ST GEORGE, UT
When planning places to go and stay, Deb and Kathy O-P pushed St. George as an incredible location. And wow, they did not oversell it.
St. George's location in the southwest corner of Utah is incredible. Getting to St. George is easy - it's just two hours from Las Vegas and four hours south of Salt Lake City, plus it has a little regional airport of its own, so it is very accessible.
It is surrounded by parks - Zion National Park, Snow Canyon State Park, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, The Grand Canyon, Sand Hollow State Park, and several more.
The St. George area is home to 189,000 people (of these, 70% are Mormon), the NCAA D1 Dixie State University, and an economy largely dependent on tourism.
What I love about St. George is that people are super nice, there is a ton to do, there is very little traffic, it has a small town vibe, and yet is big enough to have everything you need. I would have to experience St. George in the winter, but as of now, this and Flagstaff are in the running for potential retirement locations.
I feel like I did a LOT in St. George, yet I barely scraped the surface of all there is to do there.
Here's a quick summary:
Hiking
The hiking in this area is out of control and there is just so much to do. I'm going to do my best to rank these in order of my delight, but I'm telling you now, it's difficult!
THE SUBWAY!! - loved this because it was a true adventure, where I hiked, swam, and rappelled on my own. Something I had never done before!
Petrified Dunes, Lava Tube, Whiterocks Amphitheater - loved this because I had never seen or explored lava caves before. The fact that I saw a full-grown man squeezing through a tiny opening and little children far braver than me heightened my experience - not sure I'd have ventured back as far as I did without them there!
Valley of Fire State Park - this was just beautiful. I have yet to see a place with such unique rock formations and a variety of colors.
Deidre Peak - this was my most adventurous rock scramble experience to date. The fact that I wimped out after just 400' when the peak was at 1,500' shows just how much it pushed my comfort level!
The Vortex - a huge swirling bowl in the top of a mountain! This was a very unique site.
Red Reef Trail & Babylon Arch Trail - the Red Reef trail had the fun little rope to help navigate around a huge boulder and the serendipitous encounter with the family that helped me up over a rock too slippery to climb! Babylon Arch was a baby step to my rock scramble adventures.
The Crack at Pioneer Park & Owens Loop - The Crack still has me mesmerized! How anyone can squeeze through that long claustrophobic torture chamber is beyond me!
Kanarra Falls - this was beautiful and had the fun ladder next to a waterfall. If I hadn't already done The Narrows, this would likely rank higher.
Scout Cave & Cinder Cone Trail - the cave was pretty awesome!
Forsyth Trail to Burger Peak - didn't get to finish this due to snow, so I think this would rank higher as it would be my first time hiking to a 10,000 ft elevation!
See what I mean? When Kanarra Falls ranks this low, you know the competition for best hike is pretty epic!
Things to Do
Eating
Ate in the entire time! After a week of making do in a hotel room, it was so nice to have a house with a fully stocked kitchen, a very nice grill and patio, and three great grocery stores within 10 minutes of the house, so eating in like a grown-up in a real kitchen was a nice treat.
Sleeping
I rented a townhouse through Red Rock Vacation Rentals called Stay Bea-UTAH-ful. How clever is that? It was complete overkill with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, but it was affordable and absolutely perfect.
After a couple months of switching back and forth between houses and hotel rooms, I appreciate even more the amenities of a fully stocked house, having a private outdoor space with a grill, and the convenience of not needing quarters for a washer and dryer.
It was located on the border of Washington and Hurricane, UT, just northeast of St. George on the way to Zion National Park. The location was fine. Ideally I'd have stayed in St. George proper, but there were ZERO house rentals available by the time I booked. So this location worked out great because, although I had to drive further to get to Snow Canyon, there were other hiking trails just a few minutes from the house.
Here are some pics:
The dining room table was my workstation for two weeks.
A kitchen with pans, cutting boards, knives that actually cut, and even spices - hello, red pepper flakes!
Loved this patio area! It was the perfect spot to call family and friends in the evenings, and to eat dinner al fresco most days.
A bright sunny room with lots of space for my luggage.
Things on My List I Didn't Do
I think you could spend five years in St. George and still not do everything this area has to offer! Here are a few goodies I wasn't able to squeeze in. Love having this "what I didn't get done" section because it means a lot of my planning is already done for when I come back next time!
Hiking Trails
There are a million other trails to hike, these are just the ones on my short list that I didn't get to:
Neon Canyon - this is a 3-day canyoneering and backpacking experience that Deb suggested (she knows every adventurous activity to do!) and this is one I would NOT attempt on my own. I requires rappelling, down-climbing, stemming, pothole escapes, and swimming. I have no idea what some of those things are and I totally want to do this.
Whipple Trail - a 12-mile trek in Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness with a 2,800' elevation gain to the top of Pine Mountain. There was still too much snow while I was there.
Gardner Peak Trail - an 8-mile trek in Dixie National Forest with a 2,200' elevation gain to the top of Gartner Peak.
Wahweap Hoodoos - giant white hoodoos nicknamed "white ghosts"
Cassidy Trail - this is four hours from St. George and just isn't close to anything, which is why I didn't get to it. Supposedly, Butch Cassidy made an escape through this hoodoo-filled section of Red Canyon after an attempted murder.
Ghost Towns
Grafton Ghost Town - a town settled in 1859 by Mormons. The abandoned down appears in several films including "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
Breweries
Silver Reef Brewing Company - thank you Kathy O-P for the suggestion. Next time!
Station II - an old firehouse turned into a bar and billiards room. Another Kathy O-P recommendation!
Other Things to Do
Moqui Cave - this is an ancient cave that has been turned into a museum/bar and is full of fluorescent minerals. I should have done this when I was driving from White Pocket to Springdale.
Dinosaur Discovery Site - seemed like too much learning. :)
See ya, St. George!
Next Stop: Moab, UT and Arches National Park. See you there!