Fossil Canyon offers a fun and educational hiking experince near St. George. We hiked in mid-Feburary and had a great time. Hiking conditions are usually optimum from later fall through early spring, when daytime temperatures are moderate. Don't try the hike when the weather is stormy. Summers are very hot, making conditions less desireable, except during early morning hours.

Fossil Canyon is also know as Quail Canyon. It is located on the Arizona Strip, south of St. Geroge, UT. Access is via a good dirt road. Follow St. George's River Road south to the state line, where the road becomes dirt, and then continue south eight more miles. Look for a dirt road on the left. A short way down the dirt road you will come to a locked gate. Park there, or along the main road, whereever you can. When we visited there were several cars parked at the trailhead and along the main road.

The trail follows that dirt road west and south into a wide canyon. After about 0.7 miles you come to a corral and an obvious trail marker and gate. Go through the gate, around thecorral, and then head into the canyon, which quickly narrows. You just hike up the canyon, climbing over rocks and up minor obstacles. It is a fun hike in a scenic canyon.

There are fossils in the canyon - a lot of them. They are mostly in the vertical rock that forms the canyon walls. You have to search to find them but once you figure out what to look for you see that they are abundant. Most are small shells and other common fossils from marine life.

There are a few fossils in rock that has broken off the walls, but they are harder to find because most get carried home by visitors.

Since the fossils are small and of a common type, they are not all that impressive. It would not be worth doing this hike just to see fossils. But the canyon is fun and it is a great spot to hike during the dead of winter. All in all, we enjoyed it more than we expected.