Into The Red Rocks!
Kanab, Utah
After the 1 millionth time of coming across pictures of the Wave and other mind-boggling Redrock Formations we finally decided that life just would not be complete without visiting and experiencing at least one of these places ourselves. So, with the requisite months of planning and route mapping completed, we finally embarked on our trip in the first week of January with a destination of Kanab, Utah in mind. You may be wondering why anyone would want to visit a place so unflatteringly described as a “desert outpost” on the internet, but we are here to tell you that Kanab is a treasure throve of experiences that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the world.
Sure it boasts an entirety of 2 stoplights and may even appear as nothing more than a drive-through town that’s not so different from most small western settlements, however Kanab distinguishes itself by being an excellent jumping off point for some of the most scenic vistas in the USA. The town offers comfortable and affordable accommodations, friendly people and even something most people would not expect: a big city food scene! (Check out some of Kanab’s best restaurants HERE). Now you may also be thinking, I can get all of that in any place so why travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to get here? Read on faithful traveler.
Kanab is an easy, scenic three-and-a-half-hour drive from Las Vegas and, for lots of people including us, it is a great home base for accessing incomparable attractions like the Wave, South Coyote Buttes, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell and even Antelope Canyon just to name a few.
Us being who we are, we decided that we must see Zion National Park having discovered that it was along our route which did add a few hours to our driving time from Las Vegas to Kanab. This was, of course, the entirely wrong way to see this enormous, breathtaking park. We did manage however to see some of the highlights and take some amazing pictures. Hikers and campers everywhere are probably decrying us at this very moment however rest assured that we paid for this grievous sin a little later when we received a call letting us know that our hotel would not have hot water on arrival and knowing that it would be below 20℉ that night. We eventually arrived in Kanab in the dark and was fully unaware of the views that would greet us come next morning: namely the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
It’s probably a good idea to give you a little information on the area that you’ll be mostly spending time in if you decide make this trip. Kanab is located within the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM) which is a geological marvel. Driving down Highway 89 towards Page, Arizona you can view all 5 stair steps of the Monument which is so enormous that it spans almost 2 million acres. These “stairs” were formed millions of years ago due to sediment deposits and became visible with the rising of the Colorado Plateau which began ~10 million years ago. The Monument itself is comprised of a multitude of plateaus, slot canyons, and buttes many of which are great for heart-thumping exploration.
Each layer of rock formation that makes up the Grand Staircase is known as a stairstep and is different in color based on its composition. The stairsteps themselves are identified by these colors which are vermillion, chocolate, white, gray, and pink. The stair steps rise 5500 feet and extend from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which appear as chocolate color and is the oldest stairstep, to Bryce Canyon, which appears pink and is the youngest stairstep. (click here for more information on the GSENM)
Imagine driving along Highway 89, pulling over on the side of the road and looking out your window to see millions of years of our earth’s formation visible to the naked eye!
If this alone, however, does not get you amped to visit Kanab then let’s talk about some of the other sought after, and dare we say, more photogenic locations within the Monument.
South Coyote Buttes & White Pocket
For those who are not yet familiar with it, the Wave is a Navajo Sand Stone formation that is a wildly coveted destination located in North Coyote Buttes (NCB). To visit this geological wonder, you need to enter an online lottery 4 months ahead of time and cross your fingers and hope that you’ll win a permit to visit. So far, we have lost the lottery 6 times! Others that we met along the way reported entering the lottery for 8 years before finally winning permits! Why not sneak in? The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) monitors the Wave closely as it is a protected landform, and anyone caught there without a permit faces hefty fines and even jail time (visit the BLM website for more information).
So, given that we could not visit the Wave and therefore now refuse to rub salt into that particular wound by providing further details on this unseen gem, we will now focus instead on a lottery that we did win!
Before arrival to Kanab, we secured the services of the Kanab Tour Company several months ahead of time knowing that, based on popularity, a guide may not be available at the time of arrival leaving us to fend for ourselves in unknown country. We are not exactly hapless and clueless travelers but the thought of travelling unmarked trails in unfamiliar country or wayfinding in somewhat treacherous territory was enough to get our city-hearts racing. We had also read horror stories…actual horror stories, of others wasting hard earned permits by walking around in circles and never actually finding their destinations! Wanting to avoid this magnitude of catastrophe we therefore got a guide
We left Kanab with our guide and headed out, via what could only be described as a “monster van”, to White Pocket which was the first stop in our tour. The drive to White Pocket lead out of Kanab by way of Highway 89 where we got our first glimpse of the GSENM. After some time we turned off the highway and began off-roading to our destination. Know that you’ll need a 4 wheel drive vehicle to access the off road areas if you’re a brave soul that wants to do this without a guide, although we did spend a fair bit of time trying to puzzle out how a Tesla sedan managed to off-road successfully.
Also, please note that if you’re expecting exact times for each leg of this commute then you are sadly in the wrong place as all we can say is we left before dark and arrived back to Kanab at dusk.
We arrived to White Pocket in the early morning hours and began a very pleasant hike to the iconic White Pocket Tree. We spent several hours gaping at rock formations unlike anything we had ever seen. Apparently, the overtly alien appearance coupled with the extreme beauty of this area brings out the poet in many people. We, however, lack the ability to wax poetic, so let us simply say that to behold White Pocket is to understand that immersing ourselves in the grandeur of this world brings a state of fulfillment that few other things can. Too dramatic?
Anyway, after a light lunch which we did pack for ourselves being the resourceful peanuts that we are, we traveled from White Pocket to the much-anticipated South Coyote Buttes (SCB).
While White Pocket is not a protected area, South Coyote Buttes is protected and requires a permit for entrance. Which brings us to the lottery that we did win! We enlisted the help of the Kanab Tour Company to serve as stand-ins for us at the Bureau of Land Management’s daily lottery where, although they did not win tickets to the Wave (NCB), they did win us tickets to South Coyote Buttes!
On arrival to SCB, we were required to display our prized permit on the inside of the windshield of our vehicle then, after a bathroom break in the wild, we set off on our last hike of the day.
The hike in to SCB was unremarkable except for a certain stillness and peacefulness. After a short hike however, our destination came into view and, there rising before us was the most enchanting, enormous creamsicle colored formation we had ever seen. Our guide immediately directed us into the rocks and keeping a strident pace, we arrived to what we will now call the Little Wave. Imagine our surprise when we found out that more than one wave formations existed in the area and that were we standing in the second largest one! We found ourselves surrounded by perfectly wind and water carved flowing sandstone of a blend of red, purple, and orange hues.
In addition to the Little Wave, there were many other notable and amusingly named formations like the Snail, the Pawn (which we still contend looks like the Hogwart’s Sorting Hat) and the Ice Cream Cone to explore and take goofy picture with. We were even able to find and follow dinosaur tracks in the rocks.
Needless to say that we spent the rest of our day here wandering wherever our hearts desired as we found ourselves to be rather alone which was a new experience for us given the crowds that cannot be avoided at any remotely popular destination.
When we finally could bring ourselves to head back to Kanab, our guide had one last surprise for us: Rainbow Mountain!?
Rainbow Mountain/Paria Badlands
In case you believed that you could only see a rainbow mountain by visiting Peru, spending days acclimatizing then taking a grueling all-day hike and if none of that is for you then you’ll be pleased to know that you can easily drive to such a mountain right outside of Kanab!
Heading back from South Coyote Butte down the 89A, we turned onto a dirt road leading to an area formally known as the Paria Badlands. As we continued down the road the most vibrant mountain range that we had ever seen arose before us.
Due to several trapped minerals including various iron oxides, manganese, and cobalt the mountains have colorful striations of red, purple, blue, white, and orange and appear to glitter and sparkle in the sun.
The colors of these mountains are even said to outshine those of the Painted Desert. We enjoyed a splendid sunset here but later returned and spent an entire afternoon exploring and climbing the more accessible cliff-sides on our own time.
As the sun set on what was undoubtedly one of the best days we’ve ever had, we headed back to Kanab for some fantastic food and well-earned rest as we knew we would be heading to Page, Arizona the next morning.
Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend
Having fulfilled almost all our Redrock dreams we decided that we had plenty of energy left to tackle one more adventure and so hopped in the car and headed to Page, Arizona to the famous Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe bend area. The drive was an eye-popping 1.5 hour trip during which time we saw more of the GSENM area and happened upon Lake Powell.
In case, like us, you also don’t know what Lake Powell is well, in short, it’s an artificial reservoir on the Colorado River where fishing, boating and all other manner of water sports can be had which, again, goes to show that you’re never too far away from fun in Kanab. After an impromptu stop at the lake, we continued on to Antelope Canyon which happens to be on Navajo land and therefore cannot be visited without a tour. We were fortunate enough to be able to book a tour to Lower Antelope Canyon as we decided to visit on a whim, but as befits poor planners like us, we were unable to tour Upper Antelope Canyon as those tours were limited and sold out!
Nevertheless, climbing down the ladders into Lower Antelope and winding our way through those sheer, golden cliffs while looking up at the blue sky glowing above us was not to be scoffed at. Sure, we did not get to see the upper canyon, which is reputed to be narrower, darker and more of a photographer’s dream, but honestly, we aren’t anything so talented as photographers, but still managed to capture pictures that we challenge you to find fault with (good-naturedly of course)!
Not wanting to leave of our own volition, we eventually were escorted back by our tour guide and deposited in a gift shop from where, after an unfortunately unsuccessful and almost soul crushing attempt to buy much-desired ice cream, we drove on to Horseshoe Bend.
Horsehoe Bend was a quick 10 minutes or less drive from Lower Antelope Canyon and accessible right off the Highway. After paying for parking, making a most prudent restroom stop and gathering enough water/food to convince onlookers that we may never return to the car, we set off on a very pleasant 10–15-minute downhill hike to the main attraction. The sun was just at the 1 PM position and we were able to view Horseshoe in all its splendor. The most enjoyable part of this stop was the chance to freely explore the land on the circumference of the Bend. In fact, we eventually picked an overlook to relax and enjoy lunch (sans ice cream sadly) while taking in the sparkling waters of the Colorado river and counting the number of lazily floating pleasure crafts that looked like toys to us from so many feet above.
We eventually returned to Kanab, stopping once again at Rainbow Mountain along the way as we just could not resist the call of the colors. We sat down to a mouth watering dinner while patiently waiting for nightfall as we had one more adventure in mind.
A final fun fact about Kanab: it is one of the rare dark places in the world with a light ordinance that limits light pollution. Finding ourselves fully sated, we sat on the hood of the jeep in absolute darkness, each of us reflecting on the many marvelous things we had seen and done over the preceding days, as a final wondrous thing happened: the Milky Way was unveiled before us!
Thanks for reading and look out for our updated post when we win that lottery to the Wave (fingers crossed) and finally get ourselves into Upper Antelope Canyon!
Check out some of our favorite restaurants in Kanab here and don’t miss out on our epic photos!
Don’t want to tackle the wilderness on your own? Check out some of the tours below!
