Cabin Twenty-Four

Southern Utah’s Hidden Gem

For my brothers’ spring break, we planned a trip to Kanab, Utah – southern Utah’s hidden gem. I basically got put in charge for finding accommodations + things to do and I’m proud to say that I think I did a pretty decent job!

Kanab is a city located in Kane County, Utah which happens to be north of the Arizona state line. This area was first settled in 1864 and the town was founded in 1870 when ten Latter-Day Saint families moved into the area. If you’ve ever heard of Utah, you’d know that Utah is home to five national parks as well as several state parks! Kanab is easily base camp for the national parks – you have Zion on the west, Bryce Canyon to the north, Grand Canyon to the south and Lake Powell to the east – how cool is that?!

We booked this home through Airbnb and it was a great decision! The home was easy to find and was located fairly close to the US-89 highway. We arrived in Kanab late at night after stopping through Las Vegas on our drive. On our first, we grabbed breakfast at a local joint, Jakey Leigh’s, which was nothing too special – your regular eggs / toast / bacon breakfast. We explored a little bit of the town (Best Friends Sanctuary, Moqui Caves) before driving out to explore local but off-road attractions. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an all-wheel drive and some places were inaccessible. Luckily, we found Coral Cliffs Tours and Townhomes and they basically saved the day (PS, the rent out homes too)!

Peekaboo Slot Canyon

This slot canyon is a perfect alternate to Arizona’s busy Antelope Canyon. The hike was 1.7 miles (round trip) but we had the canyon to ourselves! It was both eerie but amazing at the same time. Jeff (our tour guide) not only showed us the cool places but he was busy serving some educational and fun facts about the place!

When we finished checking out the canyon, he showed us the only hoodoo in the place. Geology 101 – a hoodoo is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an ariddrainage basin or badland.

Sand Caves

Before heading back to the Airbnb, we also managed to check out the Sand Caves of Kanab! We parked on the side of the US-89 highway, ran across the road, climbed up a mountain (which, according to my Apple watch, was equivalent to twenty-two flights of stairs) and got to explore some caves. It was a cool experience and getting down the mountain was just as much of a struggle than it was getting up!

Kanab is such a beautiful city and while we had originally planned to set base camp so we could explore Bryce Canyon, I’m glad the plans changed and we explored locally instead!

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Comments

  2. It is so cool that you went to Utah! You’re the rockstar planner of the family, hehe. Kenab looks like an interesting place. Pretty cool that there is a lot of history behind the town. Oh my goodness, the slot canyon looks gorgeous! I really like how the rocks have formed. Oh man, you guys climb a lot of flights out there. Glad you had so much fun!!

    Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me

  3. Wow, these are beautiful shots! It definitely looks difficult to climb up and down those, but wow just look at that view. Worth it! ♡

  4. Wow, it’s so beautiful! I love how red the rocks are.

    By the way, I just read your Old Sacramento post: I’m from Sacramento! For some reason, the comment box didn’t show up so I’ll just bring it up here 🙂

    Hannah the Mad Dog

  13. Wow, nature is freaking amazing! I would love to visit this place someday. We have some nature places in the UK, but for some reason places like this enamour me more! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  15. “Greatest Earth on Show” hehehe that’s cute! Good job planning, Eena! You pick the most scenic places to visit. The rock formations look otherwordly.

  17. Oh wow, I love the views here. You got some great photos! I have never been to this area, but I feel like it’s somewhere I have to visit at least once after seeing this…

  18. Your photos look awesome!! I never really considered Utah as a top destination for US travel but I’ll definitely have to drive up there now! Great post 🤗

  19. Spring break in Kanab, Utah sounds like fun. I love the swirly patterns at Peekaboo Slot Canyon. I would love to see Sand Caves. The scenery images are so amazingly gorgeous!

  20. THOSE PHOTOS. The canyons look incredible and I had no idea they had sand caves in Utah! You’ve made me want to visit. The last photo especially is so beautiful x

    Sophie

  21. Bonus points for me…I actually knew what a hoodoo was! The Slot Canyon looks like a lot of fun. I forget Utah has so many neat places like this.

  24. Oh my goodness, Eena, these photos are just stunning, like something out of National Geographic! Wow, what an amazing place to visit, you are so lucky. Also, that’s interesting you had a good experience with Airbnb too, I’ve never used them in case they cancel on me when we’ve just arrived but perhaps that’s just an urban myth. Gorgeous post, thank you for sharing! x

    Lisa | http://www.lisasnotebook.com

  30. This place looks gorgeous! Going to have to add it to places I want to see in the US. I love staying in Airbnb homes too they have so much more space than a hotel and it feels like a local!

  31. Absolutely gorgeous!!! I’ve been to Zion and Bryce, both also beautiful. Utah is an incredibly beautiful state.

  36. Fantastic pics! I have been to Lake Powell and the scenery is great! This sounds worth the trip next opportunity I’m in the area.

  38. Your photos are insane! It looks like an alien planet and a truly unforgettable experience.

    Can I ask how much roughly it all cost? Is it possible to do it on a budget?

    And is a car essential? Is it possible to have a similar experience using public transport?

    Adam

  39. you took many lovely photos, my favorite is the last one. Such a beautiful place to have a nice vacation. I wish to make a road trip for USA.
    xo

  41. these are absolutely stunning images! I love Utah- I have an upcoming trip to Zion and I want to start checking this place out.

    xoxox
    Amanda – Activated Living

  44. I would really like to discover Utah. The sights are just amazing. I have only ever had a short layover at Salt Lake City airport.

    ANOUK

  49. Can’t believe this is a real place instead of a fictive one, it looks too beautiful. You take WONDERFUL shots! Love them!!

    Jes
    Talesfromjes.com

  50. What a aiming trio all around nature too! Loving the photography aswel it look soooooooo professional you should be proud of this creative content !

    Love Nat xxx

  51. Looks like a very scenic area. The caves remind me of that one screensaver on MacBook computers! I’d love to visit this spot as well as Zion sometime. Great photos and article 🙂

  52. It looks amazing there! I knew Utah had beautiful parks but this is now on my list of places I want to visit. That’s great that planning the trip went well and all of your photos are beautiful! I can’t get over the photos of inside the canyon!

    x Kara | http://karascloset.net

  53. Utah is definitely on my travel bucket list and thanks for sharing about the slot canyon…my family and I loved the surreal Lower Antelope Canyon so really want to check this one out also.

  59. Wow the slot canyon looks incredible! I’ve seen photos of similar things but had no idea where they were! Will definitely have to visit at some point as it looks amazing! Great job on finding the accommodation! AirBnB never misses for me!