You are here: HOME / HIKING / BUTTERFLY TRAIL – SNOW CANYON STATE PARK

BUTTERFLY TRAIL – SNOW CANYON STATE PARK

BUTTERFLY TRAIL – SNOW CANYON STATE PARK

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Distance: 1.2 miles (2 miles to West Canyon Overlook)

TRAIL SUMMARY

The Butterfly Trail is one of the most overlooked trails in Snow Canyon. This trail is advertised more as a connector trail than anything, but it really can and does stand on its own! After parking, head down the Petrified Dunes Trail and continue West where the Petrified Dunes Trail turns south. The trail drops down and follows along a huge petrified dune until if finally climbs up and turns west again. You will feel like the only person in the Park on this trail. The views are fantastic as you look up and down the canyon. Eventually this trail connects with the Lava Flow Trail, where you can turn around or follow down to the West Canyon Overlook (adds another .8 miles round trip). This is a great trail to take your family on, even if you don’t hike the whole trail. The views and colors on this hike will not disappoint!

TRAIL DETAILS

DIFFICULTY LEVEL

Moderate

ROUND TRIP LENGTH

1.2 miles (2 miles to West Canyon Overlook)

AVERAGE HIKE TIME

40 mins

GPS COORDINATES

37.215680, -113.643872

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, Snow Canyon State Park

DISTANCE FROM ST GEORGE

11.5 Miles (25 minutes driving)

RESTROOM FACILITIES

Flushing Toilets at Ranger Station/Lodge

HIKERS ALLOWED

Yes

DOGS ALLOWED

No

BIKERS ALLOWED

No

EQUESTRIAN ALLOWED

No

HIKE TYPE

Out & Back

BEST TIME OF THE YEAR TO HIKE

Spring, Fall, Winter

BEST TIME OF THE DAY TO HIKE

Morning, Afternoon

GROUP LIMIT

No Limit

PERMIT INFORMATION

No Permit Required

WATER SOURCES AVAILABLE

No Water Sources Available, Water Available at Ranger Station/Lodge

CAMP SITES

No Camping Available on Trail, Camping Available only in Designated Camping Area

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Dirt Single Track, Rocky

SUN EXPOSURE

Full Sun Exposure

TRAIL MAP

Download Map

LOCAL SERVICES

DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD

Get Directions to Trailhead. From St George, head north on Bluff Street and take exit to Red Hills Pkwy/Snow Canyon Pkwy. Turn left onto Snow Canyon Pkwy and travel 3.2 miles until you come to a traffic circle. Proceed through the circle and continue 0.7 miles. At the next traffic circle take the first exit onto Snow Canyon Dr. In 3.6 miles (after passing through the main gate) the parking lot for the trail head will be on your left.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Plants: Typical plant life for Southern Utah lowland hiking.
Animals: Typical animal life for Southern Utah lowland hiking.

TRAIL REPORT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim LeBaron

HikeStGeorge is a project that began as a seedling for Tim LeBaron in the early part of 2008, but really didn’t begin to blossom until the latter part of 2011. The original idea behind the site was to bring to light all of the harder to find, or “less known” hidden gems of the area. It was more of a pet project than anything. As excitement about the site began to spread, there was more of a push to develop information about all hikes in the Southern Utah Region.

YOU MIGHT FIND THIS INTERESTING TOO…

Navajo Loop - Bryce Canyon National Park

READ MORE

Queens Garden - Bryce Canyon National Park

READ MORE

Tortoise Walk - Snow Canyon State Park

READ MORE

Temple Springs Trail - St. George

READ MORE

HAVE YOU HIKED THIS TRAIL? TELL US ABOUT IT!

1 reply
  1. Jeannie Fernandez
    Jeannie Fernandez says:

    Also, about half way going out to the lava tube there is a split rock on the right that, with a roundish rock at the bottom of the split, looks like butterfly wings and head. My grandchildren thought it was fun to pretend they were the butterfly body.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Prove that you\'re a human! *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.