4 Best Sights in Southwestern Utah, Utah

Yes, this remarkable landscape in Cannonville, about 40 miles southwest of Escalante, is named after the old-fashioned color photo film, and once you see it you'll understand why the National Geographic Society gave it the name. The stone spires known as "sand pipes" are found nowhere else in the world. Hike any of the trails to spot some of the 67 pipes in and around the park. The short Angel's Palace Trail takes you quickly into the park's interior, up, over, and around some of the badlands. Note that the oft-photographed Shakespeare Arch collapsed in 2019; although the trail leading to what is now a pile of rubble is still open, it's not as interesting as the Angel's Palace or Panorama Trails. 

Named not for winter weather but after a pair of pioneering Utahans named Snow, this breathtaking 7,400-acre red rock wonderland—about 10 miles northwest of St. George and located entirely within Red Cliffs Desert Reserve—abounds with natural wonders, many of which are easily explored from the well-marked parking areas. The best strategy is to enter from the south from Ivins and drive north along the 4½-mile park road to Highway 18, which leads south back to St. George.

Nearly 40 miles of hiking trails lead to lava cones, petrified dunes, cactus gardens, and high-contrast vistas. Great options if you have only a couple of hours include the short trek to the soaring slot canyon known as Jenny's Canyon and the slightly longer (it takes an hour) Lava Tube Trail. Upper Galoot is a pretty picnic area with grills as well as a short trail lined with interesting interpretative signs about the desert tortoise. From the campground you can scramble up huge sandstone mounds and look across the entire valley. Park staff lead occasional guided hikes.

This sweeping, 3,730-acre expanse of pink sand about 20 miles west of Kanab is the result of eroding sandstone. Funneled through a notch in the rock, wind picks up speed and carries grains of sand into the area—the undulating formations can reach heights of 100 feet and move as much as 50 feet per year. It's a giant playground for dune buggies, ATVs, and dirt bikes. If you just want a quick scamper through the dunes, park in one of the small roadside lots; there's no fee collected at these areas, and they're farther away from where vehicles zoom through the sand and so tend to be quieter.  Children love to play in the sand, but check the surface temperature; it can get very hot.

This park just 2 miles northwest of downtown protects a huge repository of petrified wood, easily spotted along two short but moderately taxing hiking trails (the shorter and steeper of the two, the Sleeping Rainbows Trail, requires some scrambling over boulders). Of equal interest is the park's Wide Hollow Reservoir, which has a swimming beach and is popular for kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, trout fishing, and birding. Keep an eye out for Escalante Rock Shop, just before you reach the park border, which sells petrified wood and other geological wonders.