Need some forest green and lichen charged air? Who doesn’t? The Santa Clara River Trail in the Pine Valley Recreation Area has a foreground riparian environment with towering mountains in the background, all under impossibly blue sky. (And temperature in the mid-70s, perfect hiking weather.) You can join can join us—me, my wife Deb and our friend Rob—on this great hike through my most recently published hiking story.

My wife Deb and I have lived in St. George for 4 ˝ years. We love the outdoors and have explored just about every area within 50 miles of St. George on our monthly hikes. One area we missed, Pine Valley Recreation Area (PVRA), is now on our “completed” list. Nestled in the Dixie National Forest, Pine Valley is about 45 miles north of St. George. The area creates a forested higher elevation island (about 6,500 feet at the valley floor where the Pine Valley community is located) surrounded by desert. A main feature of Pine Valley is the 52-mile long Santa Clara River, the largest tributary to the Virgin River. Archeological evidence indicates the area was inhabited by Ancestral Puebloans (or Virgin Anasazi) as early as 700 BC. They were replaced around 1200 AD by Southern Paiute. Both groups took advantage of the Santa Clara River to raise irrigated crops. The current Pine Valley community had a population of 186 according to the 2010 census. The community is located near the head of the Santa Clara River in the Pine Valley Mountains and was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1859. These early white settlers focused on the timber industry and within a few years their wood products were used throughout Utah. Access to Pine Valley is easy. From St. George take Highway 18 going north. Pass Veyo and at the signed road, Forest Road 35 (aka Pine Valley Highway), for Pine Valley turn right (east) at the small community of Central. Follow Forest Road 35 into the Pine Valley community and about three miles later enter the Pine Valley Recreation Area. The PVRA entrance fee was a nominal four dollars per vehicle. From Central to the PVRA enjoy the verdant valley surrounded by forests and streams rushing to the Santa Clara River. We — me, my wife Deb, and our friend Rob — began by driving to the eastern most point of the Santa Clara River Trail. The trailhead, located in the Mitt Moody campground area, is about 6,800 feet elevation. The temperature during our entire hike hovered in the mid-70s, about 20 degrees cooler than St. George. An elevation change of about 250 feet is spread out over the 2 ˝ mile trail (one way), so it is not a strenuous hike. In addition, the entire trail is paved, a big change from our normal rock scrambling and trudging through loose sand and gravel. The first third of the hike is through a mostly wooded and slightly hilly area. This is where three smaller streams (oddly enough named the Left Fork, Middle Fork, and Right Fork) converge to create the Santa Clara River. Due to recent rains, the river — while not raging — was at least babbling along. This upper portion of our trek was especially lush, with a green canopy above and tangled vegetation near the water. The animals — mostly birds, squirrels and lizards — were busily filling their stomachs and larders. The lower two-thirds of the trail has more open areas — perfect for photos of the foreground riparian environment with towering mountains in the background, all under impossibly blue sky. About half way along this five-mile round trip hike, the Pine Valley Reservoir appears. We saw a few people fishing and ducks paddling about. Other than the people fishing, we only saw a half dozen others, and a couple of dogs, during our mid-week hike. As the path meanders along mostly following the river, we crossed a few river-spanning bridges. If possible, avoid the temptation to speed along this relatively flat, paved trail. We stopped often to admire the surrounding Pine Valley Mountains, the forest and the gurgling river. There are also a dozen or so information signs along the trail, stop and read them. Did you know the lichens on the rocks and trees cleanse the air? Me neither. While we began our adventure at the eastern end of the trail, you can begin at the western terminus or near any of the multiple campgrounds along the trail. The Forest Service manages the PVRA and the campgrounds along the trail are placed far enough away from the hike to ensure hikers and campers are not subjected to the noise of the other. The paved Santa Clara River Walkway is more of a leisurely walk than a hike —we did the five-mile stroll in about two hours. If you desire a change from the heat and wonderful red rock southwest Utah, this may be what you need — a much cooler environment dominated by green forest.