Located 35 miles north of St. George, Utah, the area known as Pine Valley is surrounded by wilderness, pine trees, and wildlife of the Dixie National Forest. The small community of Pine Valley is a welcome summer retreat from the heat of St. George. At 6,630 feet (compared to 2,800 feet elevation in St. George), the cool evenings and shade from ponderosa pines seem like a little piece of heaven.
The Pine Valley Mountain, being a mountain island surrounded by desert, is more or less isolated from the Wasatch Mountain Range, which extends the entire length of the state. The mountains are a striking compliment to the area’s dramatic red rock scenery.
Because the St. George area is located between the Rocky Mountains and the desert southwest, it features the distinct landscapes of both. It has forested mountain ranges and high plateaus, along with rugged and starkly beautiful red rock desert.
The Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness preserves numerous lush meadows (up to 50 acres in size) and a beautiful forest of Engelmann spruce in the south, and spruce mixed with fir, pine, and large stands of aspen in the north. The Pine Valley Mountains rise through the entire center of the area and provide habitat for chipmunks, marmots, red squirrels, and a large herd of deer in summer.
The photos below were taken within the Pine Valley Recreation Area camp grounds.
