Cinder Cone Trail - Hike a Volcano in Utah

Have you ever wanted to hike a volcano? Maybe you saw some viral footage of the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland or you dream of going to Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii. But checking that volcano hike off your bucket list is easier and closer than you think! Look no further than the hidden gem that is the Cinder Cone Trail near St. George, Utah.

For photos with unique vantage points like this one, we highly recommend getting the DJI Mini 2 – a drone with a great mix of high quality and affordability. It’s lightweight and easy to learn to use – it comes in at 249 grams, 1 gram shy of requiring a drone pilot’s license to fly it.

We visit the St. George area multiple times a year, especially in the spring and fall when the weather tends to be colder where we live up North, but a perfect 70s & sunny in Southern Utah. We’re always discovering new things to do in St. George Utah, and this trail was one of our recent favorites. It’s definitely a hidden gem that most people don’t know about. Just a few minutes away in the main gated areas of Snow Canyon, the parking lots were full and teeming with people eager to hike the slot canyons and play in the sand dunes, but we had this trail entirely to ourselves.

Where is Cinder Cone Trail?

Cinder Cone Trail is located near the north entrance of Snow Canyon State Park. It’s technically inside the park boundaries but the trailhead sits outside the main gate, so you don’t have pay the entrance fee to hike it. We love adventures that don’t cost any money! The trail itself is a moderate 1.7 miles and wraps around the volcano (definitely don’t go off trail and just try to hike straight up the face). It gets a little slippery at the top because of the loose lava rock, so be sure to wear good hiking shoes.

Is Cinder Cone Trail Kid-Friendly?

This hike is kid-friendly, as long as they can handle the distance to the top of the volcano. If you have to turn around before the summit, it’s still worth going to see the lava flows and hear your kids brag about how they hiked a volcano! We hiked it in the fall with four small kids, one of which got to ride in the hiking backpack. Spoiled much? No one carries me up and down mountains!

Looking for more to do nearby? Here’s 14 more kid-friendly hikes in St. George!

Important Info

Also note that there is ZERO shade on this hike, so come prepared with lots of water. We recommend hiking in the spring or fall, or at the very least in the early morning during the summer because it gets extremely hot and heat exhaustion is a very real danger with a hike like this. There are no amenities or restrooms on the trail, either.

Will it erupt again?

Cinder Cone Trail is one of two cinder cones that make up the Santa Clara Volcano, which is a large inactive volcano in Diamond Valley, Utah. It’s estimated that it last erupted 27,000 years ago. Geologists say it won’t ever erupt again because these types of cinder cones only erupt once. The north cinder cone is located on private land (that was for sale at the time we last visited – how cool would it be to own a volcano?!) and there are no marked trails.

There’s also another volcano about 10 minutes to the north called the Veyo Volcano, but that one also does not have any marked trails. So, the best choice for hiking a volcano in Southern Utah is indeed the Cinder Cone Trail. To learn more about volcanoes in Southern Utah, check out this article from the National Parks Service.

Why hike Cinder Cone Trail?

Once you hike to the top, you can walk around the entire rim of the volcano and you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views of the St. George area – Diamond Valley and the Santa Clara Volcano to the north and the red & white sandstone cliffs of Snow Canyon to the west. Be careful on your way down not to slip on the loose gravel!

Snow Canyon State Park

Once you finish hiking Cinder Cone Trail, be sure to check out the rest of Snow Canyon State Park. You can see evidence of the ancient lava flow throughout the park with black lava rock all over the place. There is even another trail you could hike that takes you through a lava tube!

Snow Canyon was designated as a state park in 1959. Some say that if it weren’t for Zion National Park being so close that this may have been worthy of national park status itself. This is probably just hearsay because the park is much smaller than your average national park but it is a very beautiful, awe-inspiring place no less! It’s one of the reasons we keep coming back to St. George again and again. You’ll definitely want to include it on your Utah bucket list!

In addition to the volcanoes and big red rocks cliffs, there are plenty more kid-friendly hikes in the area as well. Try Zion Canyon Overlook.

Where to eat after your hike

After a day of hiking volcanoes, touring lava tubes, and exploring Snow Canyon, you’ll be sure to have worked up quite the appetite. One of our family’s St. George traditions is to eat at George’s Corner Restaurant every time we visit. It’s been around since the 1930s when St. George was still just a small town. It’s now one of the biggest metro areas in the state and has a ton of different options, but this is still our favorite place to grab a burger and the some of tastiest homemade mac n cheese that even the grownups will love. No this is not an ad, just a hearty endorsement of our favorite place to eat!

Best Restaurants | St. George - Red Sands Vacations — George’s Corner Restaurant

Where to stay in St. George

St. George has vacation rental properties galore with all amenities you can think of. But if you just want a simple, affordable place to lay your head at night, we recommend the Fairfield Inn. Out of several Marriott properties in the area, this is always the most affordable. And it has a nice hot tub and outdoor pool, not to mention free breakfast.

Pet-Friendly Hotel In St. George Near Dixie Convention Center | Fairfield Inn — Book this hotel on Marriott.com

Thanks for reading! Please consider sharing on social media if you found it useful.

–JJ 🤘🏻

Our family is on a mission to experience the best our home state of Utah has to offer and help other families find affordable, kid-friendly adventures in the process. You can follow us on Instagram @theminivanbucketlist or download our free printable Utah Bucket List for a list of the top hikes in the great state of Utah, both for kid-friendly and more adventurous hikes.

Check out these related posts:

This post contains affiliate links and we may make a small commission if your purchase any Amazon products or book a stay with Marriott. And we’d appreciate it if you do because it’s what keeps this blog going!