Snow Canyon

There are a number of State Parks near St George, Utah, Snow Canyon is one of those. Our initial thought was that Snow Canyon was named for the deep winter snows found there. That thought turns out, not true. It was actually named after early Mormon settlers Lorenzo and Erastus Snow. Further research indicates the canyon only gets about 7 inches of rain per year. So no deep snow but gorgeous geological formations.

The most common rock in Snow Canyon is Navajo Sandstone. This is a common rock all over the southwest. The massive cliffs found in Zion are Navajo Sandstone.

The huge red cliffs rise above. This is a canyon and the access road runs from the south end to the north end with a connection to highway 18. You climb in elevation as you travel from south to north.

Not all the rocks are red as we will see. In this image the large lighter colored mountain appears to have a split running down the south face. This formation was in the north end of the canyon.

In this image we can see some of the newer (geologically speaking) rocks that were deposited by volcanic activity. By newer, we mean only 27-30,000 years ago. They are basalt flows from the volcanos that once were active in this area.

Here is another contrast between the volcanic rocks in the foreground and the larger red sandstone cliffs in the background. As the rocks of the Navajo get progressively younger, their colors change and the cliffs and domes of "petrified" sand dunes range from orange-red, to orange, to yellow, to cream, to white.

There a lot of hiking trails throughout the park. This happens to be the Whiptail Trail that is a paved three mile long trail that allows dogs. In general, dogs are allowed only in certain designated areas of the park.

This was one of the mileage markers embedded in the trail. The lizard helps you keep track of your distance, the numbers on the marker help as well.

We chatted with the two ladies whom have the orange back packs, they are trail stewards. They volunteer and walk the various trails checking to see if any people along the trial need, water, direction, or other assistance.

This collection of rocks appears to be stair steps. This formation is located directly adjacent to the trail we were walking along. The canyon is relatively narrow and most of the rock formations are easily accessible.

The people climbing on the rocks, seen in the center left part of this image, gives you a better perspective as to the size and scale of the formations.

The layers are certainly wild looking and quite fascinating. In this image they appear as if they were pools of mud that dried only to be partially covered by another pool that dried and on and on.

There is a campground in the park with some number of sites having electric and water hookups for campers. This unit is away from the campground proper but seems to be in a nice setting. It would be fascinating to stay in Snow Canyon for a few days and watch the changing light play on the rocks.

This was a brief look at some of the myriad of rock formations in Snow Canyon and the images and this blog really did not do the place much justice. You really need to see this place in all it's grandeur. Way beyond fascinating.

Here is a link to a PDF document compiled by the state of Utah that discusses the geology of Snow Canyon.

https://ugspub.nr.utah.gov/publications/public_information/pi-13.pdf

A great deal of additioal information can be found on the Internet regarding Snow Canyon by performing any number of searches. We hope this piqued your interest, the place certainly captivated ours. If you have any questions send us an e-mail or leave a comment.

Best Regards - George & Deanna