Riding Into The Sunset At Snow Canyon

This State Park Is a Hollywood Western Movie Site That You Can Ride!
 

- Darley Newman

An underrated park that you might want to have on your radar has visuals straight out of a classic Western movie, and you might have seen this park in Hollywood films if you’ve watched any of the classics. Riding here, you’ll certainly have plenty of places for cowgirl photos that will make your friends at home—and maybe even your horses—jealous.

Snow Canyon State Park in St. George, Utah is not one of the most visited parks in Utah. It sometimes gets missed for the grander Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Zion, but it’s worth the trip to this park in the Southwestern part of the state because of its striking scenery and outfitter Patty Arnett’s award-winning horses. As I rode out from our meeting point on Itos, an 18-year-old dark bay Dutch warmblood, I could feel that I was on a special horse.

The sire of all of the horses that our small group was riding, including Itos, placed eighth in the 2002 Atlanta Olympics, and it wasn’t because of the special occasion of our filming that I was given Itos as my partner. He’s one of Patty’s well-bred horses that visiting riders can mount if they are heading out with Patty to explore the park. I made a mental note of yet another reason to ride in the Snow Canyon: Olympic-quality trail horses.