Navajo Sandstone, Cinder Cones, Lava Tubes, Sandstone: Red Hills Desert Garden and Snow Canyon State Park
There’s a special place in my heart for Utah. I’ve been visiting my grandparents there for about half my life, I spent four years in undergrad at Southern Utah University, and some of my very favorite memories come from my adventures there.
Whenever we visit my grandfather in Ivins, there are a few obligatory musts. First, pizza from Hungry Howie’s. Second, a trip to Red Hills Desert Garden (see the first four pictures below, including one photo of a dragonfly coming out of metamorphosis!). Last, the obligatory trip through Snow Canyon State Park.
A short while after the drive through Snow Canyon, we decided to loop back and make a nice hike out of it. Starting with a quick hike up the Upper Galoot (and then realizing that we had to turn around because there wasn’t a connection from there), we ended up on the Butterfly Trail. It took some imagination, but we’re pretty sure it’s called the butterfly trail because of a somewhat unique rock formation along the path. See if you can figure it out from the photos below.
We continued hiking the Butterfly Trail out to the Lava Flow Trail, taking a break to climb around in the the Lava Tubes of an extinct volcano that created much of the landscape around Snow Canyon. While climbing in the Tubes, Matt and I heard a noise and saw a little movement on the ceiling. After a little bit of investigation, we realized that there were bats on the cave ceiling. I had to snap a quick photo, especially as this is a fairly rare thing to experience due to the human presence in the cave. Look at how cute they are!
After exploring the Lava Tubes, we followed the Lava Flow Trail to the West Canyon Road where we were watched by a raptor from the top of the red rocks. We then caught the Red Sands Trail east to the Hidden Pinyon Overlook (which has awesome views and a really neat geology with lava rock capping the Navajo sandstone), and finally took the Petrified Dunes Trail back toward the beginning. The Petrified Dunes Trail has some of the most satisfying views of the park, but make sure that you bring grippy shoes because the dunes are steep and the hike is sandy.
I’m sure that these aren’t the last photos you’ll be seeing of Snow Canyon State Park or Red Hills Desert Garden. Utah has so many special places, but I hold these especially near and dear to my heart because of the great memories I have with family. What are the places that are special to you?
