An unusual slot canyon decorated with Fremont rock art sits at the eastern edge of Snow Canyon State Park in southern Utah. The Petroglyph Trail begins outside of the park in a neighborhood off UT-18 and 4200 N. and takes you south toward the park's border.
Heading back north once inside the park, jump on the Gila Trail while ascending the hills of deep sand. Once you get up to more solid rock, the views to the west open up and the desert landscape becomes much more dynamic and beautiful. You can see the 7,680-foot West Mountain Peak in the distance above the sprawling neighborhoods of St. George with thick black streams of dried lava flows in the foreground.
Follow the official trail markers and the cairns as you then descend into a small gully of rippled slickrock while heading north. Finding the slot canyon can be a little tricky even with markers, so make sure to look behind you as you pass rock to make sure you don't miss the marker at the entrance to the slot. Once inside, hopefully you can get a few moments to yourself to soak up the atmosphere. The enigmatic carvings are plentiful and beautiful even though many are worn down by time. The Fremont-style art dates to some time between 600 and 1300 CE and depicts sheep, serpents, people, hybrid figures, spirals along with many other abstract shapes, concepts, and inspirations.
The trail loops around to the north, where more artwork can be found, and the desert washes provide a lot of extra exploration opportunities with light scrambling options in every direction. Please don't touch the artwork and be respectful to the site; it remained a secret for along time, so let's help keep it pristine even with the increased number of visitors. This hike gets super hot in the summer, so keep it to dawn or dusk in those months. It's not a long hike, but bring your water and sunscreen and cover up. There is very little shade along the way. The trail is a little tricky, but it's well marked, and there is a posted map at the trailhead.
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