Day hike dinosaur-era desert on Utah’s Hidden Pinyon Trail

Hidden Pinyon Trail
Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

Day hikers can cross ancient black lava flows and dinosaur-era red Navajo sandstone on the Hidden Pinyon Trail at Snow Canyon State Park in St. George, Utah.

The route described here combines the Hidden Pinyon Trial and several segments of three others to form a loop that runs roughly 1.5 miles. The trail runs through the heart of Snow Canyon State Park, which used to be named Dixie State Park, and is part of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

Sunrise and sunset mark great times for the hike because of the play of color and shadow on the canyon walls. Avoid the trail during the summer day when desert heat can make it unbearable as well as unsafe. Be sure to wear good shoes as the route heads over sand and rock; extra water also is a necessity.

Located west of Zion National Park, Snow Canyon is a great side trip on a stay in the region. To reach the state park, from Interstate 15 take Utah Route 18 north. Turn left/west onto Snow Canyon Parkway then turn right/north onto Utah Route 300/Snow Canyon Drive. This heads into the park. A parking lot for the trail is about two miles after the park entrance.

From the lot’s west side, take Whiptail Trail right/north. You’ll quickly reach the junction with the actual Hidden Pinyon Trail, which goes right/east to its trailhead near the park campground. Keep heading north on Whiptail Trail, however.

Desert Vegetation and Wildlife
Hidden Pinyon Trail soon splits left/west through red sand punctuated by black lava rock and desert vegetation. Among the many desert plants you’ll spot along the way are blackbrush, narrow leaf yucca, sand sage, and creosote, the last of which is an adapted species. If you come in spring or autumn, you may notice a number of blooming wildflowers.

The trail next crosses a small area of tiny canyons cut into sandstone formations. The earliest sign of inhabitation of this area goes back some 1800 years when the Anasazi hunted and gathered here. They were replaced by Paiute Indians, who Mormon pioneers in turn displaced during the 1850s.

Upon leaving the sandstone area, the trail joins Three Ponds Trail and heads right/north. To the left is a high canyon wall. Watch for a number of wildlife that make use of this section of the trail, particularly leopard lizards and roadrunners. You also may spot paw prints for coyotes, kit foxes and quail in the sand.

The trail then splits to the left/west where it begins to encircle a 150-foot high sandstone formation. This red rock dates to some 183 million years ago, when quartzite sand covered much of Utah. With each subsequent layer, the sand beneath cemented together, forming what is now known as Navajo sandstone. Over the eons, water cut canyons through this red rock.

From about 1.4 million to 27,000 years ago, nearby volcanoes filled the canyons with lava that cooled into black basalt. This redirected the waterflow, causing new canyons to form.

Excellent Park Vista
The route soon rejoins Three Ponds Trail; at this junction, head left/north. This takes you to the Overlook Trail junction where you go left/southwest to the Hidden Pinyon Overlook for a great view of West Canyon below.

Return to your vehicle by following Overlook Trail back to Three Ponds Trail. As heading down the Overlook Trail, you’ll see the Petrified Dunes to the north. At the trail junction, turn right/southwest and follow Three Ponds Trail back to the parking lot. While you’ve walked parts of this trail where Hidden Pinyon merged with it, other segments will be new.

Should you need to use the restroom or want to enjoy a picnic, from the parking lot walk Snow Canyon Drive north to the actual trailhead for amenities.

While pets can be on the Whiptail Trail, they aren’t allowed on other park walking paths, so Queenie and Fido will have to sit out this hike.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Hike to highest point in Apostle Islands

Campsite off of Northwest Beach Trail

Oak Island, sitting roughly in the middle of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, offers 11.5 miles of day hiking trails. It also boasts the national lakeshore’s highest elevation at 1081 feet above sea level.

The Oak Island dock leaves you at Campsite B and the trailhead for the 5.2-mile Loop Trail. To reach other trails and campsites on the island, you’ll have to take at least a segment of the Loop Trail.

The Loop Trail heads northwest (or left of the dock). You’ll briefly follow the shoreline; across the channel is the mainland, stretching from Frog Bay in the southwest to Raspberry Point in the west.

The trail then swerves north into the island’s interior. It passes the Northwest Beach Trail junction at about 1.2 miles from the dock.

While the island is named for a hardwood, before East Coast and European settlers came here, the island was known among Native Americans for its sugarbush, or maples whose sap could be tapped and made into syrup. During the 1800s, many of the oaks and pines were logged off here; at one time, six logging camps dotted the island.

As the trail curves east, it climbs toward the island’s highest point. At 1.7 miles from the dock is the Overlook Trail junction. The trail then reaches the island’s crest, but there is no viewing platform.

After the crest, the trail meanders south until reaching campsites at Sandspit Beach. From the beach, you’ll be able to spot Red Cliff Point on the mainland to the southwest, Basswood Island directly south, Hermit Island to the southeast, and Stockton Island to the east. The campsites boast an outhouse and artesian well.

You can return to the dock by taking the 1.5-mile Sandspit Trail northwest along the shoreline. Stay on the trail, the boardwalks, or the beach itself to protect the fragile shoreline plant communities.

The trails branching off the Loop Trail include:
g Northwest Beach Trail – The 1.6-mile trail heads to a secluded beach and small group campsite (Campsite #4), which is 2.8 miles from the dock.
g Overlook Trail – Of all the branching trails to take, the 1.8-mile Overlook Trail offers the most impressive sites. At its end on the island’s northernmost point is a viewpoint from a cliff 200 feet above the lake. Looking directly east is the famed Hole-in the-Wall Arch, perhaps the island’s most photographed geological feature. To the north, 10 islands can be seen; the front four, going west to east, are Raspberry, Bear, Otter and Manitou islands. Be sure to stay away from the cliff’s edge, as it easily can crumble. The viewpoint is 7 miles round trip from the dock.

In addition, one route branches off the Overlook Trail:
g North Bay Trail – The 1.1-mile path winds into a ravine to a beach campsite (Campsite #6, which is 7.8 miles round trip from the dock). Sometimes parts of the trail close when eagles are nesting.

Bears also live on the island, so if camping be sure to take precautions with your food.

Read more about day hiking Northwest Wisconsin in my Headin’ to the Cabin guidebooks.