St. George

A red-rock city in southwestern Utah, close to Snow Canyon and Sand Hollow Reservoir, and a base for the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park.

St. George sits in Washington County in the far southwestern corner of Utah, where the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin meet. At about 850 m above sea level and roughly 190 km (about a 2-hour drive) from Las Vegas, it is the largest city in southern Utah. In the 1860s Mormon pioneers came here to try growing cotton, and the warm climate earned the area the nickname "Utah's Dixie"; the white St. George Temple, the red-sandstone Tabernacle and the Brigham Young Winter Home downtown all date from that era. The city is ringed by red sandstone, black lava and sand dunes, and the outdoor options are plentiful: Snow Canyon State Park to the northwest is the signature sight; Sand Hollow Reservoir and its dunes to the east are good for boating and off-roading; the Red Reef Trail in Red Cliffs National Conservation Area to the north and the Yant Flat Candy Cliffs in the Pine Valley foothills are great for hiking and photography; and Pioneer Park on the city's northern edge lets you scramble over red rocks to watch the sunset. In the evening, catch a musical against a red-rock backdrop at Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Ivins. The Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park is about an hour's drive north, and Zion Canyon itself is about an hour away, so many visitors also use St. George as a base. The best seasons are March–May and October–November, when daytime temperatures of 20–28°C are ideal for being outdoors; winters are mild with little snow, good for hiking and golf; from June to September daytime highs often exceed 40°C, so plan outdoor activities for early morning. There is almost no public transport to the sights, so renting a car is recommended. St. George Regional Airport has flights to Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix and elsewhere. Plan on 2–3 days. In the desert, always carry plenty of water and sun protection, and watch out for flash floods in the canyons during the rainy season.

Top sights

• Snow Canyon State Park – A canyon of red and white sandstone, ancient lava flows, and petrified dunes, just 15 minutes from the city. It is St. George's most repres…
• Sand Hollow State Park – A blue reservoir surrounded by red rock and large red sand dunes. Kayaking, paddleboarding, and off-roading are the main attractions here.
• Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (Red Reef Trail) – The most popular entrance to the Red Cliffs preserve. The Red Reef Trail winds up a creek canyon between red sandstone walls, with small wa…
• St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm – A large expanse of Early Jurassic dinosaur footprint fossils, accidentally discovered in 2000 while a farm was being developed. Preserved a…
• Pioneer Park & Dixie Rock – A red-rock park on the northern edge of downtown, where you can climb the giant Dixie Rock, squeeze through narrow slots, and look out over…
• Tuacahn Amphitheatre – An open-air amphitheatre at the mouth of a red rock canyon, where Broadway musicals are staged against 100-meter red cliffs.
• St. George Utah Temple – A white temple completed in 1877, the first Latter-day Saint temple finished in Utah and a landmark of downtown St. George.
• St. George Tabernacle – A downtown pioneer-era meeting hall built of red sandstone, with a well-preserved bell tower and wooden auditorium that you can enter for f…
• Brigham Young Winter Home – The brick-and-timber winter residence of Mormon leader Brigham Young in his later years, preserved with 19th-century furnishings and open f…
• Yant Flat (Candy Cliffs) – A striking formation of red and white banded Navajo sandstone whose colors look like melted candy, often called St. George’s answer to The…
• Quail Creek State Park – A reservoir ringed by red hills with some of the warmest water in Utah, a relaxing spot for swimming, boating, and fishing.
• Gunlock State Park – A remote red-rock reservoir that produces a seasonal waterfall flowing over red rock steps when water levels are high, a favorite on social…
• Red Hills Desert Garden – Utah’s first water-wise desert botanical garden, with cacti and desert flowers planted along a stream, a dinosaur track site, and fish pond…
• Toquerville Falls – A hidden desert site of small tiered waterfalls and cool pools, a summer swimming spot for locals, but reachable only by four-wheel-drive v…
• Pine Valley – A mountain town in the pines at about 2,000 meters elevation, more than ten degrees cooler than St. George in summer, home to one of Utah’s…

Where to eat

• Wood Ash Rye – A modern American restaurant inside the Advenire hotel downtown, serving creative dishes made with seasonal local ingre…
• Bear Paw Cafe – A longtime downtown breakfast spot, open since 1995, famous for its stuffed French toast. Locals and visitors both love…
• Angelica's Mexican Grill – A family-run spot opened in 2011 by a owner from Mexico City, serving authentic Mexico City-style street tacos and chil…