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4.5
369 votes

Snow Canyon Campground

Snow Canyon Dr., St. George, Utah 84738 USA

$
Budget
Open Now
Thu 6a-10p
  • Independent
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
  • No Wifi
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“the remains of an ancient desert sand sea”

Discover the majestic beauty of Snow Canyon State Park, just nine miles north of St. George along highway 18. Notorious for its unique geological features, Snow Canyon State Park is comprised of volcanic cones, sand dunes, deep red sandstone cliffs, and twisted layers of rock. The scenery is so spectacular it has been the backdrop for Hollywood movies including The Electric Horseman and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! Campsites cost $16 for tents, $20 for RVs. Pets are allowed if kept on a leash in the campground and on West Canyon Road and Whiptail Trail only. Opened to the public as a Utah State Park in 1962. Snow Canyon State Park is a 7,400-acre scenic park quietly tucked amid lava flows and soaring sandstone cliffs in a strikingly colorful and fragile desert environment. Majestic views and the subtle interplay of light, shadow, and color dancing across canyon walls evoke strong emotional responses from visitors. Located in the 62,000 acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, established to protect the federally listed desert tortoise and its habitat, the park offers opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. Activities include hiking, nature studies, wildlife viewing, photography, camping, ranger talks, and junior ranger programs. There are more than 38 miles of hiking trails, a three-mile paved walking/biking trail, and over 15 miles of equestrian trails. Park History Created in 1959, Snow Canyon has a long history of human use. Anasazi Indians inhabited the region from A.D. 200 to 1250, utilizing the canyon for hunting and gathering. Paiute Indians used the canyon from A.D. 1200 to the mid-1800s. Mormon pioneers discovered Snow Canyon in the 1850’s while searching for lost cattle. Modern-day the canyon has been the site of Hollywood films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Electric Horseman, and Jeremiah Johnson. Originally called Dixie State Park, it was later renamed for Lorenzo and Erastus Snow, prominent pioneering Utah leaders. Geology Transported by wind more than 183 million years ago, tiny grains of quartzite sand covered much of what we now call Utah. These sand dunes, up to 2,500 feet thick, eventually were cemented into stone. Burnt orange to creamy white in color, Navajo sandstone, the predominant rock in the park, is what remains of the ancient desert sand sea. Over time, water has cut and shaped the sandstone to form canyons. Approximately 1.4 million years ago, and as recently as 27,000 years ago, nearby cinder cones erupted, causing lava to flow down these canyons, filling them with basalt. This redirected ancient waterways, eventually carving new canyons. Look up from within the park to see lava-capped ridges that were once canyon bottoms. Removal of rocks and minerals is prohibited.

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Reviews of Snow Canyon Campground

35 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.6 Access
4.7 Location
4.7 Cleanliness
3.9 Site Quality
4.5 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G/5G

Confirmed by 18 users | Last reported on January 02, 2024

AT&T 4G/5G

Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on July 16, 2022

T-Mobile 4G/5G

Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on May 06, 2022
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  • 4 Reviews
  • 2 Helpful
March 19, 2022
Rated 4.0

What a beautiful state park. I recommend exploring. There is a $15 fee for out of state vehicles and you may be required to self pay, so bring cash. But drive through and stop at all the stops. It is absolutely stunning!!!

1 person found this review helpful
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Reviewed by
Campendium

October 18, 2014
Rated

Man, if we had known how much better the dry camping sites were, we totally would've reserved those instead! The hook-up sites are packed right next to each other with very little breathing room. In fact, you share a pavilion with you neighbor, so hopefully your door lines up right and you aren't exiting right into their space. We stayed with my parents and their pop-up trailer, and despite a rather angry park ranger (worst experience with a ranger EVER), we managed to trade sites with someone coming in so the two of us could share a table space instead of walking through someone else's campsite to visit. All the hook-up sites share a few general fire pits as well, so on busy weekends be prepared to share. Site quality on these gets 1 star, the dry camping spots get 5.

Note that the online map is incorrect (we thought we had reserved two sites next to each other) and the ranger even admitted it was not very accurate. Awesome.

So, why 5 stars? Because this park, by far, was our favorite. It is absolutely beautiful with plenty to do. Bike rides, sand dunes, lava caves, canyon hikes, drive through the park, overlooks, etc. We can't wait to go back - to one of the spacious, beautiful, private, dry camping spots. :)

Showers are free and nice enough, and there is a dump station at the park. St. George is only a short car ride away, with plenty of shopping, groceries, laundry and other amenities.

With a small, window, booster antenna we pulled in Verizon 3G. Not amazing, but enough to get work done!

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Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: 4

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

April 29, 2016
Rated

The most important thing to know about this park is the hook-up sites kinda suck. They are tight and packed. Don't expect privacy if you use one.
The primative sites, on the other hand, feel so secluded you'll wonder where everyone went. This feeling is accomplished by big red rocks and surrounding tall foliage, and wide spacing between sites.
The park staff are friendly and accommodating. There are tons of nearby activities right from the grounds, including rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, and road biking.
Don't miss the Bear Claw Poppy mtb trails down in Bloomington. Great for beginners and experts alike- wicked fun.
The canyon itself is jaw dropping gorgeous. It seriously rivals Zion on a much smaller scale. And minimal crowds.
If you care to imbibe in craft beers like we do, Utah is a hard place to hang around for long. Stringent Mormon religious beliefs have shaped some of the most ridiculous alcohol laws in the country. But we can't hold that against the park!!

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Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 7

Site Number: 20

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

January 08, 2017
Rated

Snow Canyon is a gorgeous state park, and the campground is excellent to match. $20 camping fee includes the park entrance fee ($10/car), plus clean bathrooms and free, warm showers.

An extra $5 gets you water and electric hookups.

We opted to not get a hookup site, as they are clustered very close together. Dry sites are spacious, with some nestled into the side of the red rock cliffs.

Park staff was very helpful, campground was impeccably clean. Views are incredible!

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Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 23

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

April 27, 2017
Rated

We loved our stay at Snow Canyon State Park. We chose to reserve a dry camping spot for $20 a night (includes the $10 daily park fee). Our spot was huge and spacious with probably the best views of the entire campground though we were closer to the road because of it. With the small amount of traffic through the park, it didn't bother us. We were also right next to the bathhouse, trash, recycling, and water.

There are $25 sites with electric & water but they are much closer together and in the busy section of the campground.

The park was clean and the staff very helpful. There is even a trail across the street (the Whiptail) which is paved and dog-friendly!

We had 3-4 bars of 3G on Verizon with our booster.

Only negative was the showers. You had to pull and hold a chain to keep the water flowing (in order to reduce water usage I'm sure) and there was no temperature control. They got luke warm at best and with the windy days here it was mighty chilly.

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Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 5

Site Number: SC23

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

October 04, 2017
Rated

This is one of the most beautiful areas we have camped in. We had reserved site 3 with electric and water but the site was too small for our 34ft class A. The office staff was very nice and moved us to their group camp area which was nice and roomy and had a great view. Campground was clean and you could walk to many trails in the Canyon. Only downside was that there was almost no cell service in the canyon.

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Nightly Rate: $29.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: Quail 4

4 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

November 23, 2017
Rated

We went with friends and got 2 sites.
#11 is an electric and water site, has a grill and picnic table. No fire pit. The full hook-up sites are like a parking lot. I was not really impressed with that set-up, but the surroundings made up for it.
#19 is a dry tent camp site. It was really spacious and pretty private for a camp ground of this type.
This is a place to get up for the sunrise! It's amazing for hiking, climbing, and just soaking up the silence and views! It was very deserted for a park of it's caliber for sure! Hidden gem just outside St. George!
Verizon service fluctuated between 1x and 4G depending on where you are standing at the campground. Near the (cleanest I've seen) bathrooms, you'll get full 4G and bars.
One downside is that most trails do not allow pets. Be sure to check with the office to find out which ones you can take you pup on.

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Nightly Rate: $28.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 11 & 19

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

January 14, 2018
Rated

Snow Canyon State Park has beautiful views of the red rocks. It is a worthy destination for hiking and road biking through the park. There is also West Canyon Road within the park which is a dirt road which allows mountain bikes. If you have mountain bikes with you, make sure to hit the Bearclaw Poppy Trails on BLM land less than 15 minutes away.

As other campers have said, unless you really need your hook up, don’t stay in the hook up area. The hook up area is a parking lot. The dry lots have a lot more space and many back up to the red rocks. While in site 22, it is so private, I could have believed we were out in the wilderness.

The bathrooms were newer, very clean, and heated. The heated part felt nice since we were there in early January and it was pretty cold at night.

We knew cell service would be an issue in some of the sites due to the rock walls. We walked the campground first with our phones out to try to pick the best site, but in the end selected the most private site. Site 22 did have 4G 1bar at the entrance to the site.. In the van though which was backed deep into the sites we did not have any service. If you really want cell service in your site, you will be better off picking one of the sites nearer the bathroom.

In the morning we headed over to Perks! Espresso & Smoothies which offered great coffee, breakfast sandwiches and fee wi-fi. They were very welcoming an didn’t mind us sitting for a few hours. They were also happy to provide free refills on the drip coffee.

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Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 22

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

January 26, 2018
Rated

I traveled extensively in southern Utah and this park has to be the most beautiful , the campground is meticulously taken care of by the very friendly staff .

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Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: 8

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

February 03, 2018
Rated

St. George/Hurricane, UT is a stunning area to visit. This state park is nestled in a canyon area between sand stone and lava rock. There's camping, hiking and road biking along with birding entertainment opportunities. Stay in the park with a primitive setup or water/electric hookups. There are bath houses available if needed. Grocery and gas are around 10 miles away.

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Nightly Rate: $28.00

Days Stayed: 0

Site Number: -

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise

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Snow Canyon Campground

Snow Canyon Dr.
St. George, Utah
84738 USA
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Hours

Open now until 10:00 pm
  • Sun - Sat: 6:00 am - 10:00 pm

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  • Check
    Parking
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    Pets Allowed
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    Restrooms
  • Unavailable
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Unknown
    Credit Cards Accepted
Affiliation
State park or forest
Last Nightly Rate
20.0
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
34.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
20.0
Max Length
40 ft
Max Stay
14
  • Check
    Paved Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fifty Amp
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
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    Pull Through
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    Dump Station
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    Big Rigs
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    Open Seasonally
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    Age Restricted
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    Boondock
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    Cabin Sites
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    Dispersed Sites
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    Firewood
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    Fulltime Residents
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    Group Tent Sites
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    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
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    Permit Required
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    Potable Water
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    Propane
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    Public Water
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    Pull Through RV Sites
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    Reservations
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    Sewer Hookup
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