If you blink, you might miss it--but Bloomington Petroglyph Park is one of those low-key spots that…read moreends up being way cooler than you expect. We pulled up thinking it would be a quick stop... and yeah, it is quick--but it's also surprisingly fascinating. This tiny half-acre park is literally tucked into a neighborhood, which feels weird at first (like, "am I lost?"), but then you walk up and boom--massive boulders covered in ancient carvings. The petroglyphs are believed to have been created by Native peoples thousands of years ago, and you can spot all kinds of shapes--humans, animals, spirals, and random symbols that still kind of feel like a mystery. What makes this place stand out is how ridiculously accessible it is. You park, walk maybe 20 feet, and you're face-to-face with real ancient rock art. No hike, no effort--just instant history. It's not a big, flashy attraction, so don't come expecting a full-on park experience. No bathrooms, no visitor center--just a small path, a couple benches, and the rocks. But honestly? That's part of the charm. If you're in St. George and want a quick, unique stop that feels a little off-the-beaten-path, this is it. Just don't touch the carvings--these things have survived thousands of years... let's not be the generation that ruins them. Follow us for more hidden gems on our socials @reessroots

If you are in the area, it is a quick stop that has interesting history. The reason I said maybe…read moreis because when I read the description of a 5 acre park to see petroglyphs, I would have driven anywhere feasible to see it. It is in fact , not even an acre and only one or two rocks that have the petroglyphs on them....not a park!

The Narrows is one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever done. Check weather conditions before…read moregoing, as flash floods can occur, and the ranger station will have the latest information. Hiking/trekking poles and proper water shoes are highly recommended. The water ranges from ankle-deep to waist-high in places, and the rocky riverbed makes for slow going if walking barefoot as I did, but it's well worth the effort. Towering canyon walls, waterfalls, hanging gardens, and vibrant wildflowers make this feel like a hidden oasis. Keep an eye out for the Zion snail, which is found only in Zion National Park. The farther you go, the greater the reward. Zion means "City of God," and The Narrows felt like one of its chambers. Beautiful, cold, and unforgettable. If the God of all creation, has a throne on this earth, it would be here!

You get to The Narrows by taking the shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava, which is shuttle stop #9…read morewhen the shuttle is running, and going on the Riverside Walk which is a nice paved two mile round trip walk alongside the Virgin River. That trail ends at the river where The Narrows begin - aptly named as it's the most narrow part of the gorge. I spent a little bit of time in the river, but nothing serious as I didn't have enough time to dedicate to the trek to Wall Street. It's on my list of things to do for a future trip. You shouldn't enter the The Narrows if there's any rain in the weather forecast or any rain in the surrounding areas. It's too risky to be caught in the canyon with any chance of flash floods. There are port-a-potties and water at the shuttle station. Even though you're hiking in a river, that water should not be consumed as there have been cyanobacteria and their associated toxins found in the Virgin Riven. There is no known recreational water filtration or disinfection method that can reduce the toxins to a safe level for drinking!

There are 2 parking lots for the trail, either one of them is fine, no fee is required. First one…read morecomes 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.

The Santa Clara River Trail System has an awesome trail which leads to petroglyphs. This trail is…read moreknown 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.

There are three Emerald pools at different elevations, and so the best thing about this trail is…read morethat if you're tired after the first pool (the lower pool) you can turn around and feel pretty accomplished. I think a lot of people do this since the lower pool is definitely the busiest. There's also a neat little waterfall cascading into the pool, so my personal opinion is that it's the prettiest pool. The middle pool actually goes up to the sandstone shelf that creates the waterfall to the lower pool. It's pretty neat, although I didn't dare go near the edge as the rocks can be slippery, and I wasn't about to risk anything. The trail here is a little steeper than the trail to the lower pool. The upper pool is at the base of the grotto with sweeping cliffs. It does have some steps and a lot of sand. The sand can sap your energy, and I saw a few people needing to rest and gather their strength. The grotto was a bit flooded when I went, and so you might have to step on some rocks to avoid getting your shoes wet. I saw a bunch of ground squirrels frolicking around here. Overall, gorgeous and unique trail to hike in Zion!

I visited Emerald Pools at Zion National Park right before the 4th of July, and it was a really…read morenice stop to add to the trip. I only did the easier route to the Lower Emerald Pool, and that was enough for me that day since I did other trails like the Riverside walk. You can get there from the Zion Lodge shuttle stop, which is stop #5, so it's pretty easy to work into your day if you're already taking the shuttle through the park. The trail to the lower pool was scenic without feeling too difficult. You still get those beautiful Zion views along the way, and once you get closer to the pool area, the canyon walls and water make it feel really peaceful. The lower emerald pools is about .6 miles, 1.2 round trip. There are also Middle and Upper Emerald Pools if you want to keep going, but I kept it simple with the lower pool this time. I went right before 4th of July so the park was definitely busy, I'd recommend bringing water, wearing comfortable shoes and giving yourself extra time for the shuttle and crowds. I'm glad I did Emerald Pools. The Lower Pool was a pretty, easy hike and a great option if you want something scenic in Zion without committing to a harder trail.

Like the other reviewer, I went to the Wire Pass trail. As you hike the wash, you pass by the…read moreCoyote Buttes North trailhead, aka The Wave, but don't be tempted to go if you don't have a permit! The rangers will catch you! To get to here, you will need to drive on House Rock Valley Road which is an unpaved road. I did it in a 2WD sedan, but made sure that the weather was dry so there was no mud. There's a large parking lot with a few composting toilets. You do need to pay for a permit - the trailhead allows you to use your credit card to pay and prints out a copy of the permit. Anyway, this is an awesome slot canyon! Follow the stream bed until you enter the canyon. It's a short canyon that leads to a petroglyph panel. There's a ladder section, but also an alternative trail if you have a dog or can't navigate the ladder. At the petroglyph panel, you can then explore the Buckskin Gulch narrows (the full Gulch is an overnight hike). I had to turn around at some point since there were huge puddles of water - some over knee deep that I didn't want to risk accidentally falling into when balancing on rocks. I would definitely visit again!!!

Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs is a designated wilderness area within the Vermillion Cliffs…read moreNational Monument, which straddles the border between Utah and Arizona and is approximately 40 miles East of Kanab, UT. This wilderness area wraps around the northern side of the monument and encompasses the Paria River canyon and other smaller, connected canyons. It is also the site of the famous landmark known as "The Wave," though that area (called 'Coyote Buttes North') is only accessible via permit; and such a permit can only obtained via a lottery system. But if, like us, you don't win that lottery, this beautiful area still has plenty to offer, namely: stunning slot canyon hiking. PCVC wilderness area is accessible via three trail-heads on two different roads off Hwy 89. We chose the Wire Pass trail-head off House Rock Road, which involved just over 20 miles of driving on a winding, sandy (and sometimes rutted) dirt road off the highway. (Note: this road is not passable after heavy rain). Our destination was the Paria River canyon itself, which can be reached from the the trail-head by passing through Wire Pass. Long story short, our hike was beautiful. Wire Pass itself narrowed from a wide 'wash' to a narrow slot canyon about 50 ft high, and we could feel the temperature drop about 10 degrees as we entered the latter. There was at least one semi-treacherous spot where a steep, blind climb-down over a large rock was required (I was glad to have long legs). The canyon opened up a bit at the confluence with Paria River canyon, before transforming again into a wider but much deeper slot canyon downstream. But due to the dangers of flooding in this narrow space, we ended up turning back before our planned turnaround point, since we sighted (and heard) some big thunderheads about 20 miles or so upstream. (We agreed not to die of stupidity). But we still had a great day. Other things you should know before visiting Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliff Wilderness: -- A permit is needed for backpacking overnight in Paria Canyon -- Don't think you can just sneak over to 'The Wave' without a permit. It is patrolled daily; and fines range from $1k to $10k. They've even been known to impound vehicles -- If hiking a long distance in Paria canyon, you will get wet; wading through some deep pools may be required (so bring water shoes and hiking poles) -- All poop must be packed out (You heard me) -- Local monsoon season is June - Sept; best avoided for flash flooding

I really enjoyed this hike!! It ended up being quite a bit longer than I'd anticipated but I think…read moreit was worth it. It starts near the visitor center but wraps around the canyon face to end with a lovely overlook view of the canyon, with the watchman mountains to your left and the visitor center/springdale straight ahead. It's rockier than I thought it would be here, definitely watch your step. It took me a solid couple hours to do round trip and I'd already done several hikes that day/was tired so bear it in mind! But of all the hikes I did in Zion, this was actually one of my favorites (aside from Angel's landing). Would recommend!

My favorite hike we did over the 3 days at Zion. Beautiful views of the town of Springdale and…read moresurrounding area. Moderate hike up and good for children if they are behaved. Few parts of the trail get a little narrow but for the majority it wasn't too bad. I recommend getting up early and beating the day time heat.

Sometimes we aren't in the mood for a true "hike" where you have to navigate trails, climb an…read moreincline or commit to a strenuous activity. There are times when we prefer a leisurely stroll, likely at the end of a dog leash, and the Virgin River Trail is just perfect for that! There's ample parking and restrooms at the park, then you can hop on the trail in a variety of directions. The path is paved and very clearly marked, so you know where to go. There are even signs along the way directing to different trails as well as information about the length. I especially like the bridges over the Virgin River-they make for a nice photo. Not a lot of shade, so if you're walking in the summer months, prepare for that.

I had an idyllic escape to St. George, UT during my spring break staycation back in March. After…read morearriving in St. George, I beelined to Confluence Park to bike the Virgin River Trail, which parallels the Virgin River for nearly 12 miles. The trail is well-maintained, extremely scenic, passes through diverse Southwestern landscapes, and is relatively flat (with the exception of the detour I took through picturesque Cottonwood Canyon on the Hell Hole Trail). Biking the Virgin River North Trail out and back from Confluence Park is roughly 18.2 miles. I did an extra seven miles on the Hell Hole & Virgin River South Trails to get me closer to 25 miles total. During my bike ride, I encountered photographers, runners, hikers, other bicyclists, and families/groups of people out on leisurely strolls. I would rate the Virgin River Trail as easy and suitable for all fitness levels. I found Cottonwood Canyon and the steep Hell Hole Trail hard/difficult as a novice biker, but well worth the effort! After my bike ride and lunch in St. George, the adventure continued with a scenic drive back home through the Virgin River Gorge (AZ), Moapa Valley (NV), and Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NV).

It's a very tough drive up, we had a large truck and very much struggled half way up till we gave…read moreup. Lifted truck, jeep, quad or dirt bike is your only option. Unless you don't care about absolutely destroying your vehicle I recommend hiking the entire trip or drive halfway then start hiking because it gets only worst the further you go. It might get better over time but the flooding made it more difficult journey.

DOPE Ride!! Yelp reviewers are correct, you should NOT attempt this trail unless you are familiar…read morewith off roading, have a 4x4, and/or have Matt's number (Matt's OffRoad Recovery) and cell service. Gnarly road with awesome views of Utah's mountains and valley. Sometimes you're so darn close to the edge, one miscalculated move... A bit nerve-wracking! The falls were okay. Water temperature was perfect for a hot day.