With an abundance of fun things to do, Kanab is a great basecamp for your Southern Utah indoor and outdoor adventures! Located on the Utah/Arizona border, it is within an hour to so many incredible attractions and outdoor activities.
Our quick three-day itinerary from Salt Lake City, UT:
Day 1: The drive from SLC and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Depart SLC around 9 am - as it is a 4 hour and 45 min drive to the State Park.
Along the way, stop at Wanderlust Cowgirl Coffee espresso bar in Panguitch, UT (near Bryce Canyon) for great service and delicious drinks (and it's super Instagramable).
Upon arriving to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, we opted to roam around a spot just outside of the park, in a parked pull-off area with a large map. We unforunately didn't have much time to explore much of the park, that features uniquely pink-hued sand dunes located beside red sandstone cliffs. One thing I would suggest is renting sand boards or sand sleds for the dunes! *I referenced Amanda Outside's blog and Visit Utah's page when planning the Sand Dunes
We stayed for about an hour, running around and testing my new drone - note that it can get pretty windy and your things WILL get sandy.
We left early afternoon to head to our glampsite, BaseCamp37. I found this place through Instagram and reached out to coordinate an influencer stay. *see my full post on the grounds and glamping.
We explored the grounds, met our hosts, unloaded the cars and drove into the town of Kanab for dinner at Escobar's Mexican Restaurant.
With full bellies, we enjoyed a nice campfire and gifted Simple Grape Wine at Basecamp37 before heading to bed.
Day 2: Sightseeing near Kanab and beyond
After a lovely morning at BaseCamp37, we made our way back into town for a unique experience: introductory blacksmithing class at Blacksmith Adventures! This is by far the coolest experience I've ever had and we got to take home the bottle opener we each made at the end!
After a quick lunch, our sightseeing began with the Kanab Sand Caves (near Moqui Cave). The hike itself is a short half-mile round trip hike (about an hour to explore and take pictures). These sand caves were man-made when they began mining for the sand in the area. *the parking area is opposite the freeway from the caves (parking coordinates: 37.115344, -112.560989) but should be easy to find!
Next up was the nearby Belly of the Dragon! This man-made tunnel is fun for all and incredibly short. You can continue through the wash about 4 miles, ending with a slot canyon. We stopped at the end of the tunnel and it took about 30 minutes of exploring! Both of these short scenic hikes are great for all ages and are dog-friendly.
One bucketlist sight for us was Horseshoe Bend in Arizona, and Kanab is just over an hour from this iconic landmark! We made the drive and walked about 10 minutes from the overlook parking to the actual Horseshoe Bend overlook. *Horseshoe Bend is a horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona, United States. It is also referred to as the "east rim of the Grand Canyon." It costs $10/vehicle and is dog-friendly! The time does fall back an hour, so keep that in mind for planning. *I'm not sure if this is a common experience, but it was miserably windy for us and we could hardly take photos without being blown away! Dress appropriately and watch small children or animals from the edge.
We made the long drive back to BaseCamp37 just in time to change and head back to Kanab for dinner at Vermillion 45, a delicious but pricey french restaurant.
Day 3: Chill day and the drive home
We had a relaxing morning drinking our french press from BaseCamp, packing up, and enjoying the sunrise.
With BaseCamp being so remote, there are great off-road trails surrounding the site. So we decided to take the Jeep and see where the roads took us! It was such a blast to cruise around in the middle of nowhere near our glamp site.
After about an hour or two of off-roading, we hit the road back to Salt Lake City (roughly 4.5 hours).
I hope you enjoy your desert retreat!
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