Yant Flat — the Candy Cliffs locally — is the section of striped, banded Navajo sandstone in the upper Leeds backcountry that has become one of the more-photographed sandstone formations in Washington County. The "candy" name comes from the layered pink, white, and orange banding in the rock that resembles a layered confection. The trail is short, the approach is the gatekeeper, and the formations themselves are best appreciated by wandering across the slickrock at the trail's end.
How to get there
From Leeds (I-15 exit 22 area), follow Leeds Mountain Road (also called Hidden Pass Road or similar in different sources) up into the bench above town. The road transitions from paved to dirt within a couple of miles, climbs through pinyon-juniper, and ends at the Yant Flat parking area. The road is dirt for several miles; high-clearance is recommended but not strictly required in dry conditions. Standard SUVs handle it; rented sedans struggle with the rougher sections.
What's at the trailhead
A small parking area with a vault toilet, no water, no other facilities. The trailhead is signed but the trail itself is mostly informal — once you reach the slickrock, you wander.
What you see
The Candy Cliffs themselves — broad areas of horizontally-banded Navajo sandstone in alternating pink, white, and orange layers. The banding is the result of original depositional layers in the sandstone, where each layer reflects a different sediment composition or wind condition during deposition. Differential weathering brings the layers out as visible stripes. From the higher slickrock benches you can see the cliffs running for hundreds of feet in any direction, with hoodoo-like erosional remnants scattered across the area.
The walking
The walk in from the parking area is a half-mile or so to the main slickrock area. From there, you wander — there's no defined route, just acres of slickrock to explore. Most parties spend two to three hours at the formation, walking across different sections, photographing different banded faces. Returning to the trailhead is a matter of walking back the way you came; the parking area is visible from most of the slickrock.
Photography window
Sunrise and sunset are the windows. Low-angle light enhances the color contrast in the bands, casts shadows that articulate the texture, and turns the cream sections pink. Mid-day light flattens the colors and most photographers don't bother. The drive from Leeds is short, so doing a sunrise or sunset trip from St. George is feasible.
Heat and seasonality
The slickrock is exposed and unshaded. Summer afternoons are too hot. October through April is the comfortable window. Spring brings desert wildflowers along the approach; fall has the most stable weather. Winter sometimes ices the slickrock briefly.
Treat the rock carefully
The sandstone is soft Navajo formation, vulnerable to chipping and brushing. The BLM asks visitors to walk on slickrock only, never on cryptobiotic soil, and not to add cairns or carve anything. The Candy Cliffs have been Instagrammed heavily over the past decade, which has increased visitor traffic — and also increased visible wear on certain photographed-into-the-ground sections.
Where it fits
Yant Flat / Candy Cliffs is the alternative to Snow Canyon for parties wanting striking sandstone without the entrance fee or the crowds. The drive in is the gatekeeper that keeps the area quieter than the more-developed parks. For St. George locals, it's the destination they bring out-of-town visitors to when they want sandstone that doesn't show up on every postcard. Pair with a Leeds-area lunch for a full half-day.