St. George Vacation Pt. 1.

I am going to start this one with a quick warning. This will probably be a stub article with mostly drive by photos. For the vacation posts, I have started putting the individual hikes on their own articles rather than having a big long article with multiple topics. So this will be the general overview, and there will be links to the specific adventures.

That said, Mah decided we needed to go to Tuacahn. So, she went ahead and got us tickets for all 3 shows currently running. So, vacation time in St George! On with the drive south.

Day 1: The Drive Down and first Tuacahn Show.

There is a fire near Deer Creek Reservoir. All of the smoke appears to just be flowing down Provo Canyon into the Provo Valley. Really gross. Both Drive By Photos (DBP) from the passenger seat as always. I wouldn’t try to take a picture while driving o.O.

Our first stretch break I got a picture of two hawks circling overhead.

Our next stop was in Scipio, where we found the worlds saddest petting zoo and shortest Ferris wheel.

After Scipio there are 3 or 4 significant mountain passes to have to climb over. Last time we did this trip on the way to Bryce Canyon, we ran into a snowstorm here on the 2nd one which made for a kind of scary moment. But in good weather they are practically nothing to worry about. (DBP).

Providence Light House. A random landlocked lighthouse in Cedar City. (DBP) I… really have no idea why it is here but it’s neat. Who would have thought, a lighthouse. In Utah.

After Cedar City you have this last canyon to climb down, and then you are almost there. (DBP).

Uh oh. There appears to be a fire down here too. (DBP).

Okay. St. George is weird. There are random houses and businesses built right under, into, and on top of cliffs! (DBP).

View of the fire from town.

At night. It is still going unfortunately, but the last report said it was 50% contained so hopefully they get it under control soon.

We had dinner with Mah and then went to see our first show at Tuacahn, Beauty And The Beast. The show was awesome, but the venue is what it’s all about!

I took this picture before the show started so as not to disturb anyone. Not to mention, you aren’t allowed to take pictures during the show so you don’t disrupt the show, and copyright issues. it is Disney after all!

But this is a really neat outdoor theatre. We had tickets to all 3 shows currently running. The one I was least interested in, When You Wish, turned out to be my favorite due to this unique stage. I will try to avoid spoilers, but lets just say being able to have an actual desert scene in the desert, and fantastic use of water that probably really could not be done anywhere else! I just wish it was used more in the other 2 show we watched.

I managed a good shot of the entrance without any people during intermission. I love the waterfall!

Pro-tip: They offer seat cushion rentals for 2 bucks. While I feel if you know the seats are that uncomfortable you should maybe replace them, I also am aware that it is an outside venue. But, they are absolutely worth it, because those seats are super uncomfortable.

Lastly, leaving this out of the way venue actually isn’t too bad. Whoever planned the roads and roundabouts really made for a surprisingly pleasant 500 cars leaving at once experience. That didn’t take too long.

Day 2: Snow Canyon State Park!

Palm tree and other tropical plants outside our room. Again, St. George is weird.

Cool Mustang statues in a roundabout.

Beautiful red cliffs (DBP).

Red and white cliffs (DBP).

Jenny’s Canyon. More details on this adventure here.

Sand Dunes trail from the Sand Dunes picnic Area. eh… it’s sand.

But there are some nice scenes to behold.

Pioneer Names Trail. Quick 1/2 mile trail to some old Pioneer graffiti.

View on the way out of the Visitor Center/Campground. Which is about halfway. (DBP).

The lava basalt crumbling down the sandstone.

Petrified Dunes. This trail is a little tougher, but I really recommend it!

After our adventure out on the open petrified dune we went back down to Upper Galoot picnic area to use the restrooms and refill our water bags, and I got another shot of the black rocks rolling down the red rocks.

Lava Fields Trail Head. I Really regret not doing this trail. It was another I had planned on, but it was just so hot today and I forgot why I wanted to do this trail, and was more interested in the Cinder Cone Trail. Looking back, I would have rather done this one. Well, next time.

Panoramic from the Lava Fields Trail Head.

The Cinder Cone. This is actually just north of the north park entrance. If you are a little more adventurous, this might be a good trail for you. Otherwise, pull over, take a picture, and go back into the park.

Whiterocks. (DBP).

So one thing you should know before going here is that there are no food options. It’s not too big of a deal being about a half hour from town, but that is quite a ways to go to recharge after a few hikes. If I had realized that I would have packed a lunch in with us. So, we decided to head back to town and get some lunch.

Unfortunately we didn’t make it back to the park. Before we knew it it was time to make it to our next show at Tuacahn.

I wondered if there were tarantulas down here earlier today and well, here is my answer. Crappy dark cell phone picture from a guy who was curious but didn’t want to get too close.

This post is running a bit long so I am going to go ahead and break it here. Stay tuned for day 3!