Experience the best of Virgin River

The Virgin River rises on the plateaus of south-western Utah and cuts down through Zion Canyon, where its North Fork has carved cliffs of red and cream sandstone as much as 600 metres high. In the upper canyon the Narrows is a gorge walked through the water itself, its walls closing to a few metres apart.

Below the canyon the river passes Springdale at the park's gate, then small communities such as Rockville, Virgin and La Verkin, before it reaches the red-rock valley around St George. From there it crosses the north-western corner of Arizona through the Virgin River Gorge and ends in Lake Mead.

Cafés in Springdale and St George serve burgers, steaks and Mexican food to hikers coming off the trails, and cottonwoods along the banks turn gold in autumn. The river runs highest with spring snowmelt, and the lower valley around St George is hot and dry through much of the summer.