37.2 degrees North (latitude), and 113.6 degrees West (longitude)
Chances are you have either made a quick stop to grab a bite to eat or you have just driven straight through St. George on Interstate 15 in southern Utah. Either way St. George serves as the gateway to some of Utah's most well known and spectacular scenery including Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. Lesser known, but absolutely stunning is Snow Canyon State Park (SCSP) located in the southwest corner of the state in Washington County. Wow! This relatively small state park (7,000 acres) is filled with red and white sandstone cliffs, lava flows, petrified sand dunes, sandy washes, lava tubes, and lava flows. It is a gorgeous geologic playground.
Having only ever visited the SCSP website, we packed our jackets and bikes, and headed westward. When visiting Utah, we enjoy camping, but decided to take advantage of a great deal and stay in the lap of luxury at The Inn at Entrada. It proved to be a smart choice because halfway to our final destination our bikes were covered in ice. It was November after all, and while packing for the trip, it seemed crazy to even bring our bikes.
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| Frozen Bikes |
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| Inn at Entrada |
Just as we had hoped, The Inn at Entrada was a treat. Nestled at the base of the park's entrance among sandstone hills, it is pleasantly secluded and offers spectacular views of the scenery. Both the park and the Inn are the antithesis of St. George, the city in which they are located. We booked a Studio Casita for our family of four and enjoyed all the amenities including a garage, 2 patios, access to the Sports & Fitness Center, bar, and restaurant. We basked in the understated elegance of the Inn and were so happy that southern Utah's weather is much warmer than most of Colorado. We were excited to begin exploring the area.
We unloaded our bikes, and stored them in our private garage for the night. The next morning, after a breakfast prepared in our mini kitchen, we rode into SCSP. Fortunately for us, it is uncommon to actually find snow at Snow Canyon. The park's extraordinary desert terrain is mesmerizing. You can even catch glimpses of the rare gila monsters and desert tortoises for those wildlife enthusiasts.
We visited in the fall which is one of the best times of year to have both the park and the Inn to yourself, but not the best time of year to spot either the gila monster or the desert tortoise. Mother Nature was sure to provide many other features for us to explore. We hiked to petrified sand dunes, lava flows & tubes, and the boys played in mini sand dunes.
The geology is both stunning and rich. For more details visit Utah Geology. There are more than 20 miles of hiking and biking trails with elevations ranging from 3,000 feet (915 m) to 5,024 feet (1,532 m). For a map of the park and information about specific trails visit Red Rock Adventures. 
Snow Canyon State Park is truly a natural history gem and only about 10 minutes from the interstate and numerous strip malls. There are, however, some benefits to having all those chain stores nearby. We were more than happy to treat ourselves to a tasty meal at In-N-Out Burger, and relieved that one of our favorite health food chains has a store in St. George too! After the boys finished their burger and fries, we picked up some sundries at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage.
Snacks in hand, we were ready for the next day's happenings...another bike ride! Don't be fooled by all the strip malls. Exit the freeway and stay for a night or two, even three. This is a place worth getting to know.
