St. George is one of our favorite jumping-off points in the country for outdoor recreation and family-friendly adventures. Zion National Park is an obvious highlight and one of our favorite national parks, but there are loads more options for hiking, climbing, biking, and cooling off in the water. Here are some of our favorites, plus a bunch of tips sent in from our readers who know the area!
Hikes:
Water Canyon: Scenery very much like Zion Canyon, without the crowds.
West Cinder Knoll Trail: A short climb to a moon-like landscape of red and purple cinders, with beautiful views over the valley.
Petrified Dunes Trail, Snow Canyon State Park: Search for moqui marbles and enjoy the rolling hills of Navajo sandstone.
Hidden Pinyon, Snow Canyon State Park: A short and rewarding trail with great views.
Kanarraville Falls: Hike up a slot canyon to a hidden waterfall; this spot has been overrun in recent years, so if you do the hike, be extra careful to leave no trace: be courteous of other hikers, use the bathroom in the parking lot before you start, and stay in the stream so you don’t erode the banks.
Check out our blog post about Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks to see some of our favorite hikes in there! There are a million incredible hikes in this area—do some research here to find a good one for you. And please, please, PLEASE be super careful when hiking here! The desert is such a fragile ecosystem and it’s vital that everyone stay on trails or hard rock surfaces, obey all posted rules, and do some research to learn how you can have the lowest impact possible!
Snow Canyon State Park 
Petrified Sand Dunes, Snow Canyon State Park 
Water Canyon 
Water Canyon 
West Cinder Knoll Trail
Other activities:
Biking: Take advantage of St. George’s 60+ miles of paved trails with a bike ride.
Historical sites: St. George Temple and Visitor Center, Brigham Young Winter Home, St. George Tabernacle, Ancestor Square, Grafton Ghost Town
Johnson Farm Dinosaur Discovery Site
Children’s museum (there’s a splash pad and carousel nearby as well!)
Ancestor Square Farmer’s Market (April-October)
Santa Clara Fruit Stands
GeorgeFest: On the first Friday of every month, March-October, there is live music and a street market downtown.
Places to cool off:
Gunlock State Park: The reservoir at Gunlock is a great place to splash in the cool water or take a kayak out for a paddle around the sandstone formations around the bank.
Brian Head/Cedar Breaks National Monument: At 10,000 feet, Cedar Breaks and Brian Head are great options for escaping the heat of the valley; both have loads of trails and recreation opportunities.
Sand Hollow State Park: Another fantastic reservoir with red sand beaches, fishing, boating and hiking.
Thunder Junction All-Abilities Park: The coolest playground we’ve ever been to, and they’ve got a great splash pad for hot days!
Food:
Angelica’s Mexican Grill
Hawaiian Poke Bowl
Cliffside Restaurant
Irmita’s
The Painted Pony
Cafe Rio
Benja Thai & Sushi
Oscar’s Cafe
Veyo Pies
Even Stevens (sandwiches)
Nielsen’s Frozen Custard
Pizzeria Limone
St. George is one of our very favorite places, and we hope you get a chance to visit and fall in love with it, too!
Read about our recent visit to the area in this post.
***Our visit to St. George was done in conjunction with the Travel Mindset team and was sponsored by Visit St. George. All enthusiasm is, as always, our own :).