Like many desert towns, Kanab is most known for what it’s near. Long heralded for its proximity to Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Staircase, and Lake Powell, the draw of Kanab has been as a staging area and hub for those passing between the nearby national parks. That’s going to change soon. Here in 2019, Kanab is on the cusp of becoming its own destination, with enough local adventures, history, culture and comfort to keep in you town for a couple of days. Home to just 5,000 residents, a growing dining scene, vacant hikes and cheap lodging and camping, it’s time to spend a few days discovering Kanab – before everyone else does.
EAT
Food in most remote, small mountain towns is usually basic and traditional, centered around thick cuts of meat and fried potatoes. While you can certainly find your hearty meals in Kanab at places like the Iron Horse and Juniper Ridge, there is a surprisingly diverse range of options to accommodate all palates and diets. Most restaurants in Kanab have legitimate vegetarian options, and a few take it a step farther: Peekaboo Canyon Wood Fired Kitchen is an all-vegan restaurant specializing in wood-fired pizza and vegan plates; Angel’s Village is a vegetarian lunch buffet (only $5) with a large patio overlooking a canyon. Places like Rocking V and Wild Thyme Café have diverse menus with a little more complexity in their recipes and fixings: pasta, fish, steaks and salads. The finest dining in town is at Sego, where the presentation is as good as the taste. But don’t worry, it’s not too fancy – you can still show up in hiking boots. And be sure to wake up with coffee and breakfast burritos at the Kanab Creek Bakery.
SLEEP
When it comes to lodging, affordability is a common theme in Kanab – even though there’s lots to do nearby, most people still pass through, and the prices still reflect that roadside stopover mentality. Many budget-focused hotels, like the Rodeway Inn, Cowboy Bunkhouse and Redrock Country Inn, can be had for less than $60 a night. A boutique experience – perhaps as a treat after a long hike or road trip – hovers around a reasonable $100 per night at the Canyons Boutique Hotel, complete with in-room fireplaces. If you’re looking to stay on the rustic side, there are many RV and tent camping sites in town, like Crazy Horse and Hitch-n-Post, where you can set up for the night. There are also camping options outside of town, such as the sites at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.
PLAY
Kanab has a great mix of around-town activities and easy-access adventures in the surrounding landscape, and most of them receive only a trickle of visitors. Peek-a-boo Slot Canyon, where you can see moqui steps and ancient carvings, can be reached two ways: On foot (three miles to the canyon entrance), or via a four-wheel drive tour (Forever Adventure Tours) that explores the expansive sandy and rocky desert terrain prior to a guided hike of the canyon. Try out Coral Pink ATV Tours at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, which takes you through the myriad of trails within the dunes, culminating with a valley view at sunset. Up for a sunrise hike? Sit beneath The Toadstools as the morning light illuminates its unique formations.
In town, get a feel for the life of an early Utah pioneer at the Kanab Heritage House, or check out the Native American artifacts of the Anasazi and Navajo Indians at the Moqui Cave, home to more than 1,000 arrowheads, centuries-old ceremonial pots, jugs, bowls and working tools. For a feel-good afternoon, animals lovers will want to take a free tour of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the nation’s largest no-kill shelter for companion animals. Lastly, one of the best perks of staying in Kanab is that you can show up for the in-person lottery at the local BLM office, which greatly increases your chances of receiving a notoriously hard-to-get permit to hike to The Wave, a highly photographed sandstone rock formation that allows only 20 visitors a day (read more about the permitting process here).
