Exploring Snow Canyon and the Vortex, St George, Utah

Cathy and I always come back to Snow Canyon State Park to hike through the black lava fields, past the red rocks and into the white limestone.  Hence the name Snow Canyon.  This year is particularly spectacular with the desert in full bloom after a wet winter. Hint: when Zion and Bryce National Parks are packed with tourists, then Snow Canyon is a great alternative.  This is one stop on our  Coast to Coast USA driving trip.  We recently blogged about our experience seeing the Petroglyphs  in Snow Canyon.

Hiking to the Whiterock Amphitheater

This is a 5 miles round-trip.  We start at the Lava Tubes Parking Area, and hike to the Lava Tubes and up to the Amphitheater.  Cathy and I like checking out the Lava Tubes and climbing the natural steps in the rocks.

 

 

Biking the West Canyon Road

This is a first for us, and what fun.  It’s a 8 mile ride on a gravel road right to the north end of the Park.  With our e-bikes, it is pretty easy going on the continuous uphill to the end of the canyon.

Visiting the Vortex

The Vortex is about 15 miles north of Snow Canyon.  Check out the Vortex Trail  for good instructions on how to access the trail.  This is a wilderness trail so it is not maintained and is quite rugged.  We hike about 2 miles and climb about 400 feet into the Vortex.  There are several natural pools carved by the wind at the highest point of the trail.  To mark our ascent, I build an Inuksuk to join the rock garden.  Cathy, her brother and I rate this as a definite must-do hike.