Utah · Hiking · Near Hurricane

Santa Clara River Trail

4.1 mi
round trip
306 ft
climb
6,932 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
best months

Is Santa Clara River Trail open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Dixie National Forest.

  • Duck Creek OHV Trail Closure

    Agency alert covering Dixie National Forest · Order 0407-26-11 · USFS · Dixie National Forest

  • Pine Valley Ranger District Area and Trail and Road Closure

    Agency alert covering Dixie National Forest · Order 0407-26-01 · USFS · Dixie National Forest

  • Cedar City Temporary Road Closure Webster Flat Road (Order 0407-25-02)

    Agency alert covering Dixie National Forest · Order 0407-25-02 · USFS · Dixie National Forest

As of · Source: USFS · Dixie National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

The Santa Clara River Trail is a 4.1-mile out-and-back hike in Utah's Dixie National Forest, within the Pine Valley Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail's trailhead is at Gardner Peak Trailhead, which is open year round. The route rises from about 6,627 feet to about 6,932 feet, with a total elevation gain of 306 feet, and it's rated moderate. The trail is a natural-surface route, and bikes are allowed, so it works for both hikers and mountain bikers. The Practice Loop lies just 0.1 mile away, and the Santa Clara River Equestrian Trail and Canal Trail are within a mile. Pine Valley Guard Station, a campground, is about 0.8 mile off. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Enterprise, which sits about 1,600 feet lower, put May highs near 73°F and October highs near 67°F. That station's July averages reach about 90°F, and its winter highs hover around 42°F.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Equestrian Campground

    Campground

    Campground · 0.3 mi from the trail
  • If it rainsMay2017, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    St. George Childrens Museum

    Museum

    Museum · 20 mi from Hurricane

    Children's museum in Utah, USA

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: May2017, CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons)

More in Hurricane

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

    Best time to visit Santa Clara River Trail

    Best months: April–June and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      42° / 19°

      4 wet · 2 snow

    2. Feb

      47° / 20°

      5 wet · 2 snow

    3. Mar

      57° / 26°

      5 wet · 1 snow

    4. Apr

      64° / 30°

      4 wet

    5. May

      73° / 39°

      4 wet

    6. Jun

      83° / 48°

      2 wet

    7. Jul

      90° / 56°

      4 wet

    8. Aug

      87° / 55°

      4 wet

    9. Sep

      81° / 45°

      3 wet

    10. Oct

      67° / 32°

      3 wet

    11. Nov

      54° / 23°

      3 wet · 1 snow

    12. Dec

      42° / 17°

      4 wet · 2 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Enterprise, UT, 18.4 mi away at 5,320 ft. The station sits about 1,600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.