This morning a friend and I hiked in her backyard which is about a mile from our house. Diane and I slipped into Snow Canyon about 10:30 to enjoy a great hike - Hidden Pinyon - which is somewhat uphill and very accessible. Snow Canyon is tucked away in the hills west of St George, close to the transition between the Color Country of southwest Utah and the rather more barren Basin and Range landscape that persists all the way across Nevada. One can see it from our abode.
The red rock is crowned by an unbelievable cap of white rock. To one side of the canyon lie the Red Mountains, while a few miles away are the White Hills, and eroded sandstone rocks of both colors make up the cliffs at either side of the valley. You can see how captivating and gorgeous these backyard hikes are to the residents living nearby.
Diane stands at a sign that diverges into 3 different hikes. She lives within a mile of these trails and knows them well. I have requested that she occasionally lead me on a "mercy" hike so I can become more familiar with the area. She and her husband go on daily lengthy mile bike rides and play pickleball many times a week so she is in great shape and is kind enough to let me tag along.
I forgot my camera but Diane had her cell phone so these photos were taken as we walked. Whilel one sees red and white rock abounding, an even greater contrast is provided by a large mass of black lava scattered throughout the park, which originated from a cluster of volcanoes just beyond. These lava fields exist on our back nine so the flow expanded over miles of terrain.
Hidden Pinyon takes about 30 or so minutes to reach the apex and 20 minutes to descend. You can see some of the Pines that are located along the way.
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