Snow Canyon State Park
Personal Notes
This page contains our personal notes on our visits to Snow Canyon State Park in Utah.
We have visited Snow Canyon State Park on several occasions and have camped in the campground there. This is a small park and its close proximity to St. George means that there are usually a good number of people around. So this isn't a park for solitude. There are a few trails, but they are not long nor difficult. The campground is nice and has hookups for trailers and spaces for tents.
Friday, November 11, 2005
8:04 a.m.
There was a thunder storm before dawn, then some rain. But at this point it doesn’t look like rain in the distance, to the south and west, so we'll probably be able to get out hike in. After breakfast we gathered our hiking gear and drove toward Snow Canyon State Park along Skyline Drive. St. George Boulevard is under construction.
South Entrance
9:35 a.m.
At the Santa Clara/Ivins entrance to Snow Canyon State Park there is a new entrance station, but there was no one there on this day. So we had to use the self-pay station on the honor system. The entrance fee is $5.00 per car per day.
From there we drove up the main road into the park and stopped at the Hidden Pinyon Trailhead to check out the literature and decide which trails to hike. There were a few people in the Park, but mostly walkers out on the asphalt pathways.
Upper Galoot Picnic Area
From there we drove to the Upper Galoot picnic area to put on our boots and use the rest room (a composting toilet). Because of the cool temps and possibility of rain, we decided to hike in our jeans and sweatshirts instead of our usual shorts and t-shirts.
Lava Flow Overlook Trailhead
10:19 a.m.
We parked at the Lava Flow Overlook trailhead. From this point the West Canyon Overlook is .75 miles away, and the White Rocks Trail is 2 miles. It is still cloudy and feels like it could rain. We’re packing our rain gear just in case. I wore my small day pack, and Anne wore her fanny pack. These should be easy hikes. The Lava Flow Overlook Trailhead is at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 13,397N; 113 38.547W; at an approximate elevation of 3,777 feet.
The junction of the Lava Flow Overlook Trail and the White Rocks Trail is at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 13.339N; 113 38.867W; at an approximate elevation of 3,642. The trail passes through quite a bit of lava and sandstone, intermingled. It can be difficult walking at times because of the chunks of lava protruding from the trail. Lava seems to grab the tips of boots. There are several small lava caves along this route.
10:39 a.m.
There is a large lava cave at GPS Coordinates 37 13.219N; 113 38.942W; at an approximate elevation of 3,642 feet.
10:40 a.m.
The junction of the Butterfly, Lava Caves, and White Rock Trails is at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 13.194N; 113 38.963W; at an approximate elevation of 3,622 feet.
10:42 a.m.
The junction to the West Canyon Overlook is at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 13.169N; 113 38.980W; at an approximate elevation of 3,613 feet. The trail heads off toward the southwest, toward a large sandstone formation.
West Canyon Overlook
10:51 a.m.
The West Canyon Overlook looks out over West Canyon Road and is at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 13.120N; 113 39.010W; at an approximate elevation of 3,622 feet. There are nice views of the main canyon below, as well as the various sandstone and lava formations all around.
As you approach the Overlook there are several trails that diverge and make the route confusing. If you stay to the right of the large sandstone outcrop you can get to the Overlook proper. If you go to the left you can climb up over some interesting cross-bedded sandstone, but you will have to retrace your steps to get to the Overlook.
From there we hiked back to the Lava Flow Overlook Trail and followed it down slope toward the bottom of the main canyon. The trail gets confusing at one point, apparently heading off toward the north, into an interesting area of eroded sandstone features and more prominent cross-bedding. But the main trail heads back toward the southwest and passes down through some hip high vegetation into the wash at the bottom of the canyon. It’s difficult to follow the trail in here, but we let our instincts guide us and we finally found the path on the far side of the dry stream. It eventually led to the abandoned dirt road.
11:16 a.m.
We’re at the junction with the West Canyon Road and the Lava Caves Trail. The GPS Coordinates are: 37 12.933N; 113 39.228W; at an approximate elevation of 3,407 feet.
Three Ponds
11:23 a.m.
Along the West Canyon Road there is a sign and a trail to Three Ponds at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 12.761N; 113 39.176W; at an approximate elevation of 3,402 feet. This doesn’t seem to be where the map shows the trail to be, but we suspect that it is a cutoff that will meet up with the trail shown on the maps.
And of course it does meet the wash that leads to Three Ponds. From here we followed the sandy wash, and, as usual, we didn’t much enjoy that portion of the hike. Walking in loose sand can be tiring. But the wash cuts back into another canyon that looks like it would be fun to explore. However, on this day we stopped at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 12.688N; 113 39.434W; at an approximate elevation of 3,402 feet and turned back.
11:52 a.m.
The Three Ponds Trail crosses the West Canyon Road at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 12.539N; 113 39.009W; at an approximate elevation of 3,382 feet. There is a restroom up the road to the north just a bit. The trail continues on toward the east.
Hidden Pinyon Overlook
12:13 p.m.
We hiked up through some interesting erosional features to a junction that heads off to the Hidden Pinyon Overlook. This junction is at GPS Coordinates 37 12.480N; 113 38.871W; at an approximate elevation of 3,498 feet. The Hidden Pinyon Overlook is at GPS Coordinates 37 12.445N; 113 38.890W; at an approximate elevation of 3,514 feet. This side hike to the Overlook is well worth the time, offering some great views of the canyon and the surrounding landscape. There are also some really interesting erosional features and rock formations.
By this time the sun had come out, but it was a little breezy.
Petrified Dunes Trail
12:16 p.m.
At GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 12.513N; 113 38.830W; at an approximate elevation of 3,460 feet, we found what we think is the junction of the Three Ponds and Petrified Dunes trails. It gets confusing in this area, and we weren’t sure just where the Petrified Dunes trail passed. We know the trail heads toward the north, but the area is solid sandstone and we couldn’t find any cairns to follow. So we gave it a shot and ended up bushwhacking our way across the desert scrub, which was fairly easy because we could see generally where we had to go and the sage and other brush was sparse enough that we could wind our way through without trampling the vegetation. However, we felt bad because Park regulations state that hikers must stay on the trails. We treaded as lightly as we could.
12:39 p.m.
We made it back to the Upper Galoot Rest Area, at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 12.805N; 113 38.505W; at an approximate elevation of 3,554 feet. This is where we first put on our boots and used the restroom. From here we had to walk up the main paved road to the next trailhead.
Petrified Dunes and Butterfly Trailhead
12:50 p.m.
The parking lot for the Petrified Dunes and Butterfly Trails is at GPS Coordinates (NAD83): 37 12.943N; 113 38.625W; at an approximate elevation of 3,623 feet. This trailhead also hooks up with the Lava Caves Trail via the Butterfly Trail. We headed out along the Butterfly Trail and then caught the Lava Caves Trail back to our truck.
1:18 p.m.
We’re back at the trailhead. According to the GPS we hiked 5.69 miles round trip, at an average speed of 2.7 mph. We were out for two hours and eight minutes. The highest elevation that we reached was at 3,799 feet; our total accumulative ascent was 629 feet. The temperature is 56 degrees and it is mostly cloudy.
Campground
1:44 p.m.
We drove through the campground to look around. It is at Map Coordinates (NAD83): 37 12.177N; 113 38.448W; at an elevation of 3,367 feet. We had to stop at the entrance and show our park pass. That is nice, meaning that the campground is more secure than most. There is electricity and water for sites 1 through 14, and those sites also have covered picnic tables and asphalt pads, with pull through driveways. But, they are all very close. There would not be much privacy.
Then there are also tent sites, which, for the most part, are mostly exposed. They do not appear to have electricity.
We did a quick review of the sites that we thought would work best for us:
- Site 19 is nice and flat, secluded, and not too far from the restrooms near the entrance. It’s a good spot with some shade and a place to set up our shade canopy.
- Site 20 isn’t too bad. It’s set back against the rocks and would have some morning shade, but less in the evening.
- Site 21 isn’t too bad, but doesn’t have much shade and there is no room for our canopy.
- Site 22 would take our pop-up trailer and it looks to be a great site. It is close to water, and it sits way back from the road, with high bushes, making it private. It is not too far from restroom, but far enough. The showers are right there as well. This seems to be the best site for us.
- Site 23 is more for tents, but it has a little bit of shade, but is pretty open.
