When we were planning this leg of our southwest road trip, one specific landscape kept calling our names: slot canyons. We wanted that classic Utah experience of wandering through deep, twisting, ribbon-like sandstone walls.
As it turns out, Kanab is the ultimate basecamp for slot canyons.
Positioned perfectly in southern Utah, it sits within striking distance of some of the most spectacular, narrow washes in the American West. But what we didn’t fully appreciate until we got there was just how much else is packed into this corner of the state.
Beyond the slots, Kanab is surrounded by world-class national parks, prehistoric dinosaur tracks, towering hoodoos, and one very elusive hiking permit that we spent all week trying (and failing) to score. It is a town that punches well above its weight, and it quickly became one of our favorite stops on the entire journey.
Kanab Road Trip at a Glance
- Best Adventure: Wire Pass Slot Canyon & UTV Tour to Peekaboo
- Hidden Gem: Kanab Dinosaur Tracks
- Top Travel Tip: Park first, explore later at Bryce Canyon!
- Unexpected Bonus: Extending the trip to Mesa Verde & Durango
Day 17 — Wire Pass Slot Canyon
If I had to pick one single highlight from our time in Kanab, it would be a genuine toss-up — but Wire Pass Slot Canyon would absolutely be in the conversation.
The first section of the hike is tight. Narrow in a way that makes you turn your shoulders, where the walls feel close enough to press against you from both sides and light filters down from somewhere far above in thin, dramatic ribbons. The colors in those walls — layers of amber and rust and cream — shift as the light moves, and it genuinely takes your breath away. I kept stopping just to look up. Justin kept stopping to take photos, never quite captioning what our eyes were seeing. We were both a little awestruck.
After the tight slot section, the trail opens up and continues through a wider wash area — the kind of terrain that makes you very aware of the sky above you, because this is classic flash flood country. There’s an alertness that comes with hiking in canyons, a little voice in the back of your head keeping an eye on the clouds, and how to evacuate or climb higher if needed. That day the sky was clear and blue and we were safe, but it’s always on your mind.
We spent a good amount of time out there, and so did a lot of other people. This was, I think, the first place on the whole trip where we used a QR code to pay for parking. It worked seamlessly — quick, easy, and a sign of the times.
Day 18 — Swapping Hiking Boots for Golf Clubs & March Madness
Sometimes the best thing for a road trip is a rest for your hiking legs and a round of golf. That’s exactly what April 5th was. No complaints.
We ordered pizza, stayed in, and watched March Madness — which, honestly, is exactly what a Monday on a long road trip should look like. Not every day needs to be a hike. Some days are for recharging and yelling at brackets.
Days 19-20 — The Wave: So Close, Yet So Far & K-Hill Hike
We worked remotely these two days, but the day had an extra layer of anticipation to it: I was trying to get us permits for The Wave for the next (two) day(s).
If you’re not familiar, The Wave is one of those iconic, otherworldly sandstone formations in the Coyote Buttes North area — all swirling, flowing rock in shades of red and orange that look almost liquid. The catch? Permits are incredibly limited. You can put in advanced–but we missed that deadline, so our only other option was onsite the day before. Only a small number of people are allowed in each day, and the lottery is competitive to put it mildly.
I sat in an auditorium for about an hour that morning hoping we might squeeze into a next-day slot. We did not. But I wasn’t ready to give up — we had one more chance.
Day 20 we worked through the day, and in the evening we got outside to stretch our legs with the Kanab K-Hill Loop Trail. This is a loop that wraps around the hills just above town, and it’s a lovely way to see the Kanab area from a different vantage point. Wide open views, quiet desert light, red rock ridgelines in every direction. It was a nice, easygoing walk after a day at the laptop.
One note: it was still quite warm, and we both wished we’d brought an extra bottle of water. Learn from us. Bring more water than you think you need. (We say this every time and somehow still underpack water.)
Day 21 — Road Tripping to Saint George & Zion Brewing
We made the drive west to Saint George for a golf day, and capped the evening with a stop at Zion Brewing. After a stretch of remote work days and canyon hikes, there’s something deeply satisfying about sitting down with a cold craft beer and nowhere to be. Highly recommend adding a brewery stop to any Utah itinerary — they take their brewing seriously out here.
Day 22 — The Highway 89 Hikes: Belly of the Dragon, Moqui Caverns & Dinosaur Tracks
This day was one of those perfectly stitched-together road trip days where you hop between a few smaller stops along a highway and end up feeling like you’ve packed a week’s worth of wonder into a few hours.
All three stops sit along a short stretch of Highway 89, just north of Kanab, within minutes of each other.
Belly of the Dragon came first — an easy, quirky hike through a man-made tunnel originally built to divert water under the highway. It sounds unassuming, and in some ways it is, but it opens up to a nice sweeping view once you’re through, and there’s something undeniably fun about literally walking through the belly of the earth (or close enough). Great for a quick stop and a cool photo.
Moqui Caverns was next — a fascinating set of sandstone caves carved out by past mining operations that have become a photogenic, atmospheric stop. The reddish walls and the cool, shaded interior are a nice contrast to the blazing Utah sun outside.
Kanab Dinosaur Tracks was the finale of the day, and in my opinion the crown jewel of the three. Fair warning: the trailhead is easy to miss — it’s an unofficial, unmarked path that starts near a Port of Entry parking lot a few miles north of town. The hike is short, barely a mile round trip, but it is steep. Genuinely steep. There’s a section near the top where you’re essentially scrambling up bare rock, and the descent will remind you why good hiking shoes matter.
And then you reach the top, and there they are: actual dinosaur footprints, pressed into the rock millions of years ago, still perfectly visible, outlined in some cases with small pebbles by previous visitors. The views of the surrounding red rock country and Hog Canyon are a bonus you weren’t expecting. It’s a short hike but it earns its keep. Well worth the climb.
Day 23 — Bryce Canyon National Park
Oh, Bryce Canyon. I love national parks deeply and sincerely, and I was so happy to finally get here.
After days of heat, Bryce offered a cool, crisp change of pace — the altitude does that, and I was grateful for it. The park’s signature hoodoos — thousands of narrow, flame-shaped spires of orange and red — are unlike anything else in the country, and standing at the rim looking out over the amphitheater below is genuinely jaw-dropping.
Now, I have to confess something: I made a tactical error. I suggested to Justin that we drive the full park road first to scope it out, and then come back to park for the hike. In theory: reasonable. In practice: by the time we circled back, the parking lot was full. We looped it three times, frustration quietly building, before someone pulled out and we grabbed the spot like it was a prize.
Lesson learned, friends: at popular national parks in season, park first, explore later.
But once we had that spot and got our gear on and hit the trail, all the parking lot stress evaporated instantly. We did the Queens Garden & Navajo Loop Combination Trail — a classic for good reason. The trail drops down into the canyon, threading between those impossibly tall hoodoos, with the walls so close you feel like you’re inside the landscape rather than looking at it. The colors shift as you move through the canyon, and the light plays tricks on the formations. It’s genuinely one of the more stunning hikes I’ve done, full stop. I’m so glad we pushed through the parking frustration to get there.
After Bryce, we drove a little further north toward Escalante, just to see more of the landscape. We got close to Capitol Reef National Park but didn’t go in — Justin had hit his limit for the day, which I completely understand. I will say: I wish we’d stopped. Capitol Reef is one I’d love to get back to. Another reason to return.
Day 24 — The Ultimate Road Trip Risk — A Pandemic Haircut
This is an important entry in the trip journal, haha. COVID allowed us to grow really long hair – we didn’t cut it for a year. By now, that long hair had officially run its course and I was ready to part with it. Justin, armed with scissors and two rubber bands took joy in cutting my hair. He did a great job. It’s documented. Moving on.
Day 25 — Work Day
Work. Laundry. Packing. Cleaning.
Day 26 — UTV, Peekaboo Slot Canyon & the Drive to Durango
And then came the big send-off day.
I’d been wanting to give Justin a new experience, he was very patient with all my planning and activities — and we had some long days! — I had a feeling a UTV ride through the Kanab landscape would be an experience that would make him happy.
I wrote a full post about the UTV and Peekaboo Slot Canyon day — but the short version: after a somewhat stressful beginning (climbing rocks in a UTV for the first time with zero experience is not for the faint of heart), it was completely incredible. Open-air, off-road, the Utah landscape rolling by in every direction, the freedom of it. I loved every second of it.
Peekaboo Slot Canyon was beautiful — swirling sandstone walls, great light, a fun and accessible hike. I’ll be honest with you though: after Wire Pass, my wow meter had recalibrated. Peekaboo is objectively stunning. But Wire Pass had gotten there first. This is the strange thing about travel — the more you see, the higher the bar climbs. If I’d done Peekaboo before Wire Pass, I think I would have been absolutely floored. Instead I was deeply appreciative, which is still something.
After the UTV, we drove east toward Durango, Colorado. Which is where things got interesting — because we weren’t quite ready to say goodbye.
Days 27-30 – We Couldn’t Say Goodbye: A Few More Days in Durango & Mesa Verde
The drive to Durango was beautiful, and somewhere between Kanab and the Colorado border, we made a decision: we weren’t ready for the trip to end. So we extended. A few more days, based out of Durango.
The anchor of the Durango days was Mesa Verde National Park on April 14th. I’d been to Mesa Verde twice before, but it was Justin’s first time, and seeing it through fresh eyes reminded me why it’s so special. Some areas were closed, but we explored at least one or two of the ancient cliff dwelling sites and spent real time at the overlooks, binoculars out, scanning the canyon walls for the houses tucked into the cliffs. There’s something that never gets old about standing there realizing that people lived in those spaces — built homes, raised families, in these incredible protected alcoves in the rock.
The drive into the park is long — it winds up a long road before you’re even in it — but that’s part of the experience. I noticed there’s a small lodge near the top of that road, and I’ve been thinking about it since: that would be a remarkable place to spend a night or two. Secluded, dark skies, the park all around you. I’m filing that away for a future trip.
After the park, we drove to Mancos for drinks at one or possibly two local breweries — I believe there were two, and if that’s the case, we did our due diligence at both. And we took a scenic drive through Dolores, a quiet little town along the Dolores River that felt like the kind of place that deserves more attention than it gets.
And then, with pouty faces and heavy hearts, we pointed the car toward home.
This leg of the trip — the Kanab chapter and the unexpected Durango epilogue — was genuinely one of the best stretches of travel I’ve had. The variety alone: slot canyons and dinosaur tracks and national parks and golf and a Monday night with pizza and basketball. It felt like life at its fullest.
The Wave will have to wait for next time. I’m already thinking about going back.
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