From lava flows and sandstone cliffs to ancient animal tracks, the discoveries around Washington offer a wide range of highlights. Alongside protected landscapes, there are trails, activities on the water and museums where natural history comes vividly to life.
Lava, Sandstone and Protected Landscapes
At Snow Canyon State Park, lava flows meet towering sandstone cliffs. The landscape park covers 7,400 acres and lies within the 62,000-acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. The reserve was established to protect the habitat of the federally listed desert tortoise. Here, a clearly defined park and a much larger protected area exist side by side, each on a different scale.
The Red Cliffs National Conservation Area offers another perspective on the landscape: Its 45,600 acres encompass diverse scenery where three physiographic regions meet—the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin. Confluence Park, meanwhile, is a 344-acre nature park managed by Washington County through the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Office. Its eleven trails are designated for hiking, biking and horseback riding. Visitors who want to combine outdoor activity and nature during their stay will find several ways to get around, with trails not all limited to the same activity.
Trails and Time on the Water
The options on the water vary considerably. Quail Creek State Park attracts boaters and anglers year-round; its description highlights particularly warm water and a mild winter climate. At Gunlock Reservoir, visitors can go boating, fishing and swimming, or picnic on the beach. Swimming and beach picnics are therefore additional activities beyond those mentioned at Quail Creek State Park.
There are several hiking options in Kolob Canyons, too, for visitors to Zion National Park. The Pa’rus Trail offers a different way to explore: It follows the Virgin River and connects the Zion Canyon Visitor Center with Canyon Junction. The trail is accessible to wheelchairs, leashed pets and bicycles. Shuttle Stop No. 2 is right beside the Zion Human History Museum; while the shuttle is operating, buses stop there on their way down-canyon. The museum’s rear terrace also has an accessible viewpoint overlooking West Temple and the Towers of the Virgin.
Natural History on Display
The Zion Nature Center combines interactive exhibits and animal models with rotating activities and crafts. At the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, the focus is on evidence from the distant past: The fully enclosed, climate-controlled museum displays real dinosaur footprints, plant impressions and fish fossils. It stands directly above a 200-million-year-old discovery site, where dinosaur and other animal tracks have been preserved in hardened mud. The site highlights not just individual impressions, but also the ground in which they were preserved.
You can decide what to focus on based on your own interests: protected landscapes, activities on the water, trails with designated uses or natural history in a museum. These varied themes give your trip planning more than one possible focus.
Discover more destinations: St George, Hurricane, Washington, Ivins, Toquerville, La Verkin, Virgin, Davis
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