Kanab Utah Introduction

Kanab, Utah is located in the extreme southern part of the state, only a few miles from the Arizona border, and about 1.5 hours (driving time) east of St. George. From December, 2010 until April, 2013, I called Kanab home (with the exception being the summer of 2011 when I was in Alaska.)

Kanab is about as much of an "epicenter" as it gets for outdoor recreation. Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Dixie National Forest, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Kaibab National Forest, and the north rim of Grand Canyon are all within a hop, skip, and a jump of Kanab. Some of these areas offer year-round and (mostly) snow-free recreation, which only adds to Kanab's appeal.

I was lucky enough to explore many of the areas listed above during my time in Kanab. Some of these were well-known and frequently visited, but others were remote and isolated (requiring high-clearance 4-wheel drive vehicles to access.) It's always best to err on the side of caution when headed out into remote areas, but the well-prepared shouldn't be dissuaded from exploring some of the most spectacular and unique places in the world. I always find "harder to reach" places that much more rewarding when I get there.

Many of these areas that I'll describe you can find on the free map of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which you can pick up at an area visitor center or download HERE.

I hope you enjoy my adventures from the Kanab area!

Wintery Zion and Eagle Crags

Last January (2013) while living in Kanab, Utah, I had a free day to just get out and explore. The options were plentiful, but it had been a while since taking a Zion trip. I decided it would be wise to go check out Zion's low elevation southwestern end, since the recent cold, snowy conditions had probably left many of the Park's trails very slick and icy. 

I drove through the Park's eastern entrance, through the tunnel, and down the windy road that drops down towards the canyon floor. At one of the road's bends, I stopped at a pullout and took an unmarked trail that followed a frozen creek. Up ahead, I noticed some impressive icicles draping off the rock face.

Frozen river with icicles in the background:

The closer I got to the icicles, the more impressed I became.

 I didn't dare get much closer than this:

Although probably pretty common, the icicles were a first time Zion observation for me. I stood around in awe for quite a while before retracing my steps (only about a hundred yards) to my car.

Another look at the creek:

I hopped back in the car, impressed with my unexpected discovery and continued towards the southwest entrance. 


After studying my Zion area map, I decided to head out the Eagle Crags trail, just south of the town of Rockville on BLM land. "Eagle Crags" refers to the obvious rock formations in this area. I did no research and knew very little about the trail, but why not check it out?

The road accessing the trailhead was pretty rough, and probably should only be attempted by high clearance vehicles, preferably with 4-wheel drive. My Xterra didn't have much trouble, but I took it pretty slowly. For further directions to the trailhead, click HERE

When I reached the trailhead, the Crags were looming large to the south.

The trail begins fairly flat before rising towards Eagle Crags and into the Canaan Mountain Wilderness. 

The views along the way were awesome, and offered glimpses to the east towards Zion's seldom visited Parunuweap Canyon (East Fork of the Virgin River.)

Parunuweap is the Canyon directly beyond the pond in this photo, between Johnson Mountain (left) and Shunesburg Mountain (right): 

Another view, panning to the left:

As the trail ascended towards the Eagle Crags, it became progressively snow-covered, until I eventually reached an area where only one other person had been up there since the last storm. 

I followed their boot prints until I was directly beneath the Crags.

I finally reached the area where the prints I had been following stopped, stepped off for a view, and turned around. This was also where the obvious trail ended, but I wasn't quite ready to turn around. 

I continued trudging across the now unbroken snow until I was pretty much bushwhacking through junipers and scrambling across rocks. In the distance I could see some rugged peaks deep in the heart of Canaan Mountain. Apparently there's a way to navigate from Eagle Crags to or from Water Canyon near Colorado City, Arizona. I decided on a stopping point and scouted out the terrain. It seems like that would be a gnarly navigation, but a challenge I'd be open to attempting. 

Here's my photo of the rugged peaks in the distance (sorry for the poor quality, the glare was pretty bad.)

I retraced my steps quickly, as I didn't want to run out of daylight, but I made a point to turn around and get one last glimpse of the Eagle Crags.

While driving back home, I decided to take the "scenic route" across Smithsonian Butte, which runs 9 miles from Grafton to Colorado City. This is a dirt road that was pretty rough in a few areas, but that didn't stop a couple of low clearance sedans from attempting it. One of these cars was at the top of a really muddy and steep stretch of road, and I saw no people in or around the car. I was amazed if they made it up that section (which I was a bit nervous going up with my Xterra in 4-wheel drive). Maybe more likely, they came from Colorado City and stopped when they saw what they were in for before dropping into Grafton. Either way, I'll never know.

It was my first time driving across Smithsonian Butte, and I was happy I went back that way. The sun was beginning to set, and I couldn't help but get out and snap a few pics as I made my way home. It was a great way to end a gorgeous winter day exploring the desert.

West side of Eagle Crags: