A small town of less than 4,000 people, Kanab, Utah, is a popular tourist destination because of its rugged and natural beauty. Just seven miles from the Arizona border, Kanab is near nine national and state parks. The city has been used for decades as a backdrop for movies and television shows. Vacations in Kanab, Utah, can include outdoor wonders such as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument as well as local history and points of interest.
Visitors to Kanab can choose to stay in hotels, motels, inns, lodges or bed and breakfasts. They also have the option of renting vacation homes and cottages or bringing their own accommodations to one of Kanab's RV parks. Some accommodations include breakfast but do not have on-site restaurants. There are about two dozen restaurants in Kanab, serving American, Italian, Mexican, barbecue and other foods.
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument includes nearly 2 million acres of cliffs, canyons, plateaus and a natural staircase. A visitor center, just outside the monument, is located in Kanab. Also in Kanab is Hog Canyon Trail System. About 22 miles outside of town is Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and the Pipe Spring National Monument is about 23 miles away across the border in Arizona. Visitors can enjoy these attractions alone or take a guided tour. Several companies offer aerial and driving tours as well as walking, hiking, biking and camping tours.
Kanab's Heritage House and the Kanab Heritage Museum are filled with town history. Moqui Cave is a museum of natural history located inside a 200 foot sandstone cave. The museum portrays life of the ancient Anasazi Indians, and visitors also will see fossils and dinosaur tracks.
Kanab is also known as Little Hollywood because of the more than 100 movies and television shows filmed in town as far back as the 1940s. Visitors can see movie sets and locations where The Outlaw Josie Wales, How the West Was Won, Gunsmoke, The Lone Ranger and other movies and shows were made.
