Kanab & Bryce Canyon
Southern Utah is famous for its red rock, slot canyons, and hoodoos. The national parks are great places to explore these wonders, but for the full experience, you’re going to want to explore beyond the parks. One example is little Kanab near the Arizona border. It’s a great home base for some serious adventure time. You can also take a day to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon as it’s only 80 miles from Kanab. Adjust your itinerary based on where you’re coming from. Kanab is 305 miles from Salt Lake City and 198 miles from Las Vegas. If you’re coming from Salt Lake, we suggest starting in Kanab and hitting Bryce Canyon on your way back to the Wasatch Front.
Day 1: Animals & Dunes
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
The sanctuary is a few miles outside of Kanab and home to nearly 1,600 homeless animals. It must be one of the largest no-kill animal shelters in the world. It really is incredible. Dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, horses, pigs, and other barnyard animals come here from all over the country to be cared for and prepared for adoption. They receive medical attention, behavior training, and anything else they need to make a successful transition to an adoptive home. It’s really cool!
Reserve tickets for as many tours as you can. It’s the only way to see the sanctuary up close (besides becoming a volunteer.) We really enjoyed our Grand Driving Tour and our visit to the pig and goat area. Some of our neighbors took the Wild Friends and Parrot Garden Tours. All were very interesting. The tours are free but you have to have tickets. Make reservations HERE. If you’re unable to reserve tickets, you can stop at the visitor center and get a map for a self-guided tour. Unfortunately, you won’t see very many animals. You will get to see the beautiful Angel’s Overlook memorial park and you may see some horses in the yard at Horse Haven. You can also take a small hike to Hidden Lake. It’s a lake inside a cave. It’s pretty neat and there are some petroglyphs nearby on the same trail.
Make sure you order a lunch from the Angel Village Café no later than 9:30 AM on the day of your visit. They make $5 vegan box lunches every day. It’s AMAZING whether you’re a vegan or not. Seriously. Locals drive up to the café regularly to take advantage of this amazing deal.
Optional Activity: On your way back to Kanab, you’ll pass Moqui Cave. It’s a quirky natural history museum inside a red rock cave two miles from the sanctuary. There are over 1000 arrowheads, lots of fossils, art, and Native history. ($5 for adults) We’ve never stopped there but our neighbors have little boys who love arrowheads so they made it a priority.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
This state park is a great place for families to play. It’s 20 miles from Kanab and has an $8/vehicle entrance fee. There are two big sand dunes. You can rent a sand sled or board for $25 at the Visitor Center. We brought our own sleds from home but they didn’t work very well. Our group shared two rentals and they were far superior to the plastic and foam sleds from home. If it’s at all windy, you’ll appreciate having sunglasses or ski goggles to protect your eyes. You’ll probably want to throw a small towel in your backpack too so you can clean off sandy feet before you get back in your car at the end of the day. We spent over two hours sledding and surfing the sand. Our littlest adventurers played in the sand, using paper cups to build things and bury each other.
Stay the night in Kanab.
Day 2: Slot Canyons & Dragon Bellies
Buckskin Gulch via Wire Pass
Utah is famous for its slot canyons. If you’ve never been in one, you better put it on your bucket list. Buckskin Gulch is not the narrowest slot around, but it is the longest. We’re talking 21 continuous miles! If you don’t have little kids, you may want to consider backpacking through the whole thing. It would be super fun to sleep inside. We have not done it ourselves, but we have good friends who claim it’s a great adventure. As for now, here’s the easy way to see it.
First, purchase a permit online HERE. There’s a $6 fee per person. If you pay in advance you can avoid the temperamental machine in the parking lot.
Pack sack lunches to take with you. Drive one hour east of Kanab on US 89 to Wire Pass Trail. This is the easiest access to the famous Buckskin Gulch narrows. It lets you access the slot somewhere in the middle. Don’t confuse it with Buckskin Trailhead.
This is an easy hike. Walk from the parking lot through Wire Pass until you come to a T where you can enter the narrows. Turn right! You can hike as far as you want, then return the same way you came. You’ll hike through narrow slot canyons and then it will open up into spectacular amphitheaters where you’ll wish you could helicopter drop your favorite band for an epic concert. It’s spectacular!
If there is any chance of rain, exchange this activity for a fair-weather day to avoid any chance of flash flooding.
Return to Kanab, then start your 90-minute drive to Bryce Canyon. On your way, stop to walk through the Belly of the Dragon. It’s a super quick stop, but really cool. It can’t be more than 1/4 mile. Don’t get digested!
Then jump back in your car and drive to Orderville for some really good pastries at Forsher’s German Bakery. Continue your drive to Bryce Canyon for dinner and lodging.
Day 3: spectacular Canyons
Bryce Canyon
Ah, Bryce Canyon! This place is famous for its amazing lookouts. Non-Hikers love driving along the rim and admiring it from every observation point. The only way to see the valley floor is to hike down into the canyon and then hike back out. If it’s hot, make sure you have plenty of water.
Begin at Sunrise Point. Depending on the weather, mud, and the athleticism of your group, you can hike the Queen’s Garden or Navajo Loop. Our vote is for the Navajo Loop. It’s only 1.5 miles, but steep. It takes 1-2 hours based on the length of your legs and the depth of the mud (only a problem in the springtime). This is a really cool hike and the best way to see the canyon. You’ll see Thor’s Hammer, Two Bridges and Wall Street. There are many other longer options for those who desire a more strenuous hike. The Navajo/Peekaboo Combination Loop is 5 miles. It’s just an extension of the first hike and you’ll get to see the Wall of Windows. If you have the time, do it!
Sometimes in the spring they will close the Navajo Loop because of slippery, muddy conditions. If this happens, slap a smile on your face and enjoy the Queen’s Garden. It’s the easiest trail in and out of the canyon. You’ll hike less than two miles and you’ll see beautiful scenery all the way. Don’t turn around and go back up the switchbacks you just came down. Hike the canyon floor, see the Queen’s Garden, and go back up the easier way to Sunset Point. Then walk along the rim back to Sunrise.
Take time to stop at the Visitor Center and get Junior Ranger books for all the kiddies before you begin your day. When you return, the kids can earn their badges and you can get a free “I Hiked the Hoodoos” sticker to slap on your vehicle or water bottle.
Red Canyon
After your morning in Bryce Canyon, head north and get on Hwy 12. Stop at Red Canyon for one last cool hike. Park at the Visitor Center and take a 40 minute climb on the Pink Ledges Trail and the Hoodoo Loop. You’ll probably have the trail to yourself. How cool is that?! It’s worth the stop.
Jump on Hwy 89 to head back to civilization!
*Optional Grand Canyon Day
If you’re traveling in the summer (May 15th– October 15th), you may want to add a day to the middle of your trip. You can drive two hours from Kanab to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s far less visited than the South Rim. There are only three look-out points at the North Rim. There’s a 1.5 mile easy hike called Transept Trail. You can also hike some of the Bright Angel Point trail. It would be super hard to hike it all in a day, but good on you if you’re the group to do it. It’s hard to say no to the Grand Canyon when you’re only two hours away!
Want to see more great places in Utah? Check out more of our posts on Utah National Parks.
