The Yant Flat Cliffs is area is northwest of St. George down a dirt road that leads to a gorgeous view of red and orange rocks. This sandstone layer extends about 3 miles long at the southern boundary of a rocky plateau (Yant Flat), and the cliffs and buttes offer a variety of unusual striped rock formations. The wavy bands occur in shades of orange, red, pink, yellow, and white. Exploring the Yant Flat Cliffs (aka Candy Cliffs to locals) is relatively easy as you maneuver steep slopes across slickrock.

The best time to explore the Yant Flat Cliffs is Spring or Fall, before the temperatures get extremely hot. There’s no shade or water, so you’ll want to start early in the morning to beat the heat. In Winter, despite the belief that Southern Utah rarely gets snow, the road leading to the unofficial trailhead, known as Anna’s View Point Trail, can be closed off. This area is dog and kid friendly, but watch out for cactus. If you get too late of a start to the day, dogs can easily burn their paws on the hot sand and slickrock. Make sure you bring a minimum of 3 liters of water even when temperatures seem cooler.The best thing about the Yant Flat Cliffs, is once you reach the view point, it’s an “explore on your own” area. There’s no official trails or famous places to see – adventuring on your own is what makes it special. You’ll notice that my map below ends at the view point, 1.3 miles in. This is because it’s up to you to decide where you want to hike to, and I didn’t want to put my exact location on here. Because it’s easy to keep hiking and admiring the colorful rocks and possibly get lost, make sure you have a GPS or good map to keep track of where you are. I always use my app, Gaia GPS, to track my routes. 

If you are heading south on I-15, use this map. Take exit 23 and drive slowly through the neighboor hood, road FR032. Eventually you’ll come to this split in the road.

Stay stright for St. George. From here reset your odometer to 0. Drive 7 miles to an area that can obviously fit 10-15 cars on either side of the road – the road is now FR031. If the road has recently been graded, small cars should be able to make it to the TH. Otherwise, you’ll need 4×4 cars. I would call the Pine Valley Forest Ranger before heading out, to check on the road condition. My friend went here in May and said her RAV4 couldn’t make it all the way, yet this past weekend the road was in perfect shape and even my Sonata could have made it. We drove in a Tacoma just to be safe. It really depends on the weather. Call the Ranger at 435.7834338.

 

Distance: 1.3 miles to Anna’s View Point

Elevation gain: flat

Time: varies, 1 hour minimum

Dog friendly? Yes, off leash

Kid friendly? Yes

Fees/Permits? None

The road was in really good shape in September 2017.

Anna’s View Point Trail starts on the south side of the road. You’ll see these boulders and the brown post. You used to be able to take a Razor/ATV down here, but has been closed off for revegetation. There is no official TH sign.

 The first mile weaves through a typical pinyon-juniper pine forest, dotted with desert plants. In Spring the yucca and cholla cactus will be in bloom with bring pink flowers.

 A few storms were in the area the past two days, making it a much more comfortable hiking temperature in the upper 50Fs. A cool breeze made it feel colder. Once we reached the slickrock it warmed up quite a bit to 65F.

 The last 1/3 mile turns into a sand pit, making it hard to hike through.

 At 1.3 miles you’ll reach the overlook, Anna’s View Point. From here, explore on your own!

 Jax catches wind in his ears!

 Look at those deep blue skies!!! A perfect day to be in the desert.

 Desert time with my baby.

 Beautiful orange and yellow slickrock.

 Charlie takes in his view.

A day in the desert can wear a pup out!

 

Trail map to Anna’s View Point overlook.

Signal Peak

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