10 Best Hikes in St. George Utah For First Timers to Try

The area of St. George Utah contains many popular and beautiful hikes and today, I’d like to share the top 10 you’ll find there, based on reviewer ratings.

St. George is an amazing area to find hikes at for several reasons:

1. It’s very close to Zion National Park (and is a great spot to explore on your way there).
2. The hikes near St. George are far less crowded than in Zion because not too many people know about this region (they just go straight to the park).
3. Many of them are very close to Intersate 15.
4. Despite not being as crowded as the hikes in Zion nearby, they are still popular and very highly rated.
5. It borders the very large Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (plenty of outdoor adventures there).

For me, whenever I traveled through this area, it was either from Las Vegas to explore Zion National Park but now that I’ve personally seen the beauty of the St. George area, the following 10 hikes are just more places you can explore in beautiful Utah! So let’s get to them:

Here are the top 10 hikes to explore in the St. George region:

 

1. Owen’s Loop Trail (2-3 mile hike).
2. Paradise Canyon Trail (5-6 mile hike).
3. White Rocks Amphitheater trail (Under a 1 mile hike).
4. Snow Canyon Trail (3-4 mile long hike).
5. Lava Tube Trail (2-3 mile hike).
6. Shinobe Kibe Trail (1-2 mile hike).
7. Fossil Canyon (3 mile long hike).
8. Halfway Wash Trail (3 mile hike).
9. Jenny’s Canyon Trail (Under 1 mile hike).
10. Red Reef Trail (2-3 mile hike).

Each of these hikes can be found near the St. George region and most of them are easy to moderate hikes you can explore.

1) Owen’s Loop Trail (2-3 miles):

Owen’s Loop Trail is one of the closest and most popular hikes you’ll find near St. George and even though it’s said to be a loop trail, one can honestly call it an in and out trail. But overall, it doesn’t have a lot of people there, is close to the road and the main feature of this hike is the beautiful views you get of the city of St. George. It’s also a great beginner hike in this region.

2) Paradise Canyon Trail (5-6 miles):

This is another hike very close to St. George and while pretty long, has a loop option available to it. It’s also one of the most popular hikes in the region so be aware of this if you decide to go on say a weekend. It’s also most in the open, so be sure to bring hats, sunscreen and water for this hike. While reviews of Paradise Canyon are very good, some do say the directions can be annoying as this trail crosses with others.

3) White Rocks Amphitheater trail (Less than a mile):

If you’re tight on time and need a quick hike to get a taste of the St. George area, then the White Rocks Amphitheater trail is one to consider. It’s less than a mile long and has many options for not just hiking, but climbing up the white rock areas. It also has great overlooks and views.

4) Snow Canyon Trail (3-4 miles):

This is another hike that starts from within St. George (the edge of the city) and takes you into Snow Canyon State Park (see more awesome state parks in Utah). The trail in this region is in and out and very straight forward (basically northbound) and in it, you’ll find canyons, lava tubes and other cool features. It’s also going to be listed on my best hikes in Utah post as well.

5) Lava Tube Trail (2-3 miles):

While Snow Canyon Trail has lava tubes you can check out, they are much more accessible and larger in this particular trail (which is actually in the same Snow Canyon State Park). Lava Tube trail is one of the most popular trails in all of St. George(and in this park) because of these lava tubes and how large they are. Some are gigantic caves people go into and take pictures in. Additionally, the views and canyons in this trail are also amazing to explore.

6) Shinobe Kibe Trail (1-2 miles):

This is a very short but cool trail with nice overlooks of the St. George area. Not much else to say about this trail other than it being another short one to explore if you’re tight on time.

7) Fossil Canyon Trail (3 miles):

This trail is beautiful and takes you into nice canyons and views, but it is a moderate to difficult hike in spots. It’s also very remote in this region so I would recommend being a more experienced hiker and navigator before going here. Read reviews and advice on hiking Fossil Canyon here before going to make sure you’re prepared as there is literally no trailhead.

8) Halfway Wash Trail (3 miles):

This is one of the easiest hikes you’ll find in St. George and I do believe you can rent horse rides here too. It’s a nice open area for the most part so if you enjoy that plus the desert environment, this might be a hike to consider.

9) Jenny’s Canyon Trail (Less than a mile):

This is one of the most scenic hikes on the list. It’s also short and right off the road. It’ll take you inside a slot canyon which you can even consider a slot canyon and it has some great views. I also included Jenny’s Canyon as one of the best Utah slot canyon hikes I’ve seen in the state! If you’re also someone who doesn’t want to be out in the sun all day hiking, this particular option is for you since it’ll shelter you from it.

10) Red Reef Trail (2-3 miles):

Out of all the trails on this list, Red Reef Trail is my favorite. It’s a bit more north east of St. George, but it’s close to Interstate 5 and is only a few miles long. But the reason I love this hike so much is because it has waterfalls, swimming holes and is in a canyon, so overall, there’s a lot of cool exotic hiking that you can do here. It is also a popular hike for obvious reasons, so again, I suggest going here on a weekday or early if it’s on a weekend.

Questions about checking out St. George Utah:

Is St. George Utah good place to live?

St. George Utah has a very favorable living area with nice views, great people and great hikes to explore all nearby.

Is St. George Utah worth visiting?

Yes, St. George Utah is worth visiting, not specifically for the town itself but the close access to all the outdoor adventures near it.

Other hikes to explore near the St. George area:

1. There’s plenty of other hikes in the Red Cliffs National Conservation area (which is where most of the hikes on this list are located in).
2. Zion National Park is the nearest Utah National Park (out of the Mighty 5 National Parks that is) and it’s amazing.
3. Other hikes east of Zion such as places in Grand Staircase Escalante are also worth exploring.
4. Las Vegas also has many nice hikes near it if you’re headed south west from St. George.
5. I would also recommend checking out a place called Kanab Utah, about 45 minutes east of St. George.
6. See my post on the best state parks in Utah for further ideas of what to see. At least one of the best ones on that list is in St. George.
7. One of the best and most popular hiking trails near St. George is Kanarra Falls trail, something I personally loved checking out.