Canyon State Park. All of these hikes look amazing and I love the scenery here! It's so helpful that you've listed how long each hike is and the elevation gain too, next time I'm in St George I'll certainly spend a few days exploring these trails!
This is such a helpful guide for such an incredible location. I hate when I'm hiking and I don't know where the trail is going or where it ends so this is super helpful to read before the trip. Thank you so much for all your helpful tips. Can't wait to explore Snow Canyon State Park!
I really need to get up to Utah! All of these hikes look incredible. But I think it would just be so fun to be in a lava tube. Thanks for the inspiration. I need to book that trip to Utah!
Yes! It is such an incredible state.