Washington County is in far southwestern Utah with Arizona to the south and Nevada to the west. This is where Zion National Park and the Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness Area are. You'll also find Snow Canyon State Park, Gunlock State Park, Sand Hollow State Park, Quail Creek State Park, Smithsonian Butte Back Country Byway, Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, the Santa Clara River Reserve and the Utah part of the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness. And that corner of the county west of the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness is part of the Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area. North of that along the state line is Doc's Pass Wilderness, Slaughter Creek Wilderness and Cougar Canyon Wilderness. Just north of St. George you'll also find Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness and Cottonwood Forest Wilderness.

This area straddles the juncture of the Great Basin Desert, the Colorado Plateau and the Mojave Desert. Elevations in Washington County range from 2,178' to 10,194'.

The county was named for George Washington.

Washington County contains 2,427 square miles of land and 3 square miles of water. The county seat and largest city is St. George.

Smithsonian Butte Back Country Byway
View from the top of Smithsonian Butte