Petrified Dunes, Snow Canyon UT

• 4-star hike
• 1.4 mile out-and-back
• Easy difficulty | Gain 260 feet
• St George, UT | Southwest US
• Driving Directions: Trailhead



Just five miles north of St George, Utah the dramatic red rock scenery of Snow Canyon is often overlooked by those heading past in the direction of Zion National Park. We chose a family friendly 1.4 mile hike across the Petrified Dunes to Hidden Pinyon Lookout, where you can also explore the landscape as we scrambled off-trail, over rocks and up and down ledges to investigate the curious geological features of this area.

Dramatic is not an understatement - the twists and turns, the crevices and the little nooks in the eroded red 180 million year old sandstone dunes have an otherworldy feel to them. Scattered around and protruding from the dunes' surface are dried peppercorn-like ironstone pebbles and stones sometimes refered to as moqui marbles - harder, metal-rich concretions that better withstand the erosion of time.

Petrified Dunes Trail


Petrified Dunes Trail 4★
1.4 mi, Out & Back, Easy, Gain 260ft
Trailspotting Map at AllTrails

Although our suggested trail is short, be mindful that this area offers little in the way of shade - although we were able to find an occasional shady crevice from which to enjoy rest and a quick snack. Sometimes the trail can be difficult to follow - particularly in the middle - but it may be better just to follow where your eyes want to take you anyway.



Tangents:
• Trail Links: Official, Public Map at AllTrails
• Facebook Group: Comment on this article

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