Winter in Utah is unbelievably gorgeous when it snows. This year we have had a lack of the white stuff (until now) but it always shows up eventually. It is quiet. It is beautiful. It is enchanting. There are so many fun things to do in Utah including hiking. I love a good hike in the snow and have narrowed it down to my top picks. There are hundreds if not thousands of hikes so I just want to share my picks for 5 best Utah Winter Hikes.
5 Best Utah Winter Hikes
It gets really cold in Utah in the winter, especially in the mountains. Make sure that you are properly prepared for a hike.
- Dress appropriately: wear layers and be prepared for it to go from warm to cold quickly
- Gear: trekking poles, boot spikes (if you need a little extra traction), GPS gadget, etc.
- Food & Water: you need to stay hydrated just as if you were hiking in the summer
Now that you are prepared here are my top picks for 5 Best Utah Winter Hikes.
Antelope Island State Park: Dooly Knob Trail
Antelope Island State Park includes 28 miles of hiking trails. The island only gets (on average) 10 inches of snow a year so it is a a perfect location for winter hiking.
Dooly Knob Trail is a 2.4 mile round-trip MODERATE trail with a lake. Dooly Knob offers decent views of the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Front, while overlooking the plains land of Antelope Island. There is plenty of wildlife. Buffalo, Antelope, Coyote, and various small rodents and birds live there. Plus a really great bonus: well-behaved dogs can join as long as you keep them on a 6-foot (or shorter) leash.
Dead Horse Point State Park: Big Horn Overlook Hike
Dead Horse Point State Park has 8 miles of strictly hiking trails but visitors can also hike on the 17 miles of mountain bike trails as well.
Big Horn Overlook 2.5 mile MODERATELY DIFFICULT hike features red sandstone. This hike leads to one of top views in Utah, (according to Utah State Parks officials). The trail can be snowy in winter and is at times uneven, but if you choose to try this hike you will be rewarded with some breathtaking scenery. Bonus: this hike allows dog too!
Snow Canyon State Park: Petrified Dune Hike
Snow Canyon State Park (right outside of St. George) doesn’t receive very much snowfall and is a great place for winter hikes. The park has 38 miles of hiking trails (including 22 different hikes).
The Petrified Dune MODERATE (my kids did it and they are NOT hikers) 2 miles round-trip. It is a fun off-trail experience. You get to scramble across rocks (not dirt trail) and climb pretty high peaks.
Arches National Park: Mesa Arch
Arches has over 2,000 natural stone arches plus hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins & giant balanced rocks.
Mesa Arch Hike is an EASY hike that is less than .5 mile. This arch is even more beautiful (could that be possible?) with a bit of snow so make sure and take this trek in the winter. There will be very few others out and about during the winter so getting the perfect picture will be easy. If you can, shoot for the 5:00 am sunrise photo shoot (it will totally be worth it) even though 5:00 am is really early!
Zion National Park: Weeping Rock
Zion’s National Park in southern Utah features over 220 square miles of explorable land.
Weeping Rock is a VERY EASY 1 mile round-trip hike that includes stairs. If it is really cold it can be icy in spots from the water. If you are truly lucky and get there during a cold spell than you might get to witness the Weeping Rock all frozen over. I have done this hike every time I go to Zions with my kids. During the winter the waterfall is be-UTAH-ful and so is the view!
Keep in mind that any and ALL of these hikes could potentially have snow if you go during the winter. It all depends on the weather. We have done winter hikes in shorts & tank tops and in coats & hats. It really depends upon the year.
Enjoy your Utah Winter Hikes this year! Share your favorites!
