About Snow Canyon State Park, Utah
One of the best examples of southwest Utah’s beauty is concentrated in a small scenic area called Snow Canyon State Park. Located in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, the park is a few miles from the city of Ivins, and 11 miles from the larger city of St. George. Sitting at the junction of the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau, the park’s desert climate means the canyon receives little rainfall, averaging 7.5 inches per year, and can experience very high summer temperatures.
Snow Canyon is characterized by a magnificent variety of forms and colors. Unique geologic features like volcanic cones, sand dunes, deep red and white Navajo sandstone, and twisted layers of rocks are strewn throughout the area. Two recent volcanic cones are found near the head of the canyon. The park features picnic areas and a shaded, grass-covered park near the campground.
The ancient Ancestral Puebloan culture inhabited the region between A.D. 400-1250. Here petroglyphs, artifacts, and structural remnants endure along with carved names and dates of early pioneer settlers.
Interesting Facts About Snow Canyon State Park
- The scenery may look familiar – movies like The Electric Horseman and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid have been filmed here.
- Originally called Dixie State Park, it was later renamed for Lorenzo and Erastus Snow, prominent pioneering Utah leaders.