Kanab, Utah was about an hour and a half drive from Page, Arizona. We’ve been in the area before, but never spent much time exploring it. Kanab is a Paiute word meaning “place of the willows”.
Kanab, Utah
Kanab was settled in 1864. In 1870, ten Mormon families moved to the area to help establish the town. Brigham Young visited twice to provide guidance on the town planning. For a long time the area was considered to be isolated and difficult to get to. Zane Gray lived here while he wrote “Riders of the Purple Sage in 1912.
Kanab is considered a hub to visit Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon, Grand Staircase/Escalante, Lake Powell, Coral Pink Sands, and Vermillion Cliffs.
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Kanab, Utah
The Sanctuary first opened in 1984. Their goal is to save the lives of homeless pets with a no kill philosophy. They take care of all animals and are a haven to around 1,600 animals a day. The property is huge and scenic, set in a beautiful canyon. Best Friends has a unique animal cemetery. We’ve donated to them as they are a great organization providing a healing oasis.
Grand Plateau RV, Kanab
Grand Plateau RV just opened this year. The sites are huge, full service, good Internet, and nice views.
Whether it was sunrise or sunset the colors were stunning. This crazy couple optimized their view from the roof of their rental RV.
It was not very crowded this time of the year. Nighttime temperatures were 15 F. An early snow was beautiful. Because of the weather we had to cancel our reservations to hike Coyote Buttes in the Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. One of many reasons to come back.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Utah
The dunes look orange to my eye. The sand is formed by the erosion of pink Navajo sandstone. It is a poplar place for ATV/off-highway vehicles.
We came across an adult and juvenile Bald Eagle. They migrate from Alaska and Canada to spend the winter.
The sand was a fine soft texture and an amazing color.
It would be nice to come back in the spring for wildflowers.
We enjoyed walking amongst the sand dunes.
Paria, Utah
Paria is a ghost town in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument that was inhabited from 1870 to 1929. It’s located 18 miles from Kanab. Unfortunately, the Paria River frequently flooded and the desert soil wasn’t good for farming. Later, a movie set was constructed, but it was burned down in 2006 by vandals. Scenes from “The Outlaw Jose Wales” was filmed here in 1976.
The spectacular colors are from iron oxides, manganese, and cobalt. It reminded us of the Painted Desert in Arizona. Another amazing, isolated and beautiful part of Utah.
