The last few weekends when we’ve been down in St. George, we’ve made a point to explore the area around us and to get outdoors with the kids. We bought bikes and Braun and I have definitely enjoyed exploring the trails around us, but one of the things we’ve loved the most is getting out on one of the hundreds of hiking trails with the kids.
My dad is a geologist so anytime he’s able to come with us and point out rock formations or other things we might miss, it’s a real treat!
BUTTERFLY TRAIL – SNOW CANYON STATE PARK
Our most recent outing saw us on the Butterfly Trail in Snow Canyon State Park. We had done just the lava tubes before and it’s pretty flat and short. We heard the rainbow trail had prettier rocks to climb on and that was true. They had petrified sand dunes all over and the kids ran around on them along the hike.
It’s a relatively short hike, I think 1.2 miles if you’re hiking in and out. But we decided to connect to the Lava Tubes and it probably added an additional mile. We had two-year_olds with us as well as individuals in their 60s and everyone managed just fine!
The Lava Tube trail is midway through the Rainbow Trail. You’ll see a few trails that shoot off from Rainbow as you hike. It seems to be a feeder trail into a lot of other popular trails but can easily be done just on its own. Going down into the actual lava tubes is a little bit of a hike but those in your party who don’t want to go in the tubes can hang out up top. It was probably 20 degrees cooler in the cave. It was a nice surprise!
SHOP OUR HIKING ESSENTIALS
• • •
Things To Know Before You Go
Bring plenty of water because there is no water on this trail anywhere. Bring enough water for your entire party + some.
There are no restrooms and there isn’t even enough cover to go to the bathroom behind so make sure your party has a bathroom stop before your hike. This also means there is no shade. I recommend starting earlier in the day if you’re worried about the heat or later in the afternoon. We started in the later afternoon and hiked out during sunset – it was GORGEOUS!
While you can do this hike in flip flops, I would recommend a more secure shoe like a Keen or Teva if you plan on hiking down into the lava tubes. They’re super fun to explore, we easily spent 20 minutes down there! Bring a flashlight so you can see and spend some time exploring!
SHOP OUR HIKING GEAR
• • •
Emery’s face is killing me in this picture!
Last but not least, bring cash to park. We were stopped to make sure we had paid at the entrance. I think it was $5-6 bucks. It’s super pretty in snow canyon. You and your group are bound to see a ton of lizards, bunnies, butterflies, and so much more. It’s really incredible that we have this beautiful park in our backyard and we can’t wait to go out and explore more!
Xx Tara
P.S. If you head out there, let me know what you think in the comments below!
We just went exploring in Snow Canyon today, and then I came back and saw your post haha! What are your favorite food recommendations in St George? And other kid friendly activities?