Utah's Highway 18 from St. George to Enterprise

Highway 18 (SR-18) encompasses a 40-mile stretch between St. George and Enterprise. As part of the Legacy Loop Highway, the paved scenic byway winds past rugged red canyons and dramatic turns of history as it follows along a section of the historic Old Spanish Trail trade route.

Highway 18 begins in St. George, just south of I-15, and heads north past the Ledges Golf Club and through the black lava-capped sandstone cliffs of Snow Canyon State Park. The road continues northwest through Wide Canyon, and past the imposing Veyo Volcano cinder pit. A four-mile hike leads to the summit of this geologic relic (5,223-feet above sea level) , where panoramic views of Snow Canyon and the surrounding mountains and valleys await. Continue the short drive north to the quiet, bucolic community of Veyo (pop. 724), an acronym for “virtue, enterprise, youth, and order” coined by the girls of a local Mormon youth group “Beehive girls” in the early 1900s.

Diamond Valley area volcanic cinder cone near Snow Canyon State Park

North of Veyo, Highway 18 winds for another 21 miles through the hills and vales of the Dixie National Forest. The remote community of Central is the gateway to Pine Valley town, reservoir, and recreation area; exit Highway 18 onto Forest Highway 35 and head east for about ten miles. At an elevation of 6,500 feet Pine Valley is known for its alpine forest, cool summer temperatures, camping, hiking, and horseback riding. Continuing north on Highway 18, you’ll pass the site of the controversial Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857. The road then turns northeast for the final stretch to Enterprise (pop. 1285), a small upper valley town with access to camping, hunting, and rainbow trout fishing in nearby Upper and Lower Enterprise Reservoirs.

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