I had started planning a fall trip with my partner and my parents to southwest Utah in early 2020, around the time that the COVID pandemic had just touched down in the United States. My mom, a longtime donator to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, had wanted to visit the ranch that sprawls over hundreds of colorful acres near Kanab, Utah. I had been on a similar trip eight years prior and was overdue for more hiking the national and state parks in this monumental part of the country.
By September, when it was time to depart for our trip, the first wave of the pandemic had started to decline, but would soon surge again by the following November. It was our first time flying since the beginning of the pandemic, and I was relieved the minute we disembarked our packed flight, even if I was immediately surrounded by slot machines and neon in Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport. After greeting my parents who arrived on another flight, we headed to the car rental facility, and started our two-hour drive to St. George, Utah, where we would be staying at my timeshare for the next week. Unlike most of my previous vacations, this one would involve much more social distancing, wearing masks in public and cooking our own meals.
About 80 miles past Vegas along Interstate 15 in the Mojave Desert, the landscape changes from a flat and dull beige to a vibrant vision of reds, greens and tans, amid beautiful rock formations. St. George, the base for most visitors headed to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, sits in a valley surrounded by red and amber colored hills and cliffs. The city was settled in 1861 as a cotton mission, by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Between 1873 and 1876, Brigham Young spent the winter in St. George to alleviate his arthritis. His former home, now a museum located in the historic part of the city, is open to the public. While cotton didn’t succeed, the natural beauty of the area began to attract tourists, and the region has grown steadily ever since. In the last twenty years, there has been a significant increase in both retirees and adventurers wanting to be close to some of the most stunning geography in the country, while enjoying an average of 255 sunny days a year. The population of the metropolitan area today is nearly 200,000 people, and the city spreads in a V shape from the city center.
We decided we would spend our first full day exploring the immediate area of St. George, to allow my parents to recover from the long journey. On the north edge of town sits the Red Hills Desert Garden, overlooking the historic part of the city. The five acre preserve, free to the public, features 5,000 water efficient plants, a stream stocked with native and endangered fish species, and prehistoric dinosaur tracks dating back 200 million years. Adjacent to the garden is the 52 acre Pioneer Park which features plenty of trails and large rock formations to hike. Dixie Sugarloaf, so named because of the white lettered “DIXIE” painted on the side, is an enormous red sandstone formation offering spectacular views of the city.
Ten minutes northwest of St. George is Snow Canyon State Park, which sits on what was once an ancient desert sand sea. Visitors can drive, hike or horseback ride through the 7,400 acre park, gaping at majestic views of canyons, lava flows and sandstone cliffs surrounding the desert floor comprised of yucca, creosote bush, scrub oak and other diverse vegetation. The park was originally established to protect the federally listed desert tortoise and its habitat. The area, inhabited by Anasazi Indians over 1,000 years ago, has more recently been used as a setting for Hollywood films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The park fee is a very affordable $15 per vehicle for non-residents, or $5 for pedestrians or cyclists.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and roaming around Kayenta Art Village, about ten miles northwest of town. The village is an enclave with numerous art galleries, studios, day spa, café and a gift shop, all designed in a beige adobe style architecture to blend into the surrounding landscape. While checking out one of the galleries, we decided to purchase a reasonably priced landscape painting of Snow Canyon, that would always remind us of our recent experience.
The biggest and most well known treasures of southwest Utah are Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, and any visit to this part of the country wouldn’t be complete without including them. Getting to Bryce Canyon requires a two-hour drive to the northeast from St. George. It’s well worth it to purchase an annual National Parks pass for $80. The pass, valid for one year, provides access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the country. The pass covers entrance and day use fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas (or up to four adults at sites that charge per person). Children age 15 or under are admitted free. Bryce is known for its surreal tall, orange and white colored chimney shaped geological structures called “hoodoos”. They were formed over millions of years of stream erosion and front weathering of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. From viewpoints located throughout the park, visitors can see the magnificent, alien looking landscape stretch for miles.
One wonders if the first humans to inhabit the area 10,000 years ago marveled at the hoodoos the same as we do today. In the late 19th century, a Mormon Scottish immigrant named Ebenezer Bryce and his wife Mary were sent by the Church to settle the valley, and they built their home just below Bryce Amphitheater, the main collection of hoodoos. As other settlers came, they named the area “Bryce’s Canyon”. Tourism didn’t arrive in large numbers until the early 1900s, spurred by a number of articles in magazines published by the Union Pacific and Santa Fe railroads. As a result of the negative impacts of logging, unregulated tourism and grazing, President Warren G. Harding designated the area a National Monument in 1923, and in 1924, Congress upgraded its status to a national park. There are a total of 13 viewpoints throughout the park, and hiking trails range from easy to challenging. The easy Rim Trail, stretching along the rim of the amphitheater can be accessed from the Bryce Canyon Lodge. Both Sunrise and Sunset Points along the trail offer spectacular views of the canyon.
From nearby Sunset Point, my partner and I hiked the Navajo Loop trail. Its descent starts with a series of switchbacks leading to the floor of the canyon, passing through “Wall Street”, a narrow crevice between two towering Douglas Firs. The 1.4 mile trail is considered moderately challenging and allows visitors to view the immense vibrant colored hoodoos from their base, with a solid azure blue sky as a backdrop. Our hike ascended the switchbacks back to the top, leaving us rather hungry and decided to eat at the park lodge, which only offered take-out meals due to the pandemic. We met up with my parents and sat outside on Adirondack chairs, enjoying a satisfying serving of meatloaf and mashed potatoes topped with crispy fried onion rings.
The next day we headed to Zion National Park, which is only a one-hour drive east of St. George. Zion is known for its majestic and massive sandstone cliffs and canyons towering over the beautiful green Virgin River valley. As with Bryce Canyon, this area was initially inhabited by Native American tribes. Trappers followed these Native Americans, and later Mormon farmers, before the area was designated a national park.
We parked just outside the park, in the adjacent town of Springdale, which has a wide array of lodging, restaurants, coffee shops and outfitter stores to meet any traveler’s needs. A shuttle system operates from the visitor center near the park entrance, with nine stops providing access to the trail system. However, due to the pandemic, only five of the stops were operating. The Emerald Pools trails begin at the Zion Lodge stop, and offer a good starting point for all ages and abilities to view this oasis in the middle of the park. The trails climb to three different levels of pools formed by tranquil streams and waterfalls. The 1.2 mile Lower Pool paved trail is considered easy, while the Middle and Upper Pool trails are considered moderate.
Six miles north of the visitor center, the last shuttle stop is at Temple of Sinawava, named for the coyote god of the Paiute Indians. It’s here that hikers going to the Narrows start their trek. The Narrows, so named because of where Zion Canyon narrows to twenty feet in width, is formed by the Virgin River and flanked by walls a thousand feet high on either side. Visitors can access the gateway to the Narrows via the flat, one mile long paved Riverside trail that follows the Virgin River through gorgeous meadows of cottonwoods, offering a good chance to see wildlife. We saw numerous tame squirrels and chipmunks begging for food, as well as a mule deer. The more adventurous may wish to continue hiking into the Narrows as I did eight years earlier. This requires hiking through the frigid but refreshing river, and a pair of water shoes and a walking stick are highly recommended.
The truly adventurous dare to hike to Angels Landing, a nearly 1,500 foot tall rock formation that offers stunning views of the canyon and Virgin River below. A permit is now required to hike the trail. The popular trail, accessible from the Grotto shuttle stop, is cut into solid rock and climbs steep switchbacks as it nears Scout Lookout. Those with acrophobia may hesitate to hike the strenuous, last half mile to the top, which requires traversing very narrow paths with sharp drop offs, requiring gripping chains fastened to the cliffs. But the thousands who do make it to the top every year swill attest to the stunning views so close to heaven.
Exploring Southwest Utah can be rewarding any time of year, but this trip was especially rewarding during the time of a pandemic. It allowed our family to be close during uncertain times, providing a myriad of opportunities to witness unparalleled natural beauty, while still maintaining a reasonable social distance from others. In some ways, we counted ourselves as lucky. The crowds were less than normal given the circumstances, but I suspect in a year, that won’t be the case.