Southwestern Utah
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Southwestern Utah - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
On a typical day, this 3,700-acre compound 7 miles north of town houses some 1,600 rescued animals, mostly dogs and cats but also horses, rabbits, farm animals, and even wildlife in need of shelter. They receive dozens of visitors who come to take one of the free 90-minute tours (offered four times daily); a special tour of Dogtown, Cat World Headquarters, Bunny House, Parrot Garden, or one of the other animal-specific areas of the sanctuary; a walk through the animal cemetery; or even a hike in adjacent Angel Canyon. Founded in 1984 and with several other adoption centers and offices around the country, Best Friends is the largest animal sanctuary in the United States and one of the world's most successful and influential no-kill animal rescue advocacy organizations. It's a rewarding visit if you love animals, and if you have the time and interest, you and your family can volunteer for a day at this amazing place. The organization also operates the Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile, a unique pet-centric hotel and gift shop. All tours should be booked online or by phone, even if same day.
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2. Paria Canyon–Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
In this extremely remote 112,500-acre expanse of otherworldly canyons, cliffs, and mesas that straddles the Utah–Arizona border south of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument and along the Arizona border, you'll find the subjects of some of the most famous and photographed rock formations in the Southwest, including "The Wave," an undulating landscape of waves frozen in striated red, orange, and yellow sandstone that can be accessed by permit only—it's reached via a somewhat strenuous 6.4-mile round-trip hike. The area has a number of other spectacular features, several of them a bit easier to access, such as the moderately easy 3.7-mile Wire Pass Trail, which leads to the longest slot canyon in the world, 13-mile Buckskin Gulch. For any visits to this wilderness, part of which falls within Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, it's essential that you check with the area's BLM ranger offices in Kanab or Big Water (near Lake Powell) for guidance and conditions (deadly flash floods can occur with little warning in some of these slot canyons); staff can also provide permit information about visiting The Wave (aka Coyote Buttes North) and Coyote Buttes South. Or consider visiting the area on tour through one of the reputable outfitters in Kanab or Escalante, such as Dreamland Safari Tours, Forever Adventure Tours, and Paria Outpost & Outfitters. The parking lot for the Wire Pass Trailhead, a good place to start your explorations of the area, is 45 miles east of Kanab via U.S. 89 (turn right onto House Rock Valley Road shortly after milemarker 26 and continue 8.5 miles down the unpaved road). Only 64 people are granted permits to visit The Wave each day, and all are awarded by online lottery (48 of them by advanced lottery up to four months in advance, and 16 of them by daily lottery issued two days in advance). Visit www.blm.gov/node/7605 for details.
House Rock Valley Rd., Utah, 84741, USA435-644–1300Sight Details
Rate Includes: $6 per person day use; reservations and permits required for some hikes -
3. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
This sweeping, 3,730-acre expanse of pink sand about 20 miles west of Kanab is the result of eroding sandstone. Funneled through a notch in the rock, wind picks up speed and carries grains of sand into the area—the undulating formations can reach heights of 100 feet and move as much as 50 feet per year. It's a giant playground for dune buggies, ATVs, and dirt bikes. If you just want a quick scamper through the dunes, park in one of the small roadside lots; there's no fee collected at these areas, and they're farther away from where vehicles zoom through the sand and so tend to be quieter. Children love to play in the sand, but check the surface temperature; it can get very hot.
Coral Sand Dunes Rd. (Hwy. 43), Utah, 84741, USA435-648–2800Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10 per vehicle -
4. Kanab Heritage House Museum
One of the most stately residences in southern Utah, this 1890s redbrick gingerbread Victorian home in the center of town is surrounded by herb and flower gardens and contains many of the original owners' furnishings. Guided tours are offered throughout the day, and historical demonstrations are presented from time to time. Visits provide an interesting look at pioneer life in the Southwest.
115 S. Main St., Utah, 84741, USA435-644–3506Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., and Mon.–Thurs. in Oct.–mid-May -
5. Paria Movie Set Day Use Site
Surrounded by stunning striated bluffs and rock formations, here in this remote valley you can visit two ghost towns at once at the Paria (sometimes called Pahreah) townsite and movie set, one settled by hardy pioneers and one built by Hollywood but lost in 1998, briefly rebuilt, and then lost to a fire in 2006. In fact, floods also caused the demise of the original settlements along the Paria River, with the original town fully abandoned by around 1930. Films shot here include the 1962 Rat Pack comedy Sergeants 3, the Gregory Peck film Mackenna's Gold, and the famous Clint Eastwood Civil War western, The Outlaw Josey Wales, which was released in 1976, making it the last of the site's movie productions. To get here, drive 33 miles east of Kanab on U.S. 89, turning left—shortly after mile marker 31—at the Old Town Paria rock marker, and following the unpaved road about 4½ miles north to the parking area and wooden restroom.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Pipe Spring National Monument
A 20-minute drive southwest of Kanab, this 40-acre plot of stone buildings and sagebrush- and red rock–dotted hillsides with a pond and gardens preserves a site where indigenous Kaibab Paiute people thrived for a thousand years, followed by Spanish missionaries and Mormon pioneers in the mid-19th century. A modern visitor center contains artifacts and interactive exhibits and presents a short video detailing the history of this community and its reliance on the natural springs that run beneath it. Rangers give guided tours and crafts demonstrations during the summer months, but any time of year you can explore the grounds, buildings, orchards, and horse and cattle corrals on your own and hike the ½-mile Ridge Trail for an astounding view of the Arizona Strip, as this region is known.
406 N. Pipe Springs Rd., Utah, 86022, USA928-643–7105Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10
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