The Essential Guide to Snow Canyon State Park

Some five million people visit Zion National Park each year, but there’s an equally beguiling if lesser-known option a mere 40-minute drive away. At Snow Canyon State Park, red sandstone cliffs rise dramatically from undulating petrified dunes and jet-black dried lava flows, providing an otherworldly habitat for tortoises, roadrunners, and peregrine falcons.

“Snow Canyon offers a different kind of beauty than Zion,” says Jeremy Linn, an adventure guide for Black Desert Resort, a high-end local hotel with 447 rooms and suites, pool, pickleball, and a championship golf course set among 600 acres of striking black lava. “Where Zion rises in vertical drama, Snow Canyon stretches outward … The result is an open, immersive landscape with quiet trails and a slower pace.”

The park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and earned a designation as an Urban Night Sky Place by DarkSky International in Dec. 2025—it’s the perfect place to linger through dusk and watch the stars at special viewing areas. The entry fee is $20 for non-residents of Utah in vehicles and $15 for those who call the Beehive State home.

Here’s what you need to know before planning a trip to Snow Canyon State Park.

What to Do

You’ll naturally want to get out and about here—whether it’s on foot, two wheels, or four hooves. Hiking highlights include the Three Ponds Trail, a 3.5-mile wander through a narrow canyon that’s pocketed with sandstone potholes, and the 2.5-mile Lava Flow Trail that traverses black volcanic rock and leads to two lava tubes (essentially, vertical caves ripe for exploring).

There are scrambling areas, canyoneering spots, and 170 designated climbing routes, as well as miles of easy biking paths and equestrian trails (ask for a designated map when you drive in). Every inch of this rocky playground is designed to be enjoyed. 

It’s also a photographer’s dream, whether you’re a Nikon pro or an iPhone enthusiast. Black Desert Resort’s director of marketing (and keen landscape photographer) Evan Breckenridge has two favorite spots: Sliding Rock and the Scenic Overlook Basin. ”The contrast of sandstone, lava, and sky is incredible,” he says, adding that the dark skies are ideal for Milky Way photography at night. “Even though you’re close to town, it feels worlds away. It’s rare to find a place that feels this wild without having to go completely off the grid.”

Once you’re done with the park, FeelLove Coffee near the southern entrance is a fun spot for pastries and a pick-me-up—all vintage furnishings and great lattes—or head closer to the city of St. George, Utah, for a dirty soda, à la “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” at Swig.

Best Time to Visit

Avoid the summer and hit Snow Canyon State Park in spring or fall—ideally March to May or September and October, when temperatures are more forgiving and crowds thin out. “Fall through spring brings cooler air and soft light that fully reveals the desert’s color and texture,” Linn says. Winter, meanwhile, often sees snow in the broader region, and the skies might fill with beautifully bruised clouds providing contrast to the immutable ochre rocks.

How to Get There

Snow Canyon State Park sits at the intersection of the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin Desert, and the Colorado Plateau. It’s a two-hour drive (about 129 miles) northeast of Las Vegas—and it’s quite a drive. After leaving Sin City, the road soon plunges into the dramatic Virgin River Valley, where burnished orange rocks rise on either side and even screen-hooked kids look up in awe. If you’re thinking of a Utah road trip, it’s about four hours south of Salt Lake City, five hours southwest of Moab, and just 40 minutes from Zion National Park. If you’re flying in from another part of the country, you will likely find the best flights out of either Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) or Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), though you may find some options to St. George Regional Airport (SGU).