There are 2 parking lots for the trail, either one of them is fine, no fee is required. First one comes with brief instructions and maps. It's easy hike with slow elevation. The petroglyphs site is on the rock side or right side, so stay on right side. It's about 3 miles round trip, expect one and half hour. It is fun to explore and search for petroglyphs since there is no signs or indications where these petroglyphs are located. The history of petroglyphs is not as old as I thought, it's about 800-1000 years old. Many petroglyphs are located on cliffs facing by the Santa Clara River. These petroglyphs include abstract and geometric patterns such as parallel lines, herringbone and patterns, as well as figurative patterns such as dancing people and goats. The petroglyphs have spiral patterns, which I think are in memory of their legend ancestor Spider Grandmother. And these dancing people may be worshiping the ancestor. There is a goat head painted very ethereal, it's so beautiful even looks like modern paintings. Although it is introduced that there is an organization-the Land Mountain Research and Conservation Foundation, dedicated to protecting these rock paintings. But these rock paintings are still in their original state, there are no monitoring measures to protect the wind and rain, and there are no markings on the location of the rock paintings. You have to climb up and down to find them. We encountered other tourists who lost their way in finding rock paintings. I truly hope significant measures to take to preserve and label these petroglyphs, maybe more academic research should be done to interpret them. read more

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The Santa Clara River Trail System has an awesome trail which leads to petroglyphs. This trail is known as Templ'po'op Petroglyph Trail and you can reach it from Anasazi Valley Trailhead. The trail is 2.9 miles long and takes you through the desert until you finally arrive to the petroglyphs. There are a lot of petroglyphs here which makes sense because Templ'po'op translates to rock writing. To see many of these petroglyphs you must climb around a bit. Some rocks had plenty of petroglyphs on them while some only had one or two drawings. There is really a lot of stuff to see here. On the way back there are some beautiful views. This is a very kid friendly hike. Even climbing around the rocks to see the petroglyphs felt safe. read more

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We've hiked this area several times. It's easy enough for older and out of shape people (okay, me some days). There's a shortcut trail to the right of a shrub just after you start the hike from the parking lot. The longer trail has better views. Both will get you to the top where you can view dozens of cool petroglyphs. Great valley views to the west and red mountains to the east. There is a toilet near the parking lot. Watch for the signs off the highway in Ivins near Kayenta. read more

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I hiked this trail in 2009, and I was glad when I saw that Daniel had listed it on Yelp. I parked at the first parking lot along West Sunset Boulevard nearer Santa Clara than Ivins. There is another parking area on the Ivins side of this trail system. Either will work. I hiked this trail in a counter clockwise direction going on top of the mesa first and checking out the rock art on top. At the far end of the mesa, the trail gets to the other lot and there's a trail to the lower section that brings you along the base of the mesa and along the Santa Clara River. This is where some of the best rock art is to be seen. This is an easy trail to hike and one with some great views of the cliffs on the south side of the river and the sandstone formation on which and around which you hike. If you're in St. George for a show at Tuacahn or you want to escape the crowds at Zion, this is a nice area to enjoy. It doesn't have the majestic cliffs of Zion but it is lovely! read more

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Cool little hike. The petroglyphs were really cool. It's not a difficult hike and I think we could have gone a bit more. I would love to hit it again or possibly run it read more

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Beautiful hike and views of petroglyphs. Easy hike for all ages. I don't think I've ever seen so many petroglyphs in one area. I took so many photo as you can see. I need to read more about what they mean. I love the history and the stories of the Anasazi Indians. There is such a cool vibe here. read more

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The Anasazi Trail is an easy hike in the Santa Clara River Reserve northwest of St. George, Utah. It is an easy hike that rewards the hiker with petroglphs, breathtaking views of the Santa Clara River, Red Mountains, Beaver Dam Mountains, Santa Clara, and Beaver Dam Mountains. This review will later discuss the 4.2 mile round trip hike on the Anasazi Trail from my first-hand experience. The best word to describe Anasazi Trail is "underrated." Up to yesterday before I set foot on this trail, I was incognizant that it even existed. I had driven from Las Vegas to St. George with the purpose of spending time in a park that I had yet to visit. As I was doing on the spot research in Perk's Coffee Shop, I typed "Hiking in St. George, Utah." Anasazi Trail came up. My mind was set on hiking it. I would do on the spot learning that I am going to pass on. Anasazi Trail is also called Tempi Po' op Trail. This means "rock writing" in Southern Paiute. This makes sense because the trail rewards hikers with ancient rock writing known as petroglphs. The Anasazi Trail is truly a lengthy trail that incorporates many trails. Using Google Maps, I also learned that typing "Anasazi Valley Trailhead" gives accurate directions to the trail. With that said, I will provide directions in the following paragraph. If you are driving northbound on I-15, you want to exit on Dixie Road. After turning left you will drive it a few miles north to Sunset Road. There will be a McDonald's and Albertson's at the southwest corner where you turn. The Maverick at the northeast corner is the perfect spot for water. I highly recommend water because there is no shade. After turning left on Sunset Road, you will proceed through Santa Clara. The road narrows to two lanes. After the Jacob Hamblin home, the turn off is 3 miles on the left. If you see a convenience store on the left, you missed it. The trailhead is reached by a 0.3 mile gravel road. Adjacent to the trailhead are the only amenities: a restroom, kiosk, and sufficient parking. The best thing missing is a pay station. This is a free hike on land that the BLM administers. The hike that I did was the 4.2 mile round trip to the highest point on Land Hill. I am amazed at the ease in reaching the 350 foot high elevation to a height of 3,350 feet. When I say "ease" the hike to the petroglphs is so easy that boots are not required and you can wheel a stroller up the hill. Along the 1.3 mile hike to the petroglphs the trail texture is smooth as it gently climbs the switchbacks. At 0.8 miles is a short spur trail to the right leading to Anasazi farmstead remains. There is a kiosk explaining the site. Continuing headed southeast up Land Hill, it was approximately 0.3 miles to the petroglphs (Rock art area). The petroglphs are amazing. Especially from the high up elevation. The best way to paint this in words is looking at petroglphs in a South Utah Grand Canyon. The petroglphs were so close that I was looking down at the ancient art work. The pictures below capture the site. These petroglphs are just some of several spread across the reserve. Just as amazing as the petroglphs was the majestic scenery. Where a few minutes ago, I was at the same elevation as the Santa Clara River, now I was at the edge of a dramatic drop off looking below. Throughout the rest of the hike I took in the majestic scenery. On my north stood the Red Mountains, mesas, and the Pine Valley Mountains of Snow Canyon State Park. This reminded me of the Calico Hills and La Madre Mountains in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Below the mountains was a quaint valley interspersed with new homes and church steeples. On my right far below the adrenaline producing drop off of the cliffs a dry Santa Clara River meandered through the green landscape. Further uphill, I took in a flowing river. In the great distance of this Grand Canyon vista stood mesas and the Beaver Dam Mountains. After several drives through the Virgin River pass, this hike provided me of what it looks like at the other side. The Anasazi Trail rarely hugged the cliff. It was my choice to venture off to stand on the rocks. The topography changed nearer the highest point. After proceeding through a gate, the smooth topography changed to stone and large rocks. Still easy. The immediate landscape is desert. Anasazi Trail is at the northernmost reaches of the Mojave Desert. The dominant fauna are sagebrush and creosote interspersed with cacti. On my hike the dominant creatures were bunny rabbits and lizards. If you are planning for adventure in Southern Utah, I highly recommend the Anasazi Trail. It will be an adventure you will never forget. read more

Trail was long, but not as long as I thought it was going to be when looking at the trail map. We saw some great petroglyphs, so it was worth it! - a little too long for my 3 year old who isn't used to the heat (we're from California) read more

Nice short hike for the entire family. Watch for dog poop. People seem to not pick up after their animals, when we went there was a pile like every 20'. read more

Nice hike for the entire family. The only bad thing was that it did not seem as though other guests follow the rules about packing out dog waste. There was quite a bit of dog feces on the trail, some bags of it just thrown to the side. read more