Snow Canyon State Park

About

Snow Canyon State Park is a 7,400-acre (29.95 km sq.) scenic park quietly tucked amid lava flows and soaring sandstone cliffs in a strikingly colorful and fragile desert environment. Burnt orange to creamy white colored Navajo sandstone, the predominant rock in the park, is what remains of ancient sand dunes deposited 183 million years ago. Over time, water has cut and shaped the sandstone to form the 2,500 foot tall cliffs in the park. Approximately 1.4 million years ago, and as recently as 27,000 years ago, nearby cinder cone volcanoes erupted, causing lava to flow through the canyon, filling it with basalt. Majestic views and the subtle interplay of light, shadow, and color dancing across canyon walls evoke strong emotional responses from visitors.

Located in the 62,000 acre (250.9 km sq.) Red Cliffs Desert Reserve and established to protect the federally listed desert tortoise and its habitat, Snow Canyon is home to a diversity of plant and wildlife species not occurring elsewhere in the state. At the intersection of the Mojave Desert, Great Basin Desert and Colorado Plateau, the park averages 7.5 inches of rainfall a year. Desert-adapted species such as creosote bush, prickly-pear, sand sage, and juniper trees, as well as ringtails, kit foxes, roadrunners, mojave desert tortoises, gila monsters, and fairy shrimp all call this canyon home. Thirteen sensitive species protected by state and/or federal law are also found within the park boundary. 

Snow Canyon State Park has conducted regular dark sky education programs within the park for more than two decades with the intent of continuing indefinitely. These programs emphasize the richness of the park’s natural resources, including the region’s impressive night sky. Park staff are aware of the importance of maintaining and protecting the park’s nightscape. They have taken care to minimize nocturnal impacts by adjusting the existing artificial lights to be as dark sky-friendly as possible. All 49 light fixtures within the park have been retrofitted, replaced, or removed at the time our application was submitted. The park meets 100% compliance with the Utah State Parks Lightscape Management Plan and DarkSky International standards. Unihedron Sky Quality Meter, or SQM-L, readings will continue to be taken and recorded to monitor sky quality throughout the park. 

The entirety of Snow Canyon State Park is open year-round, seven days a week from the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Fall and winter visitors are able to enjoy a longer window of dark sky viewing with shorter days and an early darkness that settles into the canyon. After 10:00 p.m., all day-use trailheads, parking areas, and park facilities are closed to the public. If visitors choose to spend the night in the park, the main campground and views of the night sky are accessible after day-use hours end. Day use and camping fees apply year round. 

Area

29.95 km²

Designated

2025

Category

Urban Night Sky Place

Address

Snow Canyon State Park
1002 Snow Canyon Dr.
Ivins, UT 84738
Google Maps

Contact

Cheyenne Winchester
Park Naturalist, Snow Canyon State Park
+1 (435) 628-2255
[email protected]

Michael Rymer
Community Program Manager, DarkSky International
+1 (520) 347-6365
[email protected]

Documents

Application
Annual reports
Announcement

Website and social media

Official website: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/snow-canyon/
Instagram: snowcanyonstatepark
https://www.instagram.com/snowcanyonstatepark/