We based ourself in Kanab Utah just north of the Arizona border for the entirety of our National Park excursion which included Grand Staircase Escalante, Zion National Park, North Rim of Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and Bryce Canyon.
We opted for an Airbnb although there are many hotel options in Kanab as well. A 3 hour drive from Las Vegas or a 4.5 hour drive from Salt Lake City, Kanab is a small town at the center of some of the best parks in the area. It is also the home of the Grand Staircase Esclante HQ where the 9 AM daily lottery takes place for The Wave.
Kanab is:
- 1.25 hours from Four Corners & Horseshoe Bend
- 30 minutes from Zion National Park where we hiked Angel’s Landing
- 1 hour from Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon where we went kayaking and then had the canyon to ourself
- 1 hour and fifteen minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park where we stopped on our way to Salt Lake City
- 1.5 hours from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon which we think is the best part of the Grand Canyon!
It also has some of the best town mottos we’ve seen, though they haven’t been able to settle on one. Our two favorites:
- Abra Kanabra
- Kanab: The Greatest Earth on Show
Kanab has some really good food options as well. While we didn’t eat everywhere our favorites were Pekaboo Canyon Wood Fired Kitchen ( a medium price restaurant with high quality food) and Luo’s Cafe (a Chinese restaurant with primarily Cantonese dishes founded by immigrants with healthy Chinese food – No MSG, low salt & oil).
Finally because we were spending a lot of time in the car, we decided to give ourselves a road trip fitness challenge. Starting from Denver, throughout the National Parks road trip and until we arrived to SLC we used every gas, restroom, or pit stop to squeeze in lunges, squats, and jumping jacks. The result is this:
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