@Photo courtesy of Wayne Harding
Bodies of Water
The reservoirs in the Saint George area that lie at lower elevations offer a long warm season for water sports. Boating and fishing are popular, along with jet skiing and wake boarding. The Pro Watercross Tour has even started doing annual Jet Ski competitions at Sand Hollow State Park. Also some less-known sports, like paddle boarding and kayaking are practiced in these reservoirs. These activities, and just good old-fashioned swimming, can be a much-needed relief from the summer temperatures that can sometimes exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The three main reservoirs that are large enough for boating and power sports like jet skiing are Sand Hollow, Quail Creek, and Gunlock. They are all state parks, and charge fees for parking, camping and boat launching.
For more information on these parks, click the links to visit their official pages.
Sand Hollow State Park
Sand Hollow is the largest reservoir in the area. It is also very scenic and offers the most variety of recreation opportunities with its sand dunes ideal for ATV’s. It is only about a half hour away from the center of St. George and the same distance from Zion National Park, just a few miles off of the highway 9.
http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/sand-hollow/
Rentals for Sand Hollow:
http://southernutahadventurecenter.com/southern-utah-boat-rental/
Quail Creek State Park Reservoir
Quail Creek is smaller than Sand hollow and therefore can be less-visited. It is only twenty minutes from the center of St. George and about forty minutes from Zion National Park.
http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/quail-creek/
Gunlock State Park Reservoir
Only a twenty minute drive west of Saint George, this beautiful reservoir is small but scenic and often has very few people visiting it. There are many hiking opportunities around the reservoir in the sand stone and in some years there is over from the reservoir creating waterfalls where some brave people even cliff jump.
http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/gunlock/
If you are looking for a longer trip to a larger lake, Lake Powell is approximately 2.5 hours from St. George, in Arizona, and Lake Mead is approximately 2 hours away, in Nevada.
Lake Mead
http://www.nps.gov/lake/index.htm