Natural rock amphitheater in Snow Canyon State Park

An easy and fun trail for anyone to negotiate is the White Rocks Trail in Snow Canyon State Park.   Snow Canyon State Park is just a few minutes north of St. George, Utah.   This short walk takes you into a natural white sandstone rock amphitheater and this offers a great little playground for young and old.   The trail begins just 500 yards past the northern entrance of Snow Canyon State Park.  To access this trail you do need a valid park entrance tag.    The trail descends slightly as it goes west for a few hundred yards and then forks to the right.  The left fork will take you on a longer walk down into the park toward the Snow Canyon lava caves.

Map of White Rocks Trail in Snow Canyon State Park

The right fork ascends a slightly onto a white sandstone bench which opens up into a natural amphitheater.   There is a sand dune at the back of this amphitheater.   Hikers may climb the southern edge of the amphitheater and ascend to a point that puts them on the top of Snow Canyon State Park.  This is a short ascent (200 feet) and the view from the top is quite spectacular.   From the top you can see east toward Pine Valley Mountain,  south toward St. George and into Snow Canyon State Park.   This is a good trail for young and old, but as always, be careful on the rock hillsides that are sometimes steep.

View of Zion National Park from western edge of St. George, Utah

Visible from St. George, Zion National Park is just 38 miles away.   As the sun sets in the St. George area, viewers will catch glimpses of the majestic cliff faces of Zion National Park in the distance.

Zion National Park is a great destination any time of year.  Even in winter Zion National Park offers reasonable temperature levels in the main canyon.   With an elevation of 4,000 feet at the valley floor, this high desert destination is enjoyable in winter but even more so in the springtime.

Hanging gardens in Zion National Park

Some water does seep down through the softer sandstone formations, but this water takes tens or even hundreds of years to pass through the rock and finally exit at areas where the stone is more dense and less likely to allow the water to continue downward.   At these locations you will find hanging gardens of foliage, and these areas are especially beautiful in the spring-time.

Zion National Park Waterfall

Come enjoy the spring in Zion National Park.

On a rare cloudy evening, a mountain biker rides near St. George as the sun is setting.

The commonly known and most popular trails are one such as Bear Claw Poppy Trail, Green Valley Loop, and the Zen Trail.  Perhaps the best mountain biking trails are found on top of Gooseberry Mesa, to the east of St. George and near Zion National Park.

Mountain biking in the St. George area is great year-round but particularly from September to May when day-time temperatures are not so warm.   Even in January while the snow is flying in northern regions or higher elevations, you’ll find it is usually a perfect day for mountain biking.

Click on the link to learn more about St. George mountain biking.

Parade of Homes: The St. George Parade of Homes is coming up in February.   The Parade of Homes is a 10-day event that features some of the newest and most innovative homes that have been built within the past year in the St. George area.

Ironman Triathlon: This event will incur in May for the first time in St. George.   Last year St. George was selected to be the newest location (one of seven) within the United States that offers a full Ironman Triathlon competition.

Tuacahn Summer and Fall Theater offerings: Starting in June 2010, the Tuacahn Center for the Performing arts will have a strong and exciting line-up of outdoor musical theater Broadway style productions.   Tarzan, Cats and Crazy for you as the three main productions offered at Tuacahn this coming year.

St. George Marathon and World Senior Games: These two events will happen again this coming October in St. George.    The St. George Marathon draws approximately 7,000 competitors and is considered to be one of the fastest marathon courses for those wanting to qualify for even large marathon events.    The Huntsman World Senior Games is expected to draw over 9,000 athletes in a wide range of sports.

St. George Airport – Grand Opening: Sometime near the end of the year, the new St. George Airport will near completion.   Grand opening ceremonies will take place near the end of this year or very early in 2011.

These are just some of the large events to anticipate in St .George, for 2010.   For more details on what to do, visit St. George’s best web-site – www.dostgeorge.com

St. George plays host to many sports tournaments for events such as softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball and many other sports.   The number of available softball, and tennis facilities in the St. George area is impressive.  In fact, for its size, St. George may offer more sports venues than most places in America.

Separate of these active sports opportunities, St. George also is an incredible place for outdoor adventure.   Here you’ll find great trails for hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, rappelling and canyoneering.   No matter where you are in the St. George area, you are very close to a hiking or biking trail.   St. George has created over 50 miles of paved trails for walking, running and biking.    Their are literally thousands of miles of back-country hiking trails in the St. George area.   You’ll even find some of the world’s best or most highly rated hikes near St. George.   Click on the links within this blog to learn more about your area of interest.

Family things to do are well document on the following pages within our web-site:

http://www.dostgeorge.com/st-george-utah-family.html
http://dostgeorge.com/st-george-utah-top-10.html

This site identifies more activities for families in the St. George area, than any other site on the Internet.

This 62,000 acre reserve was specifically created to give the Mjoave Desert Tortoise some protection from diseases that were affecting other tortoises in the desert southwest.   At the time of the creation of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve the desert tortoises in this area were generally unaffected by an upper respiratory tract disease (URDT).  In recent years the tortoises in this area have also had some troubles with this disease.  

Tortoises in this region live in small underground burrows during very hot or very cold months and spend spring and fall outside of the burrows feeding on plant growth.  

Other reptiles found in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve are the Gila monster, sidewinder rattlesnake and checkwalla.

Great Seasonal Options:

Winter - Daytime temperatures in St. George in winter are very mild and comfortable.  The wind rarely blows in winter and the skies are nearly always blue, so the daytime sun keeps the area temperatures in the 60’s and this is almost perfect for outdoor activities.  The winter weather is simply peaceful.

Spring – The leaves on the trees and desert flowers all are starting to show themselves in February and March.   Temperatures range from 60’s to 70’s and the entire St. George area brings to green-up.   Golfers love this time of year as there is still snow on the ground in many areas of the country.    Hikers, mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts find the St. George and Zion National Park area to be perfect for their activities.  Birds and other wildlife, such as desert tortoises, show themselves in greater abundance and so the wildlife viewing opportunities are significant.

St. George Utah Town Square

Summer - Mornings and evenings in Zion National Park are going to be ideal, while upper elevations in the St. George and Zion area offer comfortably warm options for activities throughout the day.   Visitors from warmer areas flock to Pine Valley, Kolob Terrace and other higher elevation areas of the Dixie National Forest for the shade and cooler temperatures.   Watersports enthusiasts will actually appreciate the very warm daytime temperatures as this brings comfortable temperatures in the water (80+ degrees) and St. George offers three main reservoirs for boating, and many more for fishing.   St. George offers several splash-pads for families to cool-off in the summer and there are three pools with water-slides and water activities.   This is the season for outdoor entertainment at Tuacahn amphitheater where Broadway style productions are in full-swing.

Tuacahn Amphitheater - St. George Utah

Fall – In the fall season the leaves change later than in other places, and weather stays quite warm well into November and even December.   Golfers again are out in strong numbers while the outdoor enthusiasts are taking advantage of the great temperatures for hiking, biking, climbing, atv riding, jeep tours, aerial tours and more.  City parks and paved trails are well-used for physical activity and sports tournaments take place weekly at softball, soccer and other sports complexes.

So just the weather alone makes St. George, Utah a year-round vacation destination.  In future blog offerings we’ll address other reasons to consider St. George as a true year-round vacation choice.

Northerly view of St. George, Utah

St. George Utah has been rated as one of the top new destinations in America.   It is located along Interstate 15 in the southwest corner of Utah and is near many attractions such as Zion National Park and Las Vegas.   St. George is a great vacation destination for many reasons.

1- Weather: The winter-time temperatures are mild and the wind hardly stirs.
2- Entertainment: Tuacahn Performing Arts Center offers entertainment throughout the year.  In 2008 they were one of eight theaters in the U.S. that offered Les Miserables.   In 2010 Tuacahn will be one of the few theaters in the county to offer the Broadway-style productions of Tarzan and Cats.   Community theater, symphony, and other entertainment options are available year-round.
3- Environment: St. George is rated one of the safest communities in America and also offers great lodging, dining, shopping and more.   The hospital/medical care system is St. George receives national recognition for its quality.
4- Things to do: St. George has historic sites, amusement centers, scenic attractions, hiking trails, mountain biking, ATV tours and plenty more.

Often spelled as “Saint George” the city of St. George is a mecca for retirees (often referred to as Snowbirds) looking to find a dry and warmer climate during the winter months.  St. George was settled in 1861 by Mormon pioneers (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).   Brigham Young, the Mormon prophet and colonizer of the Utah territory sent approximately 300 families to the area to grow cotton,  when it was less available during the civil war.   The city of St. George was named for George A Smith, a Mormon leader, who assisted in the settlement of the area.   It is said that Brigham Young referred to Smith as a saint for his efforts among the pioneer settlers.  With the connection to cotton during the civil war period, the St. George area became known as Utah’s Dixie.
You may visit these websites to learn more.

http://www.dostgeorge.com/st-george-utah-top-10.html
http://www.stgeorgeutahrentals.com

St. George Utah Hotel - Hilton Garden Inn

St. George, Utah lodging options are diverse and numerous.   As you plan a trip to St. George you may wish to consider a few factors related to the type of lodging experience you desire.

1- How long will I stay?
2- What size group will I have?
3- How much time will I spent in my lodging?

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Lodging options are as follows:
Bed & Breakfast (B&B)
Inn
Motel
Hotel
Spa / Resort
Vacation Rental

St. George is one of the world’s premiere destinations for resorts spas.  In fact, there may not be any place in the world where you can find three world-class resort spas all within ten minutes of each other.    Red Mountain Spa, Green Valley Spa and the Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge are all found on the western side of St. George.   Vacation rental opportunities abound in the St. George area and there is a wide range of offerings for hotels and motels.   Bed and breakfast options are not plentiful, but there are several excellent b&b options.    Click on the links below for more details on St. George, Utah lodging.

St. George Utah Vacation Rentals

St. George Utah Hotels