The Overlooked Zion National Park Alternative You Should Add To Your Bucket List

If you dream of traveling to Mars but don't have access to a rocket, set your sights on the red rock formations in Utah's deserts. You can find lots at Zion National Park, but consider exploring them at Snow Canyon State Park instead — it's just as beautiful but much less crowded. Snow Canyon State Park welcomed about 1 million visitors in 2024, whereas Zion National Park attracted almost 5 million. Filled with breathtaking canyons, sandstone cliffs, and lava flows, this overlooked attraction is a delight for the senses that deserves a spot on your bucket list.

Located in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve near St. George, Utah, Snow Canyon State Park brims with red Navajo sandstone. This rock is what's left of a sand sea that covered much of the state during the Jurassic Period. Prehistoric rivers carved canyons into the stone, and volcanic eruptions lined many of these gulfs with lava rock. There are even sandstone tunnels you can venture inside. The park's 7,400 acres include nearly 40 miles of hiking trails and a 36-site campground where you can explore these geologic features. 

The 1.8-mile Johnson Canyon Trail, one of many beginner-friendly hiking options, offers some of the best sunset views in the park. A few trails allow horses and bicycles as well. The Turtle Wall Trail is popular for both hiking and biking and is a great place to meet a desert tortoise — one of several rare animals that call the park home. Snow Canyon State Park is also a great place to check out a stunning array of plants.    

If you're excited about desert tortoises, amble down the Tortoise Walk. It shares tons of turtle facts and features a granite tortoise sculpture. You're most likely to see this threatened species between April and October. That's when tortoises emerge from their burrows to search for mates. These gentle turtles rank low on the danger scale, but admire them from a distance so you don't spook them. 

When viewing the park's sandstone formations, keep an eye out for rock squirrels. As if auditioning for the circus, these acrobatic creatures tightrope-walk across thin branches and scale impossibly steep terrain to find food. But while they're interesting to observe, these squirrels are not so fun when they try to steal your food. Stay at least 50 feet away from these critters, as they may bite or scratch you if you get close. Several vulnerable species also call the park home, including peregrine falcons and Utah's official state animal, the Gila monster. If you spot a Gila monster, give it a wide berth. Its venom is rarely fatal, but getting bitten isn't pleasant. Some other creatures you should exercise caution around in Zion National Park live in Snow Canyon State Park, too, including the Great Basin rattlesnake.

If finding the best birding spots is on your to-do list, Snow Canyon State Park may be the perfect destination. In the span of a few days, you can spot speedy roadrunners, fancy Gambel's quail, and musical blue-gray gnatcatchers. You're also likely to encounter birds of prey, especially hawks. Cooper's and red-tailed hawks and nest in the park, and sharp-shinned hawks hunt there during migration.

You can go for a trail run, build desert sandcastles, or climb towering rocks at Snow Canyon State Park, but don't forget to stop and smell the flowers. Though this park receives just 7.5 inches of rain annually, more than 200 kinds of plants have found ways to survive there. These include the creosote bush, a Mojave Desert staple, and the Utah yucca, whose leaves were used to make baskets, ropes, and footwear.  

When the conditions are right, the park teems with colorful wildflowers such as red firecracker pentstemon, yellow Hopi blanketflower, and magenta range ratney. For the best flower viewing, hike the Scout Cave Trail, where some of the prettiest specimens reside. As spring turns into summer, you may see desert globemallow's orange blossoms and the dark blue blooms of the indigo bush. Also look for datura, whose large, white flowers were a favorite subject of painter Georgia O'Keeffe. If you visit in early summer, you may even find Mohave prickly pear cacti in bloom.

Two of the most interesting plants in the park are cacti as well. Golden cholla grows like a tree, often reaching a height of 7 feet. Yellowish green flowers bloom in May, attracting hungry bees and human admirers. Engelmann's hedgehog cactus is sometimes called strawberry hedgehog since it grows red, sweet-tasting fruit. Its flowers are also a treat, filling the desert with pinks and purples in the springtime.