Experience the best of St George

St George sits in the south-west corner of Utah, where the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin meet, surrounded by red sandstone cliffs and black lava ridges. Settlers founded it in 1861 to grow cotton, which earned the area the nickname Utah's Dixie. The St George Temple, completed in 1877, is the oldest working temple of its church, and Brigham Young's winter home is preserved in town.

Snow Canyon State Park, a short drive north-west, has red and white sandstone, lava tubes and sand dunes. The Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm preserves tracks left by dinosaurs about 200 million years ago. Zion National Park, with its sheer canyon walls, lies about an hour to the north-east, the Kolob Canyons section is up the interstate to the north, and Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon's North Rim are within reach.

Peaches from the orchards of the Hurricane valley are the fruit of summer, and steaks, barbecue and Mexican food share menus with Utah's scones and fry sauce. Winters are mild and bright, so December to February suits hiking and cycling, while summer days can pass 38 degrees.