Things to Do in Kanab, Utah: A Base for Zion, Bryce and Page

The best things to do in Kanab, Utah start with the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and extend east to slot canyons and the permit lottery for The Wave. Kanab also sits within a day trip of Zion, Bryce Canyon and Page, Arizona, which makes it a useful base. This guide covers what each attraction involves, what needs a reservation or permit, and when Kanab works better than a base inside the parks. Drive times are approximate figures from regional tourism sources, so check live conditions before a long drive.

Things to do in Kanab at a glance

Activity	From Kanab	Reservations and permits	Best for
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary	About 5 miles north	Book tours ahead; no walk-ins at animal care centers	Animal lovers, families
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park	Roughly 30 minutes west	Day-use fee	Kids, sand play, easy sunset
Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch	East of town off US-89, then an unpaved road	BLM day-use fee; check weather first	Slot-canyon hiking
The Wave (Coyote Buttes North)	Same trailhead area as Wire Pass	Permit by lottery only	Experienced, prepared hikers
Little Hollywood Museum and town stops	In town	Hours vary	Rainy-day and short breaks
Zion east side, Bryce, Page	30 minutes to 1.5 hours	Park fees, some timed or permit items	Day trips from your base

Local business hours, fees and permit rules change, and several of the places above sit on federal or state land with their own rules. Each section below points to the official source to check.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Best Friends is the main attraction near town. The sanctuary is 5 miles north of Kanab at 5001 Angel Canyon Road, and its website lists hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (the welcome center and store list 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Tours are free. Guided tours leave about every 90 minutes, and Best Friends asks visitors to book in advance because tours fill up; it cannot accommodate walk-in visitors at the animal care areas. From May 21 through October 31, a tour also leaves from the Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile in downtown Kanab as staffing allows: no reservation is required, seating is limited, and it typically runs 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Thursday to Monday. Check the Best Friends tours page for current times.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

Coral Pink Sand Dunes is a Utah state park west of Kanab, about 30 minutes away by tourism-board estimates. Utah State Parks lists daylight hours, seven days a week, with hiking, off-highway vehicle riding, canyoneering and camping among the activities. The dunes are active and can move as much as 50 feet a year, which makes the terrain feel different from the rock-based trails nearby. The park charges a day-use fee that is posted on its fee pages, so confirm the current amount on the Utah State Parks page before you go. In summer the sand can be very hot, so early morning or the hour before sunset is the more comfortable choice.

Slot canyons: Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch trailheads east of Kanab, in the Paria Canyon–Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. Day use is sunrise to sunset only. BLM lists the fee at $6 per person and $6 per dog, with a maximum group size of 10. You can pay at the self-pay kiosk at the trailhead by scanning a QR code with a smartphone, or buy a day-use permit ahead on Recreation.gov, where the date cannot be changed; keep the receipt on your dashboard. The Buckskin Gulch trailhead is about 4.5 miles from US-89 on House Rock Valley Road, and the Wire Pass trailhead is 8.3 miles from US-89 on the same road. This day-use permit does not cover The Wave. Details are on the BLM Buckskin Gulch page and the BLM Paria Canyon permit page.

Flash floods are the main danger in slot canyons. Rain that falls miles upstream can send water through a narrow canyon within minutes, even when the sky above you is clear, and there may be nowhere to climb out. Check the forecast for the wider area, not only for Kanab, and ask the Grand Staircase–Escalante Kanab Visitor Center (745 East Highway 89, 435-644-1300; no fee, summer hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) about current conditions. House Rock Valley Road is unpaved: BLM says the road to the nearby Coyote Buttes North area is usually passable in a high-clearance two-wheel-drive vehicle when dry, may need four-wheel drive when wet, and can become impassable in the rainy season and winter.

The Wave and Coyote Buttes North

The Wave is the swirled-sandstone formation in Coyote Buttes North, in Arizona. BLM calls the suggested route a strenuous 6.4-mile round trip with no developed trail, so navigation skills matter. Entry is by permit only, and the area allows up to 64 people (16 groups) a day, split between two lotteries on Recreation.gov. The advanced lottery opens four months ahead and awards up to 48 people or 12 groups a day. The daily lottery awards up to 16 people or 4 groups: you apply two days before the hike, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., on a GPS-enabled mobile device inside a geofence that roughly follows the Highway 389 and 89 corridors between Kanab and Page. Each lottery application costs $6 and is non-refundable; permits that are awarded cost $7 per person (and $7 per dog). Groups are capped at six, and permits cannot be changed, refunded or transferred. Daily-lottery winners attend an in-person orientation at 8:30 a.m. the day before the hike, and permits are picked up at the Kanab or Page visitor center.

Permits are limited, so treat The Wave as a bonus, not the plan. Rules and fees can change, so use the BLM Coyote Buttes North page and Recreation.gov as the final word. If you do not win, the Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch day permit described above is a separate system and does not require a lottery, but it does not allow entry to Coyote Buttes North.

Little Hollywood Museum and a walk through town

Kanab’s Western-film history is part of its identity, and regional tourism sources list the Little Hollywood Museum among the town’s attractions. It is a sensible stop when the weather turns or the kids need a break from hiking. Regional tourism sources also list the Heritage House Museum and Jacob Hamblin Park as kid-friendly stops. Hours change by season, so check before you go. Visit Southern Utah lists the Kane County visitor center at 78 South 100 East as under remodel, with its office temporarily at the BLM Kanab Visitor Center, 745 East Highway 89.

Kanab as a base for Zion, Bryce and Page

Kanab’s value as a base is geography. Tourism sources put the drive to Zion’s East Entrance at about 30 to 35 minutes, Bryce Canyon at roughly 77 miles and 1 hour 20 minutes (see our guide to Bryce Canyon hikes), Lake Powell and Page at about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1.5 hours, and the Grand Canyon’s North Rim at roughly 1 hour 45 minutes when its seasonal road and services are open. The East Entrance is the doorway to the park’s eastern highway; the main canyon sits farther along. NPS puts the East Entrance 13 miles west of Mt. Carmel Junction and says speeds on the Zion–Mt. Carmel Highway are usually under 30 mph, so allow considerably more time to reach the canyon floor and its shuttle. NPS notes that large vehicles must follow size limits on the Zion–Mt. Carmel Highway, a point covered in our Zion to Bryce Canyon route guide.

If you are coming from the west, our St. George guide covers the larger city on the other side of Zion. The trade-off is time on the road. If your whole trip is Zion Canyon itself, a base in or near Springdale keeps you closer to the shuttle; read our Zion hiking guide to judge how much canyon time you need, and which airport to fly into before you choose a base. Our Zion National Park travel guide covers the park itself. Kanab suits trips that mix several places, such as Zion, Bryce and Page in one week, or travelers who want a quieter town.

Family options

Families have more here than first glance suggests. Best Friends tours, sand play at Coral Pink, the Little Hollywood Museum and short canyon walks make a full day without a long drive. Regional tourism sources also call out Zion’s Riverside Walk, Canyon Overlook and Emerald Pools as family hikes within a half-day trip, and Bryce’s Navajo Loop as a family-friendly option. Slot canyons and The Wave are poor choices for small children because of flash flood risk and distance.

Best time to visit Kanab

Spring and fall are generally the more comfortable seasons for outdoor days, and summer afternoons can be hot; this is our editorial view, since our sources give no official climate table for Kanab. NPS lists July to September as monsoon season at nearby Zion, and BLM warns that heavy rain can cause extreme flash flooding around Coyote Buttes, so storms are the main risk for slot canyons in summer. Winter is quiet, and the North Rim road and services are seasonal, so confirm what is open before driving there. If winter is your plan, read our Zion in winter guide before you build the route.

How many days in Kanab

• One day: Best Friends in the morning, Coral Pink Sand Dunes in the late afternoon.
• Two days: Add Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch on a dry day, or the town and museums.
• Three days or more: Add one park per day, such as Zion’s east side, Bryce Canyon, or Page and Lake Powell.

This is a planning suggestion rather than an official recommendation. Lengthen it if you want a lottery attempt for The Wave or a slower pace.

Where to stay: choose by area

Kanab itself has motels, inns and vacation rentals, according to regional tourism sources. Staying in town puts you near restaurants; staying near Zion or Bryce puts you closer to those parks’ gates. We do not rank individual hotels here; choose the area that matches your route, whether that is Kanab, near Zion or near Bryce.

Common questions

Is Kanab worth visiting on its own? Yes for one to two days: Best Friends, Coral Pink Sand Dunes and the slot-canyon trailhead are all close. Many visitors combine it with a park.

How far is Kanab from Zion? About 30 to 35 minutes to the East Entrance by regional tourism estimates. The main canyon is farther along the park highway.

Do you need a permit for The Wave? Yes. Permits are by lottery only, through Recreation.gov.

What is the drive from Kanab to Page like? It is a two-lane highway with limited services in between, so fill your tank first.