Zion National Park has become increasingly crowded, with visitation rising from 2.5 million people in 2005 to nearly five million in 2025. For travelers looking for a quieter desert experience, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area lies about 45 minutes west and offers a varied landscape with a fraction of Zion’s crowds.
Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Red Cliffs covers roughly 45,000 acres and has more than 100 miles of developed trails. The area includes sandstone cliffs, slot canyons and broad stretches of slickrock, but visitors should not expect visitor centers or rangers on site. Its compact layout also makes it possible to combine several activities in a short visit without mandatory shuttles or extensive crowd management.
Wildlife sightings can include Gila monsters and a rare desert tortoise. Among the most accessible highlights is Red Reef, also known as the Red Cliffs Nature Trail. The roughly three-mile round trip begins as an easy walk before entering a narrowing slot canyon. The route involves light scrambling, a fixed rope around a small waterfall and several pools that can become deep enough to turn back. Beyond the canyon, visitors can explore additional sandstone formations.
The 7.5-mile Dino Cliffs loop focuses on slickrock, with steep climbs, sandy washes and views across the surrounding cliffs. Along the route, 17 well-preserved dinosaur tracks attributed to meat-eating theropods from the Jurassic period provide another attraction.
Nearby Snow Canyon State Park covers 7,400 acres within the larger Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. Its Petrified Sand Dunes Trail is a 1.2-mile round trip across hardened sandstone, while the one-mile Lava Flow Trail crosses black lava and reaches three lava tubes. A headlamp is recommended for exploring the tubes.
Red Cliffs Arch is a smaller formation, measuring about 10 feet wide and eight feet high, above the Virgin River. A combination of trails from the Sand Cove trailhead creates a 2.2-mile round trip across sandy singletrack, slickrock and a steep dune. A side trail leads toward the river.
For longer outings, the Red Mountain Wilderness covers 18,700 acres north of Snow Canyon State Park. The Red Mountain Trail extends 12.8 miles round trip, although the first 2.3 miles are enough to reach Red Mountain Overlook, with views of Snow Canyon and the St. George valley.
The conservation area has two campgrounds. Red Cliffs Campground offers 11 sites with shade structures near Red Reef for $15 per night, with reservations available six months in advance. Sand Cove Campground is a free, primitive group site for up to 20 people, but it requires a permit and a four-wheel-drive vehicle. From there, the one-mile Anasazi Valley Trail, also called the Tempi’po’op Trail, leads to preserved Puebloan ruins.
The entrance fee is $5 per vehicle per day. St. George is about 15 minutes away and offers post-hike food and drink, including Silver Reef Brewing Co., which serves lagers, barrel-aged beers, pizza and wings. Fall through spring are recommended for milder temperatures.
Sources: Outside.