Trips leaving St George

St George is about an hour from Zion’s south entrance, which makes it the nearest town of any size to the busiest park in Utah. Its regional airport takes direct flights from several western hubs, and Las Vegas is a two-hour drive if the fares are better there.

Being that close is what makes a half-day trip possible at all. A morning in Zion Canyon and back for the afternoon is a real itinerary from St George and is not one from anywhere else.

The elevation here is low — around 2,800 feet — so the season runs long. Spring and autumn are comfortable, and winter days are often mild enough to walk in while Bryce, two hours away and a mile higher, is under snow.

It is also the base for a good deal that is not Zion. Snow Canyon State Park is fifteen minutes out of town, Cedar Breaks sits at 10,000 feet an hour north, and the Kolob Canyons section of Zion — the quiet end of the park — has its own entrance off the interstate.

Because the town is at low elevation and the parks around it are not, a day here can start in shirtsleeves and finish in snow. The hour's drive up to Cedar City climbs nearly 3,000 feet, and Bryce is a mile higher than St George.