We want to remind you to practice the LEAVE NO TRACE principles while visiting Kanab and the surrouding area. Please remember to stay on trail, pack out all trash, and explore prepared. Don’t carve into any rocks. It is illegal! Check out our hiking tips here
Kanab, Utah is one of our favorite locations because of its connection to so many outdoor activities, the natural beauty of the area, and multiple options for places to stay and eat. For us here in Phoenix, Kanab is just 5.5 hours away, which is super convenient. What’s even more convenient is how many national parks are just 45 minutes to a couple hours from Kanab. But, you really don’t have to leave Kanab to have a blast outdoors. Our friends at ROAM Outdoor Adventures have you set with so many different tour options. And after a full day of exploring, check out some of our favorite places to eat in Kanab and places we’ve stayed.
Table of Contents
Outdoor Activities
The Great Chamber
With a tour guide, we did not have to worry about navigating the sandy roads or making a wrong turn. This famous sand cave is a product of erosion and testament to time. We suggest being prepared for a windy day and sand in your shoes. At the base of the cave it is a short hike to entrance through sand and rock. A tour guide is not required to visit this location, but it is an option.
Roam Outdoors Adventure Tour
Via Ferrata
This Via Ferrat is in Cave Lakes Canyon, a private canyon on the north end of Kanab. Via Ferrat is Italian for Iron Way, and is a set of iron foot holds strongly cemented into the face of rock, creating a trail on a flat face of rock, mountain, cliff, canyon wall, etc. Our Roam Outdoor Adventure guide made sure we were safe the whole time. And to get back down, we rappelled down the canyon wall. We were definitely nervous to start but ended up having an absolute blast trying something new! This was one our favorite experiences and something not offered everywhere.
Roam Outdoors Adventure Tour
Guided Slot Canyon Tour
Exillerating! That’s how we’d describe this tour experience. We are not experienced canyoneers and were excited yet nervous to rappel down slot canyons, but it ended up being a lot of fun. This tour runs through a hidden slot canyon and is offered in two different lenghts, a 2.5 hour tour (which we did) and a 4 hour tour. The longer has more rappells than the shorter and starts further up canyon. Don’t forget to take lots of pictures!
Roam Outdoors Adventure Tour
Belly of the Dragon
This is a popular photogenic stop in the Kanab area. This human-made tunnel under the highway was built to help water pass. Over time the water has provide it’s own updates to the design, making for a cool looking tunnel. The actual tunnel is short, but you can continue hiking past the tunnel for more!
All Trails
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is definitely a must-do in Kanab. This is one of our favorite places to visit, especially early morning and evenings. The sun can really make for some beautiful scenary as the soft light sparkles off the sand. The park is dog friendly and has multiple options for how to enjoy! Hiking the dunes can definitely be a workout so be prepared with water and self-awarness. Now, you can enjoy with Roam Outdoor Adventures like we did in our February 2024 visit!
State Park Website
Roam Outdoor Adventure Co
We first met Roam Outdoor Adventure in 2021 and had a great experience! Since then we’ve stay in touch and even had one of the co-founders film our wedding. We returned in 2024 and the awesome experience continued! We highly recommend checking them out for multiple reasons. 1) they deliver a fantasitc experience 2) they have so many options 3) they are locally owned and operated by families and folks that are from the area! Use code AZHIKE10 for 10% off your booking. The code is case sensitive.
Roam Outdoor Adventure Website
Buckskin Gultch
Jaw dropping! This slot canyon is right on the Arizona-Utah boarder and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. A permit is needed to park at the trailhead and you can find more details about Paria Canyon Permits here. We highly recommend purchasing permits in advance at recreation.gov vs the trailhead because cellphone service is spotty at best, and BLM Law Enforcement does patrol the area. Please remeber to practice LEAVE NO TRACE when visiting. Lastly, slot canyons often see flash floods that come from fast and heavy downpoors further upstream – please pay attention to surrounding weather.
All Trails
National Parks
Zion National Park
This is one of the most visited national parks in the US, and it’s easy to understand why. We suggest planning your visit in advance with options for what you’d like to do. Zion’s shuttle system operates seasonally and trails can close because of rock falls or maintenance
NPS – Zion
Bryce Canyon National Park
Hoodoo you love? We LOVE Bryce Canyon! This is easily one of our favorite national parks because of it’s beauty and great hiking, yet relatively small size. Although, not neighboring Kanab, it’s about 1.5 hours from Kanab and not too bad of a drive.Bryce Canyon can easily be seen in a day from the top of the rim, stopping at the scenic lookouts, or it can be seen in multiple days, spending each day at different spots in the park doing different hikes down into the canyon. We’ve visted in late summer and in mid January, both offering very different and very scenic experience. Please plan according to the season and weather. Don’t forget that Bryce Canyon Nationa Park sits around 8,000 feet above sea level.
NPS – Bryce Canyon
Cedar Break National Monument
This national monument is about 1.5 hours from Kanab and is high in elevation, 10,000 ft above sea level high. After multiple trips driving past the turn off, we finally visited in the winter. It was beautiful, but also very limted. There are winter activities available at the park but most of the roads close. We can’t wait to come back in the summer!
NPS – Cedar Breaks
Pipe Spring National Monument
Pipe Spring National Monument is about 20 miles southwest from Kanab and is within the Arizona Strip. This national monument is full of history! It helps tell the story of Native Americans that lived and still do live in the area as well as the Mormon Pioneers that went west. If you’re interested in history and western expansions place in US history, we highly recomend visiting. Furthermore, if you’re interested in much of the local history to the Arizona Strip, Utah, and like connecting the dots, this is must visit. Times were definitely different back then and we’re happy there is a piece of history around that we can visit.
NPS – Pipe Spring
Grand Canyon National Park North Rim
This might be our favorite of the Grand Canyon’s rims, but it’s also much more difficult to get to because of seasonal closures or long dirt roads. We’ve been to the North Rim many times and have stayed in Kanab overnight during some of those trips, it’s about 1 hour from the North Rim Lodge. The turn off for Tuweep is about 20 minutes from Kanab, but there is about 60 miles of dirt road before you get to the campground. The North Rim is more remote and has much more limited services and cellphone service. We suggest researching your trip in advance and making sure you are prepared with enough fuel, water, food, warmth, etc. Check our our blog on our Northern Arizona Road Trip where we visited the North Rim!
NPS – Grand Canyon North Rim
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Lake Powell of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is about 45 minutes to an hour from Kanab, and during the summer you’ll see a lot of boaters heading in that direction. Further away in Glen Canyon is Lees Ferry, the Colorado River gateway to the Grand Canyon. There are many hikes and water recreation opportunities in the area and it’s one of our favorite places in the state of Arizona. Glen Canyon is full of history and some of it controversial! We highly suggest the helicopter tour from Page, AZ too!
NPS – Glen Canyon NRA
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef isn’t necessarily a neighbor to Kanab, but it’s within reach, making Kanab a great rest spot on your drive. The National Park is fascinating and definitely worth the visit! We like to think of it as gelogical timeline sitting above ground. We spent multiple days at the park and can’t wait to return one day for more fun and exploration.
NPS – Capitol Reef
Places To Stay
Cave Lake Canyon Ranch
A secluded private canyon on the north edge of town with multiple options for staying and outdoor activity. And if you like to enjoy your time without cellphone notifications, you can easily disconnect from the wifi and enjoy no service!
Zion's Shadow Suites
A quick and easy one night stay in Kanab and these suites were perfect!
Red Canyon Cabins
We stayed the night in Kanab before continuing our journey the next day. These Cabins were right off the main road and close to town. They fit our itinerary and need perfectly!
Places To Eat
Sego Restaurant
This award winning restuarant is on the pricier side, but is absolutely fantastic! They serve small dishes are meant to be shared so you can try a variety of foods and tastes. We suggest making a reservation for guranteed seating. – Location
Wild Thyme Cafe
Great restuarant with many locally sourced ingredients or grown in their own garden. We had a great dinner here and would love to come back for breakfast. – Location
