When it comes to outdoor adventure destinations in the U.S., Kanab, Utah definitely comes up in the Top 10.
Surrounded by slot canyons, jagged red rock cliffs, pink sand dunes, rugged backroads, and several iconic national parks, Kanab serves as the perfect basecamp for exploring some of the Southwest’s most incredible landscapes.
I spent seven unforgettable days in Kanab, hiking through narrow slot canyons, exploring hidden sand caves, sledding down pink sand, racing across remote dirt roads, and taking epic day trips across southern Utah and northern Arizona. And I’m going to share it all with you!
In this 1 week Kanab itinerary, you’ll cross bucket list adventures off your list, from biking through the Zion Canyon and sledding the Coral Pink Dunes to exploring a quiet corner of Antelope Canyon that most don’t even know exists.
Get ready for an epic week in Kanab!
1 Week Kanab Itinerary: Slot Canyons, Caves, Dunes & More!
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Getting to Kanab
Kanab is tucked into southwest Utah, just over the border of Arizona.
Home to epic hiking trails, picturesque slot canyons, hidden caves, and rolling salmon-pink dunes, and less than 2 hours from the Grand Canyon North Rim, Page, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Grand Staircase-Escalante, Kanab is the perfect basecamp for a variety of outdoor adventures.
If you’re not local to Utah or don’t live within driving distance, the easiest way to get to Kanab is by flying into the Harry Reid Airport in Las Vegas.
From the airport, rent a car and drive three hours northeast to the small town of Kanab.
Where to Stay in Kanab
From campgrounds and glamping resorts to lodges and pet-friendly boutique stays, here are some of my recommendations for where to stay in Kanab:
- Luxury Home With Pool – this is where our family stayed on vacation, just 10 minutes from the sand caves and ROAM UTV tours
- Best Friends Roadhouse – pet-friendly stay with amenities for humans (free lunch buffet) AND for pets (free dog park and splash zone), just 5 minutes from Kanab Sand Caves
- Canyons Lodge – western-style lodging with a pool, just 5 minutes from Kanab Sand Caves
- Cave Lakes – glamping just a few minutes from the Roam UTV tours
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes Campground – sandy campsites just steps away from the pink dunes and sledding hills
- Ponderosa Grove Campground – shaded campsites on BLM land, less than 15 minutes from Kanab Sand Caves and Coral Pink Dunes
When to Visit Kanab
Kanab is beautiful year-round, but to make the most of everything on this itinerary and avoid extremely hot and cold weather, I recommend visiting in the spring or fall.
Although Kanab sits smack dab in the desert, its 5,000-foot elevation gives it a surprisingly varied climate.
Winters can be cold and snowy, and many nearby destinations, including Zion and Bryce Canyon, sit at even higher elevations, where temperatures are often cooler, and conditions can be wetter.
We visited in early May, and though Kanab was going through a heatwave, temperatures were pretty ideal for all of the outdoor adventures we had planned.
1 Week Kanab Itinerary Overview
Day 1: Fly into Las Vegas + Drive to Kanab. Optional stop at Snow Canyon.
Day 2: Downtown Kanab, Kanab Sand Caves + Coral Pink Sand Dunes.
Day 3: Zion National Park Day Trip.
Day 4: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary + UTV Tour to Great Chamber and Peekaboo Canyon.
Day 5: Toadstool Hoodoos + Page Day Trip.
Day 6: Bryce Canyon National Park Day Trip.
Day 7: Drive back to Las Vegas. Optional stop at Valley of Fire.
Day 1: Driving Day + Optional Snow Canyon Side Trip
Depending on when your flight lands in Vegas and what time you pick up your rental car, you may need to head straight to Kanab, or you may have time for a side trip.
In our case, we landed in Vegas after 4 PM, so we didn’t have time to stop anywhere, but if you have an early flight and want to make a side trip, I’d recommend stopping by Snow Canyon.
Near St. George, just 15 minutes off the route to Kanab, Snow Canyon State Park is an underrated gem that features petrified sand dunes, red rock cliffs, slot canyons, and lava tubes.
Since you’ll likely only have time for a trail or two, I’d suggest hiking either the Petrified Dunes and Jenny’s Canyon Trails, or the Lava Flow Trail!
The Petrified Dunes Trail is 1.2 miles roundtrip and features sandstone mounds (petrified dunes) backdropped by rugged red cliffs.
Jenny’s Canyon Trail is 0.5 miles roundtrip and boasts a slot canyon and rocky cliffs.
Finally, the Lava Flow Trail is 2.5 miles roundtrip and features fascinating underground passageways (lava tubes).
Once you arrive at your campsite or accommodations in Kanab, you’ll likely be ready to toss your head onto a pillow and get some rest after that long air and car travel day.
Get a good night’s rest because tomorrow you get to explore Kanab and some of its best in-town highlights!
Day 2: Kanab Sand Caves + Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Welcome to your first full day in Kanab! Today, you’ll be exploring the western-style town, venturing into some scenic sand caves, and sliding down rolling pink sand dunes just before sunset.
How’s that for an introduction to Kanab?!
Start the day off with a bang by driving to the Kanab Sand Caves for an early morning hike.
The Kanab Sand Caves, manmade caves originally designed for sand mining, contain unique rooms with arched stone walkways, wide windows, and sandy floors.
Getting to the caves is a bit of an adventure! First, enter Sand Caves Parking into Google Maps, or click here for directions. This will take you directly to the parking area, a large gravel lot located at the entrance to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
From the parking lot, head north through the sand for about a half-mile. The path is quite narrow and overgrown at times, but it’s (mostly) easy to follow, thanks to semi-random trail posts.
The adventurous part is the ascent up a 45-degree sandstone slab to get to the entrance of the sandy caves. Climbing on hands and knees is required for this part!
And be careful, it can get slippery if it’s rained recently.
The path is a bit tricky to navigate, especially knowing when to start ascending the sandstone and exactly where the caves are, so make sure to read my step-by-step trail guide before heading out!
After your hot, sandy, and adventurous hike, it’s time to cool off by heading into the western-style town!
Roam the town, grab a bite to eat for lunch at Big Al’s Burger, peruse some of the gift shops, and, if it’s open, venture into the Little Hollywood Museum.
If you’re in town on a Saturday, make sure to check out the outdoor Farmer’s Market at the Kanab Event Center.
For our visit to the Farmer’s Market, vendors were selling homemade breads, jams, and candies, food trucks were serving coffee, and friendly locals were giving away free samples.
Finally, it’s time to cap off your afternoon with a visit to the most iconic state park in the area, Coral Pink Sand Dunes!
Entrance to Coral Pink Sand Dunes is $15 per vehicle. Since this is a state park, your America the Beautiful Pass won’t work here. Don’t worry; you’ll get to use your national park pass at least twice on this itinerary!
While you could simply roam the salmon-colored dunes, I’d recommend renting a sandboard or sand sled from the park’s visitor center and going sandboarding!
Rentals are available for $25/day on a first-come, first-served basis at the visitor center. Boards and sleds must be returned at least 30 minutes before the visitor center closes (hours change based on season).
The beauty of this activity is that you can walk as far or as shallow as you want into the dunes. You can conquer the largest dune, or stick to the smaller ones. You can slide down the first dune you see or the last one. It’s a true “pick your own adventure!”
Just don’t forget water! Lots and lots of water.
Warning: If you don’t do well in high-elevation or dry heat, you may want to skip this activity. Walking through sand dunes (especially at 6,000 feet and in the hot sun) is not for the faint of heart!
Grab dinner at Rockin’ V Cafe before heading back to your accommodations or campsite for the evening!
Day 3: Zion National Park Day Trip
Okay, not trying to play favorites here, but this day might just be my favorite on the itinerary.
Why? Because today, we’re taking a day trip to the epic Zion National Park, and I have truly exciting plans for you!
After all, you simply can’t stay in Kanab without venturing to this iconic Utah gem!
The drive to Zion from Kanab is extremely scenic. You’ll enter through the east entrance, passing the Checkerboard Mesa and driving through the famous 1.1-mile Zion – Mount Carmel Tunnel, before taking the windy switchbacks into the canyon.
Entrance costs $35/vehicle to get in. Have your park pass ready to get in for free!
Zion National Park is a giant park with multiple entrances, so you’ll need to come back and spend more than a day here. But for the sake of this day trip itinerary, I recommend that you rent e-bikes for the entire day and ride them on the car-free Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.
You can then use them as your mode of transportation to get to all the different hikes and viewpoints in the canyon!
From March through November, the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is only open to shuttle buses, bikers, hikers, and Zion Lodge guests. So by biking the drive, you’ll not only get to enjoy a flexible schedule and unobstructed panoramic views, but you’ll also get to enjoy safety and solitude!
Before you grab your bikes, make sure to load plenty of snacks and water into your backpack so that you can enjoy a full day hiking and biking in the canyon! I’d also recommend packing a picnic lunch, so you don’t have to leave the park.
Once you grab your e-bike rentals in Springdale, it’s time to bike Zion! Walk your bikes through the pedestrian entrance, pay the $35 entrance fee (or show your America the Beautiful Pass to get in for free!), and pedal the Pa’rus Trail to get to the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.
Once you’re on the main scenic drive in Zion Canyon, you have the freedom to travel at your own pace!
Since you will be on a bike and not subject to the shuttle bus’s timeline, you can hop on and off your bike wherever and whenever you want, stopping for a picnic, to admire the views, or to go for a hike.
These are my personal favorite stops on the scenic drive:
- Emerald Pools – Hike the 3-mile moderate Emerald Pools Trail to waterfalls and pools
- Grotto – Hike the famous 5-mile Angels Landing Trail (permit required) or a part of the West Rim Trail, and enjoy a picnic afterward
- Big Bend – Scenic viewpoint
- Temple of Sinawava – Stroll the easy 2-mile Riverside Walk or venture into the river and hike the iconic Narrows
You may not have time for all of the hikes on this list, so if you have to choose between just one big hike, I’d honestly recommend the Narrows. Essentially an adventurous river walk, this is one of my top favorite hikes in any national park.
PRO TIP: If you need bike and Narrows rentals, like wetsuits and hiking sticks, choose Zion Guru. They have both rentals in one location, plus a built-in hiking stick holder on the back of their bikes!
Once you’re done with your full hike/bike day, it’s time to pedal back to Springdale and return your bikes.
Grab dinner at Porters (the pizza is amazing!) before driving back to Kanab.
Have time for a sunset hike on the way back to Kanab? Hike the Canyon Overlook Trail, a 1-mile roundtrip trail that leads to one of the best viewpoints in Zion!
Day 4: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary + UTV Tour
Day 4 is a good mix of slow-paced and fast-paced activities! Your morning will be spent mingling with animals, and your afternoon will be spent coated in a layer of sand and dirt.
First, animals! Take a tour of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. These tours are free, so they usually sell out a few days in advance. Hop online before your trip to see what times/days are available.
Best Friends offers many different free tours, but we chose the Grand Tour.
On the Grand Tour, you’ll be driven around the multi-thousand-acre property by an employee, who will be giving commentary on the nonprofit organization, including what types of animals they rescue, how many animals they have, how they divide them, and what type of care they give and services they offer.
You’ll also get to hop out of the van for a few minutes and pet some of the cats and dogs!
If you aren’t able to snag tickets for a tour, don’t worry; you can still stop by their main office and ask about current events. Most days, you can usually watch a horse show or attend a goat petting, or even mingle with cats and dogs during certain hours.
Once you’re done touring and/or attending the free events, conveniently grab lunch at their onsite Angel Village Cafe.
Next, it’s time to spend your afternoon getting a little (or a lot) dirty. Get ready to take a thrilling UTV tour!
On this 4-hour UTV tour with Roam Outdoor Adventure Co., you’ll race across a mix of private dirt roads and sandy BLM land, zipping up and down dunes and snaking through the high desert.
Along the way, you’ll make two exciting 45-minute pit stops.
The first pitstop is the Great Chamber! This massive sand cave, hidden deep in BLM land across acres of private property, is so hard to access that a guided UTV tour is really the only realistic way to see it (that I know of, anyway!)
The Great Chamber is essentially an expansive, wind-carved sand cave. To get up to the 200-foot-wide alcove, you’ll park your UTV at the trailhead and begin the sandy slog up the short but very steep golden dunes.
The walk is only about a quarter-mile one-way, but your thighs will be burning!
Once you get inside the Great Chamber, instant relief will wash over you. Because inside is something very rare and very welcome in the desert: shade and cool sand!
If you’ve ever heard of the Great Chamber (I hadn’t heard of it before doing research for this trip), you might be familiar with the famous silhouette photo. Well, don’t worry, your guide will snap that photo for you while you’re there!
The second adventure on the UTV Tour is Red Canyon AKA Peekaboo Canyon! This one is a bit easier to access, only requiring a semi-bumpy trek on public land with almost any 4WD vehicle.
Red Canyon is a picturesque slot canyon, boasting towering fiery-red walls and impressive formations around every curve.
And unlike the Great Chamber, the hike through the Red/Peekaboo slot canyon is easy! In fact, it’s more of a casual walk. The path is short, easy, flat, and has “built-in air conditioning,” as our tour guide jokingly said.
The cool relief of walking through a slot canyon will hit you immediately. It feels oh, so good on a hot, sunny day!
After roaming through the canyon, you’ll turn around and head back to the UTV, where you’ll follow your guide back down the sandy roads to the Roam Outdoor Adventure Co. headquarters.
Covered in a thick layer of dust, dirt, and sand, you’ll likely want to shower, or at least rinse off, before heading to dinner. But I can assure you, Kanab is an outdoorsy town where no one cares if you’re covered in dirt. In fact, it’s the norm here. I love dirtbag towns like these!
Cap off your evening with a drink and a dinner at Escobar’s before heading back to your campsite or accommodations.
Get your beauty rest because tomorrow is the most jam-packed day yet!
Day 5: Toadstool Hoodoos + Page Day Trip
Just as I promised, this day is going to be jam-packed. It’s going to be filled with some of the most jaw-dropping landscapes in the southwest – both in Utah and Arizona – some of which you may have never even heard of!
First, start heading toward Page by hopping on Highway 89 and driving east. After cruising on mostly remote desert roads, you’ll see a trailhead pop up out of the blue about 45 miles from Kanab, on the left.
This is the Toadstool Hoodoos Trailhead. Access is free, no permits are required, and leashed dogs are allowed. It’s the perfect pitstop on the way from Kanab to Page!
The hike to the Toadstools Hoodoos is 1.5 miles roundtrip and winds through one of the most wildly unique landscapes you’ll ever lay your eyes on. The mushroom-shaped formations and colorful mounds of rock look like they were plucked off planet Mars.
Once you’re done exploring the balanced capped rocks, hop back in your car and continue east on Highway 89. In less than 20 miles, you’ll dip below the Utah border into Arizona before crossing Lake Powell and entering the town of Page.
It might be lunchtime by the time you arrive in Page, so I’d suggest grabbing lunch at Bird House before continuing to the next adventure.
Next, start making your way toward Antelope Canyon. But on the way, make a pitstop at a semi-secret cave. The secret is kind of out by now, thanks to social media, but I think it’s still worth seeing.
I’m talking about the Insta-famous Biidi The Arch! AKA the cave behind the Shell Gas Station. Maybe you’ve heard of it?!
This cave may just look like a hole in the rock at first glance, but upon venturing closer, you’ll find it to be a beautiful sand cave!
Biidi The Arch – or the Shell Cave – is located directly behind the Shell Gas Station on Coppermine Road in Page.
To get to the arch, park in the dirt lot behind the gas station and take the short quarter-mile walk along the sandy path. Since this cave has become so popular, there’s a sign for it now. So you’ll know exactly where to go!
Go all the way inside the cave because the best view is from the far back wall. To get the same iconic photo that you got at the Great Chamber, go to the very back end of the cave, use a wide-angle lens, and point the camera toward the large mound of sand.
The view from inside the giant alcove is truly remarkable; you’ll hardly believe you’re just steps from a gas station and busy road!
Next, it’s time to take a tour through Antelope Canyon!
You have quite a few choices when it comes to touring Antelope Canyon (there are many different canyons in this overarching network), so I’m going to break down the differences in canyons and tours for you briefly.
Antelope Canyon X: Two impressive, very quiet slot canyons, one A-shaped (dark) and one V-shaped (bright). These tours are slower-paced, more intimate, and have smaller groups. The guides are more laid-back about wandering and stopping for photos.
Upper Antelope Canyon: Iconic A-shaped (dark) slot canyon famous for its photogenic light beams. These tours are fast-paced and have large groups; photo opportunities are slim, and crowds are thick.
Lower Antelope Canyon: Beautiful V-shaped (bright) slot canyon with stairs and ladders. These tours are more adventurous than the others and, like Upper, large groups are the norm. The pace is faster than Antelope Canyon X but slower than Upper Antelope Canyon. Photo ops are more frequent than Upper but less frequent than Canyon X.
Cardiac Canyon: A relatively new, virtually untouched canyon that we heard about on our most recent visit to Antelope Canyon X. This tour is more adventurous, involving climbing, squeezing through tight spaces, and hiking 3 miles. We’re definitely going to add this one to our list for next time!
If you only have time for one, I’d tour Antelope Canyon X! This short-and-sweet tour is less popular, so it’s less crowded, has smaller groups, and is more relaxed. And just as beautiful as the more popular Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons!
After your tour, grab takeout and drive to Horseshoe Bend for sunset. Your day trip to Page wouldn’t be complete without it, after all!
Horseshoe Bend is an iconic curve in the Colorado River, framed by towering red rock walls.
To get the jaw-dropping viewpoint, drive to the trailhead, pay the $10 fee to park in the large lot, and hike the 0.8-mile (one-way) trail.
Use caution at the edge – it’s a thousand-foot drop down to the Colorado River!
To get away from the crowds, walk (carefully) to the right of the guardrails. Sit on one of the sandstone slabs and enjoy your takeout meal while watching the sun sink below the red rocks.
It’s honestly the perfect way to end the day!
Alright, your time in Page has officially come to a close. It’s time to say goodbye and drive back to Kanab.
Psssst: If you ever come back to Page, you must kayak to Antelope Canyon! This experience is extra unique because you do not need a Navajo tour guide to see this side of the canyon (though you certainly can take a tour if you’d prefer easier logistics).
Day 6: Bryce Canyon Day Trip
Since this is your last full day, let’s make it count! Get ready to take a day trip to another epic (and underrated) national park, Bryce Canyon!
Since Bryce Canyon is just 75 miles from Kanab, this is a perfect (yet often overlooked) day trip destination.
Bryce Canyon is in my Top 5 National Parks because of its uniqueness, lack of crowds, and overall wow-factor.
It gets a fraction of the foot traffic as Zion (especially below Bryce’s amphitheater rim), but it’s one of the wildest landscapes I’ve ever seen in my life.
To get there, hop back on Highway 89 and head north for about 60 miles. Then turn onto Scenic Byway 12, passing beneath the beautiful Red Canyon Arch, before veering onto Highway 63.
You’ll soon enter Bryce Canyon City, the gateway to the national park, and have to make a decision.
Personal vehicles are allowed inside Bryce Canyon National Park, but parking is limited, especially near the amphitheater. So if you’d prefer, you can drive to the main shuttle area in Bryce Canyon City, hop on the park shuttle bus, and be transported throughout the park this way.
However, there’s one caveat to this. The shuttle bus doesn’t venture beyond the amphitheater.
So here’s what I’d do:
Enter the park, pay the $35 entrance fee (or show your America the Beautiful Pass), and take the scenic drive all the way to Rainbow Point, stopping at points of interest like Natural Bridge and Agua Canyon along the way.
Hike the 1-mile Bristlecone Loop at the end before turning back around and driving back to Bryce Canyon City.
In Bryce Canyon City, grab lunch at Ruby’s Inn Cowboy’s Buffet before going to the shuttle stop, boarding the bus, and using that as transportation around the amphitheater.
Hop on and off the bus as you please; stop at the different overlooks and/or hike a piece of the Rim Trail.
But whatever you do, make sure to hike the best trail in the Park, the Figure 8 Combination.
The Figure 8 Combination is one giant loop, a combo of the Queen’s Garden, Navajo, and Peekaboo Trails. You’ll see exactly why these trails are the highlight of Bryce Canyon as you descend into the amphitheater, escape the crowds, and wander between the orange hoodoos.
Once you’ve completed the loop and returned to the top, grab dinner inside the park at the Bryce Canyon Lodge or Valhalla Pizzeria before catching the sunset from the rim.
Once the sky has transitioned from blue to black and a sky full of stars, that’s your cue to make the journey back to Kanab.
Day 7: Travel Day + Optional Valley of Fire Side Trip
Alas, your final day is here. It’s time to say goodbye to Kanab and make the three-hour drive back to Vegas.
If you’re fortunate to have a late flight, you get a bonus stop: Valley of Fire. It’s about 30 minutes off the route to the airport, so make sure to factor that in.
Even if you only have time to drive the park roads, this side trip is 100% worth it.
But if you do have time for a hike, you must hike my favorite route in the park: Fire Wave, Seven Wonders, and White Domes Loop!
This 3.2-mile loop features candy-colored striated sandstone reminiscent of The Wave in Arizona, fiery-red rolling hills, and narrow braided slot canyons.
As you meander through vibrant red rocks, a pastel-pink wash, and wavy, white canyons, you’ll think you’ve stepped onto a Candyland board.
That’s a wrap on this Kanab itinerary!
If you’re not ready for your trip to be over (I completely understand!), here are some adventures you can easily tack on to this road trip:
- Arizona National Parks Road Trip
- Kayaking Emerald Cave
- Utah National Parks Itinerary
- Havasupai
- Joshua Tree
- Death Valley
Discover Your Next Adventure
Where to next? I’ve got some suggestions!
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Sedona
- Saguaro National Park
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
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This is a great itinerary with so much helpful information! I can’t wait to do this trip! Thank you!!
Yay! I’m so glad this was helpful! Have a great trip!