This expanse of red rock and pet­ri­fied sand dunes cov­ers 7,400 acres of land in south­ern Utah and is pop­u­lar among trav­el­ers vis­it­ing near­by St. George or Zion Nation­al Park. Formed by an intense mix­ture of vol­canic erup­tions, flow­ing lava, rush­ing rivers and sand­stone ero­sion, this state park’s land­scape is any­thing but ordi­nary. Luck­i­ly, there are many ways to explore the area.

Those look­ing to dri­ve through the park should head from St. George to Snow Canyon Dri­ve, which weaves through the park. The road trip should only take an hour or two even if you stop along the way. (Jen­ny’s Canyon is a pop­u­lar place to stop, as this slot canyon is locat­ed right off the road.)

If you want to get out and hike, try the easy John­son Canyon Trail (2 miles round trip) or the mod­er­ate Lava Tube Trail (2.5 miles round trip). Cyclists may enjoy tour­ing the park by bike on the paved trail that loops from St. George through the park and back. Entrance to the park costs $5 for pedes­tri­ans and cyclists or $15 for cars ($10 for Utah res­i­dents). If you’re look­ing to stay overnight, there are spaces to camp as well.