Jumping Rock - Sand Hollow State Park
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Cooling Off Near St. George
Although the summer months wouldn’t be my recommendation to visit Zion National Park due to the intense heat, sometimes that’s where one heads anyway. We wanted to hike the Narrows, try out canyoneering in Zion’s backcountry, and see Kanarra Falls. Three failed attempts at hiking Kanarra Falls over Spring Break resigned me to the fact I was probably heading to southern Utah in June. It was crazy hot, but for these hikes, the weather was perfect for what we wanted to do. We had a little bit of time left one afternoon when it was 106 deg F, and needed something else fun to do that kept us cool. I was aware that cliff jumping was an option at Sand Hollow, and the State Park was just 20 minutes from the KOA where we were staying in Hurricane, UT, so that’s where we went.
There are three main things to do in Sand Hollow State Park: 1) Cliff Jumping, 2) Swimming, 3) Rent an ATV and drive it over sand dunes. ATVs aren’t my thing do to their noise, but I’m sure this park would be a fantastic place to drive them. We did have an awesome time swimming and cliff jumping.
I wouldn’t recommend this park for young families. Swimming in a dammed canyon results in quick, huge drop-offs. It’s not like a beach that kids can wade in and it slowly gets deeper. There are plenty of shallow places to wade, but then the rocks underfoot drop-off into very deep sections. I wouldn’t be comfortable here without my boys being strong swimmers.
The other impression we felt while we were here is that Sand Hollow is a place where local teenagers hang out, and we did not see other tourists. That was fine for us, as we had two teenage boys. They seemed to fit right in. But there weren’t many older adults. The kids were all well-behaved, and we felt welcome, but the park had a local vibe, more of a hidden secret than where most tourists that check out Zion National Park tend to explore.
The crystal clear water, deep red rocks, and quietness of Sand Hollow State Park made for an unexpectedly inspiring and adventurous afternoon.
Sand Hollow State Park - View from the main parking lot
Sand Hollow State Park Location
Sand Hollow State Park is about 20 minutes from St. George, 50 minutes from Springdale, and an hour from Kanab (all cities in Utah where Zion visitors might spend the night). The park is easy to navigate to using GoogleMaps, and the paying station is very close to the main parking lot. From the parking lot, swimming is an option in just a few short steps. For those wanting to cliff jump, the walk out to Jumping Rock is approximately 0.3 miles, and it’s flat the whole way until reaching Jumping Rock.
Map to Jumping Rock at Sand Hollow State Park. Parking is marked with the black star
Logistics
In 2025, we paid $30 / car for non-Utah residents. This felt a little extreme for a State Park, but we enjoyed a couple of hours here, stayed cool, had a great time, and did end up thinking it was worth the price, even if we were surprised at how much it cost.
There is a parking lot right next to the reservoir, and it has vault toilets that are plenty big enough to use to change in and out of swimsuits. There are no showers.
We brought towels, but we left them in the car. It was so hot, we didn’t need to dry off in-between jumps and swimming. We did wear water shoes though. It’s 0.3 miles out to Jumping Rock. The rock surface is pretty flat so flip flops or sandals might be fine, but water shoes are less slippery. Additionally, we could jump into the water with these shoes on and then continue to wear them while climbing back up the rock. Eventually the boys decided to take them off and just scaled back up the rock barefoot. Our hiking bag just had drinking water and a camera. That was all we needed to play for a couple of hours at this State Park.
View of the parking lot from the trail to Jumping Rock. It’s just a few steps from the parking lot to the shore, but the path is rocky and likely not accessible to anyone with mobility concerns.
Swimming and Cliff Jumping at Sand Hollow State Park
There are shallow spots to swim along the shoreline right next to the parking lot. We waded out and then swam when the rocks dropped-off. We also saw people with inflatable tubes, which looked like a fun way to spend a hot afternoon. As I mentioned above, this wouldn’t be the best park for younger kids that are not strong swimmers due to the steep and unpredictable drop-offs into deep water.
Wading into the reservoir at Sand Hollow State Park
We played in the water a bit and then hiked out to Jumping Rock, which is just 0.3 miles from the parking lot. On the way back, we swam along the shoreline from Jumping Rock back to the parking lot.
View of the Sand Hollow State Park reservoir on the way out to Jumping Rock (high red rock on the left)
It’s a relatively easy walk up to Jumping Rock, with a moderate incline of just 30ft. Most people were jumping from the rock visible in the below picture (on the backside of the rock).
Hiking out to Jumping Rock at Sand Hollow State Park
Obviously jumping off a rock is at the jumper’s risk… There’s always a danger of a jump not going the right way and landing someplace other than in the water. We observed people jumping on the left side of this rock from the sign all the way out to the tip of the rock.
Jumping Rock - Sand Hollow State Park
Jumping Rock - Sand Hollow State Park
There were plenty of places to jump from along Jumping Rock. No one needed to wait in any line.
My older son and husband jumping together
And landing together
This activity is easier to share with some videos than just pictures.
Other Things to Do Nearby (within an hour drive)
Below are hyperlinks to other posts I’ve written about things to do that are located within an hour’s drive from Sand Hollow State Park.
Snow Canyon State Park
(west) Snow Canyon is a unique place to hike that has a short slot canyon and lava tube caves that can be explored, in addition to some beautiful hikes.
Yant Flat Candy Cliffs
(north) The Yant Flat Candy Cliffs is a relatively short desert hike to a hidden and strangely beautiful display of geometric patterns cut into red-and-white-striped Navajo Sandstone surrounded by green brush-covered mountains. Use the road from Leeds - the road from St. George is not well maintained.
Kanarra Falls
(north) Kanarra Falls is a moderately difficult hike that travels through a slot canyon with four waterfalls. This trail goes through the water and feet and ankles will get wet. Permits are needed for this hike. Consider pre-purchasing as only 200 hikers are allowed in per day.
Zion National Park
(East) Zion National Park is probably the reason for traveling to this part of Utah. There are so many fantastic hikes for all types of hikers - beginners through advanced.
More from www.NatureImpactsUs.com
In the map below, there are additional posts I’ve written attached to each pin. Use two fingers to move around within the map.