Zion & St. George

Southwest Utah is home to Zion National Park, the state's most visited park, the warm desert city of St. George, and Cedar City with its Shakespeare festival and the high amphitheatre of Cedar Breaks.

Zion National Park is built around Zion Canyon, cut by the North Fork of the Virgin River between sandstone walls more than 2,000 feet high. For most of the year the canyon's scenic drive is served by a free park shuttle rather than private cars. The best-known hikes are Angels Landing, which requires a permit from a lottery, and the Narrows, where hikers wade up the river between the canyon walls. The Kolob Canyons section, reached from Interstate 15, is quieter. Springdale, at the park's south entrance, has most of the lodging and restaurants. St. George, about an hour southwest, is Utah's warmest city and a winter escape for golfers and retirees. Snow Canyon State Park has red and white sandstone, lava flows and easy trails, Sand Hollow State Park has a reservoir and dunes, and the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Ivins stages outdoor musicals beneath red cliffs. The city is two hours from Las Vegas, which is a common gateway for southern Utah. North of Zion, Cedar City hosts the Utah Shakespeare Festival each summer and autumn. Above the town, Cedar Breaks National Monument is an amphitheatre of eroded rock at more than 10,000 feet, and nearby Brian Head is a ski resort with one of the highest base elevations in the state.