Red Cliffs National Conservation area and Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

On the margins of the nascent metropolis of St. George, Utah, the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area protects some of the most threatened desert landscapes in the southwest. St. George is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and urban sprawl abuts the NCA on nearly all sides. Proposals for new highways cutting through the NCA threaten this beautiful piece of land spanning the boundary between the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, as well as endangered wildlife such as the desert tortoise. Nestled within the reserve is Snow Canyon State Park, which juxtaposes deep sandstone canyons with relatively recent basaltic lava flows, cinder cones, and lava tubes.

Hover over any image to see a description:

Petroglyphs, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Canyon tree frog (Dryophytes arenicolor), Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Sandstone patterns, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Swirly sandstone, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Thousands of moqui marbles, concretions of iron oxide minerals, accumulate in small troughs eroded into the Navajo Sandstone, Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

Wow, what a hole! Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

Sunset over the Pine Valley Mountains, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

A vernal pool reflects a sandstone butte, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

Long-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia wislizenii), Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Swirly sandstone ,Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Looking south across swales and ridges of Navajo Sandstone from the Petrified Dunes trail in Snow Canyon State Park, Utah