The Lava Tube Trail leads to several little caves created long ago near St. George, Utah. There are two that you can actually go inside! Be sure to bring headlights and extra bright flashlights and hike with a buddy if you plan to go inside any of the caves.
Geology
St. George, Santa Clara, and Veyo are a volcanic area that was active an estimated 27,000 years ago, which is relatively recent in geological terms. There are multiple volcanoes including two cinder cones within the boundaries of Snow Canyon State Park. In this Google Earth screenshot you can see the Northern and larger Southern Cinder Cones in the top, right corner. The Lava Tubes are labeled near the bottom. For scale, they are located about two miles apart.
When the volcanoes erupted, lava flowed and as the surface cooled, it formed a crust while the molten lava underneath kept flowing. When the eruption stopped, the lava flow drained, leaving behind the explorable tunnels and caves generally referred to as lava tubes.
Trail Details
The trail begins at the Lava Flow Trailhead inside Snow Canyon State Park.
This trail is easy/moderate to hike.
There are a few informational signs, but some of them are worn and hard to read.
The views along the way have such variety of colors!
Soon you come to the first and largest lava tube. This is still an enjoyable hike even if you don’t go inside, but it’s super cool to go in. It is very dark inside, so make sure you have headlamps or flashlights.
You can see the line of people making their way down. It’s a bit tricky because you have to watch out or you will bump your head and also have to lower yourself down a bit. My 10 and 12 year-old kids needed just a bit of help, but the teens did it without trouble.
To one side there is a giant cavern.
If you go the other direction, it is narrower and you have to crawl and climb to explore.
We spend about 20 minutes total climbing down, exploring, and climbing back up. Then we continued our hike. In a few minutes it looks like you arrive at a second lava tube.
There isn’t really anywhere to go though, so this one isn’t actually a lava cave you can enter. There is another lava cave you can go inside just ahead.
This is the easiest of the lava tubes to enter. It’s a relatively easy climb down and then you can walk into the cave.
This cave is a lot smaller, but still fun to explore. It’s a perfect one if your kids are younger and you want to see how they do.
Here is a shot looking out and one just outside the cave where you can see the hikers looking in.
Much the trail also has such beautiful sandstone rocks in the distance.
You can also get to the Lava Tube Trail from the south along the Butterfly Trail that connects it to the Petrified Sand Dunes. That trail comes from the opposite direction.
Stats: Distance – 2.3 miles round trip
Approximate biking time – 1-2 hours
Elevation gain – 396 feet
Difficulty – Moderate
Trail – dirt and rocks
Bathrooms – None
Seasons to hike – Year Round
Permits needed – $15/car for ($10/car for Utah residents) or state parks pass
Pets allowed – No
Other trails in Snow Canyon State Park are Petrified Sand Dunes, Butterfly Trail, Jenny’s Canyon, and Snow Canyon Petroglyphs. For more St. George Trails, click this link. Click here for more caves.
