Snow Canyon Lava Tubes

When I think of St. George, Utah, the first thing that comes to mind is not lava or volcanos, but there are some fun lava tubes in Snow Canyon to explore just outside of St. George.

The Snow Canyon Lava Tubes are the perfect place for families to explore tunnels left behind from old volcanic activity.

Our kids loved wearing headlamps and exploring the lava tubes…after we calmed their fears of being overtaken by lava. Thank you Moana for making them terrified of lava.

There are three different lava tubes that you can go into. The largest one is the most fun to explore, but it is just over 0.7 miles to get to, which isn’t bad, unless you are trying to walk there in the heat of the summer. There is no shade at all along the trail, which was perfect when we went in January, but going in the summer would be very hot.

Snow Canyon State Park

The Snow Canyon Lava Tubes are just one of the many natural wonders in Snow Canyon State Park. Snow Canyon State Park is located about 12 miles northwest of St. George. It was opened as a state park in 1962 to protect the desert tortoise, as it was the area where they laid their eggs.

Snow Canyon State Park has over 38 miles of hiking trails and a 3-mile paved biking/hiking trail. It protects the fragile desert ecosystem and is a designated trail park. This means that you have to stay on confirmed trails to ensure that we don’t disturb any of the wildlife.

Snow Canyon State Park is a very picturesque area. It has stunning scenery and was the filming location for multiple movies such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Electric Horseman.

Getting There

Head north out of St. George toward Santa Clara. There is a north entrance and a south entrance, so you need to decide what order you want to see things. We started at the north entrance and worked our way south along Snow Canyon Dr.

To get to the Snow Canyon caves, you will need to park at Lava Flow Trailhead and then hike (well, really more like walk) down to the openings.

Cost of Visiting Snow Canyon Lava Tubes

We have a Utah State Park Pass, so we just showed our pass and got our map for the park. If you do not have a State Park Pass, you will have to pay the entrance fee. For the current entrance fee, click here.

Parking for Snow Canyon Lava Tubes

To get to the lava tunnels in Snow Canyon, you will need to park at the Lava Flow Trailhead. There is a large paved parking lot with spaces for about 30 cars. There is not a bathroom at this parking lot, so make sure to take care of that before parking.

Accessibility

This trail to the lava tubes is sandy and rocky, with some of the rocks being sharp volcanic rock. It is not a wheel-friendly trail. Climbing down into the lava tubes can be a little bit tricky, and is definitely not accible for wheels.

Best Time to Visit Snow Canyon Lava Tubes

Our family visited the lava tubes by St. George in January, which was perfect. It was 60 degrees and partly cloudy, perfect for hiking. Winter is the perfect time to visit Snow Canyon State park for mild weather.

Spring is a nice time to visit Snow Canyon. If the weather conditions are right, you can see wildflowers. The weather is still mild and you can comfortably explore the park.

St. George is unbearably hot in the summer, and there is no shade walking to the lava tubes. The lava tubes themselves offer shade and are slightly cooler than outside, but make sure to be prepared with enough water if you are hiking in the heat.

Fall is also a nice time to visit Snow Canyon. Wildflowers can bloom again with the right conditions. The weather starts cooling down, so you can explore around without melting.

Snow Canyon Lava Tubes

First Lava Tube

The first Lava tube is 0.4 miles down the trail. The trail is well-packed red sandy dirt with an occasional sharp black lava rock. The trail gently slopes down, and you don’t really notice the slope until you are trying to walk back to your car.

The opening for the first lava tunnel is on your right. You will see a little mound of black rock and a gaping hole in the ground. We were not able to find a way to safely get the kids down into the lava tube, so we decided to keep moving and try the next one. This did not go over well (remember we just finished hyping up how fun and safe it would be to go down into an actual lava tunnel), but we managed to convince the kids to keep moving to the next one.

Second Lava Tube

If you continue down the trail for another 0.2 miles, you will come across the second lava tunnel. The trail between the first lava tube and the second lava tube is more rocky and less sandy. The second lava tunnel is on the left side of the trail and the opening is facing the trail. The kids were so excited to put on their headlamps and climb down in the tunnel. This tunnel was small enough that we had to wait for the family that was in there before us to leave before we could climb in.

After climbing down into the lava tunnel, there is a narrow opening on the left. We had to scoot on our butts to get through. It opens up slightly after getting through the initial opening and there is a little room. There was enough space for the 4 of us to squat in it, but just barely. The kids were the only ones that could comfortably move around.

Third Lava Tube

The Climb Down

The third lava tunnel is another 0.1 miles down the trail. This is the biggest tunnel…in terms of opening size and the actual tunnel. The climb down made me a little bit nervous for our kids (ages 7 and 4) because there was a pretty big drop-off. We sent Dallas down first to help the kids down, but they ended up being able to do it on their own and they didn’t need any help.

The Opening

After climbing down, make your way over the large opening to explore the huge cavern. The floor is made up of huge boulders, so be prepared to climb around. The cavern is huge and the light from the opening is quickly gone. Make sure every person in your party has their own light. There were lots of people in the cave at the same time as our family, but their lights did not do anything to help us see. 

The Third Lava Tube

The lava tunnel was tall enough that we could all stand up the whole time (most of the time with extra feet of space above his head). Dallas, at 6’8” didn’t have to duck and was able to move around freely. We spent about 30 minutes in the lava tunnel and the kids would have spent longer, but we wanted to have time to explore the rest of Snow Canyon State Park. 

Petrified Sand Dunes

Snow Canyon Petrified Sand Dunes is just south of the lava tubes. There is a parking lot along the main road for the sand dunes, but you can see it from the lava tunnel and there was a path. We decided to just explore the sand dunes while we were there. 

What to Pack

 The trail to Snow Canyon Lava Tubes is exposed the whole way. The only shade you will get is when you are actually down in the tubes. It is very important to bring enough water. We love our Camelbak backpacks so that we don’t have to stop and take everything off every time a kid needs a drink. It is a bit of a walk, so a snack is always a good idea. 

It is very important to take flashlights with you when exploring the lava tunnels. It is very dark in there, and you won’t get very far without a light. We recommend taking something other than your phone light in case your battery is low from taking pictures of all of the beautiful scenery. Our family loved using headlamps so that we had our hands free to help with climbing around. We also didn’t have to worry about dropping our light in a little crevice.

Sturdy shoes are another necessity when exploring the lava tubes. The trail to get to the tubes isn’t too rough, but climbing around in the caves you are going to want something with some good grip and support. The red sand/dirt on the trail can stain your shoes and socks, so make sure you aren’t wearing your brand new white tennis shoes.

Is Snow Canyon Lava Tubes Worth Visiting?

Absolutely! Our family loved exploring the lava tubes. It was a fun adventure for the whole family. It is definitely worth a stop when you are visiting St. George.

Recreate Responsibly

Please remember to recreate responsibly so that other people can enjoy it after you. Be respectful to the nature you come in contact with and stay on the designated trails. Take only pictures and memories, leave only footprints.

Explore Close By

• Petrified Sand
• Jenny’s Canyon
• Pioneer Names
• Scout Cave
• St. George
• Gunlock State Park
• Quail Creek State Park
• Sand Hollow State Park
• Pioneer Park
• Thunder Junction All Abilities Park
• Zion National Park
• St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm
• Red Cliffs National Conservation Area
• Kanarraville Falls