Roadtrip 2022 Blog post 5 - utah - snow canyon state park
Day 11, April 12th - Hurricane, UT
We finished our drive on Day 11 by arriving in Hurricane. We took a Southern route passing just the outside of Zion, it was strange seeing it from the “outside”. The behemoth walls of rock hid most of the park from the south, but you could still catch glimpses of the colorful rocky peaks poking above every now and then. We then descended from the mountains into the large town of Hurricane, checked into our motel, and spent the rest of the evening in the library.
Day 12, April 13th - Snow Canyon State Park
The next morning we set out to explore a place called Snow Canyon State Park, a place I’d found while researching Utah. I’d read that it was one of those hidden gems of a park, overshadowed by Zion and the other National Parks.
We drove up, and to our surprise, the park was nearly empty. The park ended up being smaller than we thought - you can drive from one end of the park to the other in 10 minutes, but there was a surprising amount to do here. They have a kid-friendly slot canyon called Jenny’s Canyon, a small area with sand dunes, and the highlight - the petrified sand dunes, and they even have lava tubes (which we didn’t have time to check out).
The (relatively quick) walk to Jenny’s Canyon - Snow Canyon State Park
We started the day with Jenny’s Canyon. After doing a ton of research on slot canyons in Utah, we found surprisingly few that were kid friendly (many required canyoneering equipment, or were down long roads that required a 4x4). So we were happy to find this spot.
Jenny’s Canyon is a very short hike from the road, and is a very cool spot for kids. It’s so short, that it might not scratch your hiking itch, but it’s a fun and worthwhile stop while you’re in the park. If for nothing else, it makes for a good photo op.
There’s something magical and old about walking through a slot canyon. There’s an energy there that is unique, touching upon the primal cave-dwelling roots of our ancestry. Jun didn’t hesitate to walk straight in, and head right to the end of the canyon.
Next we had lunch next to the sand dunes. We didn’t explore too much of this area, since we’d already seen sand dunes before, but plenty of families were having a blast running across and playing in the sand. We happily ate our food, and threw a ball back and forth with Jun.
The next area we visited was the highlight, they were the petrified sand dunes. Out of the ground rise these colossal dunes frozen in stone, that look like prehistoric waves rolling and crashing across the landscape. They were unlike any terrain I’d seen before, how do sand dunes petrify? I still don’t have a good understanding of it.
Hiking across them felt like exploring a vast, open playground. While there was a vaguely marked trail, the most fun was simply had by running aimlessly across the rolling slopes of the rock, finding all the various viewpoints, and taking a moment to experience the enormity of the landscape.
Odd little round spheres of stone was littered across the ground. Jun grabbed as many as he could with delight, sharing them amongst us, and testing his strength by throwing them as far as he could. This was nature’s playground at its finest.
Climbing rocks was always something I loved doing as a kid, I watched Jun run free giggling and screaming, he reminded me a lot of myself.
The incredible uniqueness and sprawling landscape of Utah is something to behold. Snow Canyon was a great place to do just that. It was refreshing to be free from flocks of people, especially having just come from Zion the day before. With the cool wind on our face, wandering across the rock, this was another moment that felt like pure freedom.
Pure freedom - as I continue to write this blog, I realize that this is at least the third time I’ve mentioned this concept.
Preparing this trip, I never consciously planned to experience this feeling. Only now, reflecting on the trip, do I realize that these experiences were the highlights. For every uncomfortable bed we slept in, or moment of stress spent planning, there were these moments where everything just felt perfect. The breeze, the scenery, feeling one with the earth, feeling with every fiber of your being that you are where you’re supposed to be. The past or the future don’t matter anymore, you’re just in the moment, being.
In times like these, the thought often crosses my mind - what if we could live in these moments forever?
Before long, my primal brain, starts again, its survivalist, self-preservation monologue begins - What time is it? We should get back to the car. “Where are we going to eat tonight? I hope Jun can sleep quickly once we start driving. Where should we go after this? Am I going to need to find a way to kill time by driving around, so Jun can actually have a complete nap?” The monologue is relentless, and the feeling of total freedom has passed.
After the petrified sand dunes, we returned to the car. We drove around St. George for a while, before we parked the car outside a playground. I sat in the car, and Jun slept in his car seat for an hour, Heiny and Betty sitting in the garden nearby.
After he woke up, we explored the (free) dinosaur-themed playground, it was unexpectedly awesome. There was a stegosaurus slide, a huge volcano that you could walk inside of, a waterpark with t-rex’s, waterfalls, and more. We spent the evening exploring and playing here, before returning to our motel in Hurricane and calling it a night.
It was a good day.
Thank you for reading! The next blog post will cover our trip to Bryce Canyon National Park.