Wandering Bel — Tips and Tricks

When deciding on a solo trip to Kanab, Utah, it’s important to remember that the area is considered out of the way. You need to think ahead because there are a couple of things you want to pay close attention to when visiting locations around Kanab.

For example, you will likely not have cell service in most of these places. This is problematic if you rely on GPS. When I finished hiking the Sand Cave, I tried to get somewhere else, and I ended up back in Arizona, which was not the plan, so I had to drive back into Utah—thus proving that being close to another state's border is beautiful and painful.

Check the weather for rain there and in the surrounding area if you plan to hike any slot canyons like Buckskin Gulch or Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon. Summer brings a high chance of storms, which can produce flash flooding, and you want to avoid getting stuck if you hike in a slot canyon.

I also recommend bringing an extra battery pack on any hikes. That way, if your battery drains, you can charge your phone.

Bring enough water and food if you are hiking, and ensure you have the right gear. For example, I love my Mountain Hardwear UPF long-sleeve shirt. It’s super lightweight and keeps the sun off you.

Camping

Lone Rock Beach

I was the most excited to camp here, but it was not as good of an experience as I had hoped. Lone Rock Beach is primitive camping with no reservations and costs $14 a night. Open fires are permitted, but I didn't get a chance to do a fire because it was windy and sand flew everywhere.

I slept in my rental because there was no way I could set up camp, so it could have been a better experience. I was glad I had my MSR Windburner to make dinner, and I just ate in the back of my rental and watched Netflix since I already had shows downloaded to my phone.

You can also hike and swim here if there is enough water. I could walk down to the Rock, which used to be underwater, but now the water is far from it.

That said, I would return here; despite the bad weather, it was amazing to say I camped here.

Hiking

Buckskin Gulch to Wire Pass Trail

This tied with Lower Antelope as my favorite hike on the entire trip. It is 11.2 miles out in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area.

The hike requires a permit which runs $6 per person and dog, and you can obtain it online or at a BLM office. I recommend getting your permit before going to the trailhead because there was barely enough service for me to get mine.

Another thing you want to be mindful of is that there are other trails nearby, like Paria Canyon, Coyote Butte North (The Wave), and Coyote Butte South. You will need to get a separate permit to hike these.

One quick tip: you can't get the Wave permit on the same day. You must do it months ahead, and you may need to keep applying because they only release a certain amount at once.

I also recommend driving a four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicle to the trailhead. The road that accesses the permit area is unpaved and minimally maintained. Most of the time, reaching the trailhead in a two-wheel drive is possible, but I felt better in my four-wheel drive. Also, there is no cell service.

When I hiked this, I didn't do the entire 11.2 miles; I did almost 7 miles round trip. The hike lets you pick your own adventure and stop whenever you want!

When I hiked, I saw people carrying just one bottle of water, which didn't seem enough to me. I filled my day bag with water, snacks, and an extra battery charger. Your battery will drain here, especially if you take many photos and videos. Bring a day bag!

Sand Cave

I was super excited to explore these caves because of their history. These man-made sand caves were carved out when they began mining for sand in the area, and the mining process was short-lived.

Now we have these spectacular caves to explore! The caves can be seen from HWY 89 and are about 5 miles north of Kanab.

Be mindful of a couple of things associated with this hike.

The trail is poorly marked, and finding the right spot to climb up the rocks is hard. I parked my car in the lot next to the Best Friends' Sanctuary sign and hiked up to the cave. That is about 1.4 miles roundtrip. From where I parked, you hike through the sand and brush for a while before seeing groups of people.

Instead, I suggest parking across the street where you can see the caves. It will give you good views of where to scramble up rocks and see other people do it.

You could also park at Moqui Cave and hike from there. Moqui Cave is a museum that costs $5 for adults and has free parking with plenty of space for a bus or RV. I went here first to ask how to get to the Sand Cave. I did not enter this cave, but it looked cool and had a gift shop.

When hiking the Sand Cave, ensure your shoes have good traction. It was a slick scramble to get up to the cave.

Another thing you want to make sure you have is a flashlight or headlamp. A phone will not cut it if you want to explore the back of the cave because it is entirely dark. I sadly left my headlamp in my car, but a lovely gentleman let me borrow his flashlight.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

This park is for you if you love the idea of 1,200 acres of sand dunes, perfect for hiking, sledding, off-roading, camping, rappelling, and rock climbing!

After hanging out at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, I went down Hancock Road, and left on Coral Pink Sand Dunes Road. I'm sharing this with you because if you follow the road down, you can pull into a parking lot to your left and hike around on the dunes if you don't want to pay the $ 10-day-use fee.

I hiked around here for a bit and wanted to hike more, but the wind was terrible. So I went to the main entrance to hike more and possibly rent a sled, but by the time I got to the main entrance, the sleds were all rented for the day, and the wind was still terrible, so I left.

Another tip I HIGHLY recommend is to bring baby powder anytime you play in the sand. It's the easiest and fastest way to get sand off you. I love this trick when I go to the beach or play in the desert.

Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon

Be sure to avoid making the same mistake as me. I drove here thinking I could hike 0.7 miles round trip to explore another famous slot canyon. But when I got to the parking lot, signs said you needed a high-clearance vehicle, and my rental was a Highlander.

I didn't trust it. Every vehicle in that parking lot was either an ATV or UTV. So if you want to explore this area, book a tour or have a high-clearance ATV or UTV.

Other Things to Do

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

If you love animals and volunteering, this place is for you and is super close to the Sand Caves. After my hike at the Sand Caves, I decided to check it out, and I learned that they could home up to 1,600 dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, horses, pigs, and other animals. This is the largest sanctuary of its kind in the U.S., a model for the future of animal welfare.

Sadly, when I came, they didn't have any more tours for the day, but I was able to hang out with this sweet dog waiting to be adopted and with the cats in the cat room. They did say I could do a self-guided tour by driving around to the different areas on the property and mentioned I might enjoy a hike or head to the Angel Village Café.

Angel Village Café

I elected to take their recommendation to catch a late lunch at Angel Village Café. Lunch cost me $5, and the café had epic views. If you are a vegan, this is an excellent place since everything is a plant-based buffet lunch.

Kanab, Utah, is filled with fantastic places to hike, camp, or tour, and it’s worth visiting if you get a chance. Follow my tips to have an experience that’s even better than mine on your next solo trip to Utah, and always remember to leave no trace.