St. George Webcam – Red Sandstone Cliffs in Southern Utah

The St. George Webcam looks across open desert to a long wall of red sandstone cliffs in the St. George area of southwest Utah. Low desert shrubs and a few bright green bushes fill the foreground, a lane curves along the bottom of the frame, and a single flat-roofed house in earth tones sits low in the middle distance. Behind it the cliffs rise in sheer, ribbed faces above sloping aprons of red sand and broken rock, dipping to a lower notch near the middle of the view before climbing again on the right. Under a clear midday sky the rock glows orange against deep blue, and passing clouds can drag bands of shadow across the cliff faces. SeeCam has streamed this view on the same live broadcast since November 2022.

About St. George

St. George sits in Washington County, in the far southwest corner of Utah, at an elevation of 770 meters (2,530 feet). The 2020 census counted 95,342 residents. The city lies 190 kilometers (118 miles) northeast of Las Vegas and 480 kilometers (300 miles) south-southwest of Salt Lake City, with the Pine Valley Mountains rising to the north.

Settlers arrived in 1861 under the direction of Erastus Snow, and the town was named after the Latter-day Saint leader George A. Smith. Brigham Young sent about 300 families south to grow cotton, fearing the Civil War would cut off supplies, and that cotton mission is why the region was nicknamed Utah’s Dixie. The St. George Utah Temple, completed in April 1877, still stands in the city, as does Brigham Young’s winter home and office.

SeeCam calls this camera its St. George Red Hills cam and does not publish an exact address, so the cliffs in frame are not named here. Red rock runs along much of the city’s northern side, where the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve protects about 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of habitat for desert tortoises.

Weather and Climate in St. George

St. George has a hot desert climate with only about 236 millimeters (9.3 inches) of precipitation a year, so most days on this camera are dry. Summer is long and fierce. July averages a high of 39 C (102 F) and a low of 22 C (72 F), and by midday the hard overhead light flattens the color of the cliffs while heat haze can soften their outline. Autumn cools quickly: October averages 26 C (79 F) by day and 8 C (47 F) at night, and the lower sun can bring back the shadow and texture in the rock.

Winter is mild by day and cold at night. January averages 12 C (54 F) in the afternoon and minus 2 C (28 F) before dawn, so frost can coat the foreground shrubs on clear mornings. Spring warms fast, with April averaging 24 C (75 F) and lows near 8 C (46 F), and it is the season when the desert in the foreground is most often green. These figures are NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals for St. George.

Things to Do Near St. George

Snow Canyon State Park, near St. George and Ivins, covers 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of red and white Navajo Sandstone and dark lava flows from the extinct Santa Clara Volcano. Its trails reach the Petrified Dunes, the lava tubes, Jenny’s Canyon and, on the Johnson Canyon Trail, a 61-meter (200-foot) arch, while the Pioneer Names site still shows names written in axle grease in 1883. The park, set aside in 1959, has stood in for the Old West in films including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Jeremiah Johnson (1972).

In town, the Red Hills Desert Garden opened in May 2015 as a free, water-wise garden run by the Washington County Water Conservancy District with the City of St. George and the Virgin River Program. A 350-meter (1,150-foot) stream holds native fish such as the Virgin spinedace and the endangered woundfin, seen from a replica slot canyon, and the garden’s rocks carry fossil dinosaur tracks around 200 million years old. More tracks are on show at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, a museum that preserves thousands of footprints uncovered on February 26, 2000. For a longer day out, Zion National Park lies to the northeast by way of Interstate 15 and Utah State Route 9.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more of the desert Southwest, from red rock country to the Las Vegas Strip, try these cameras.

• Monument Valley Webcam
• Sedona Webcam
• Las Vegas Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is St. George, Utah located?

St. George is in Washington County in the far southwest corner of Utah, close to the Arizona and Nevada state lines. It sits 480 kilometers (300 miles) south-southwest of Salt Lake City along Interstate 15.

What can you see on the St. George Webcam?

The camera faces a long run of red sandstone cliffs across open desert. Shrubs and a curving lane fill the foreground, a low flat-roofed house sits in the middle distance, and the cliff wall spans the full width of the frame with a lower notch near the center. The sky takes up much of the upper half of the picture, so cloud and the color of the light change the scene through the day.

Does the St. George Webcam show downtown St. George?

No. The frame holds open desert and red cliffs, with no city streets or downtown landmarks in view. Street views of the city come from road traffic cameras, which cover St. George Boulevard at Main Street and Interstate 15.

Does the webcam show the Red Hills Desert Garden?

No. SeeCam calls this its Red Hills camera, but it shows open desert and cliffs, not the garden’s planted beds, stream or slot canyon. The garden is a separate free attraction in the city, open since May 2015.

What is the weather like in St. George, Utah?

Hot and dry for much of the year. Average highs run from 12 C (54 F) in January to 39 C (102 F) in July, and annual precipitation is only about 236 millimeters (9.3 inches). Spring and autumn are the mildest seasons, with highs of 24 to 26 C (75 to 79 F) in April and October.

What is the elevation of St. George, Utah?

The city sits at 770 meters (2,530 feet) above sea level. The land climbs to the north toward the Pine Valley Mountains, and nearby Snow Canyon State Park ranges from 940 to 1,250 meters (3,100 to 4,100 feet).

How far is St. George from Las Vegas?

About 190 kilometers (118 miles). St. George lies northeast of Las Vegas, and Interstate 15 links the two cities.

Source: SeeCam