Kanab & Zion National Park holidays

Make your base among the gallery and restaurant-filled streets of Kanab. When you stay here, you can combine active days in Zion National Park with laidback nights, spent sampling local delicacies, watching shows at the historic RedStone Theater, or attending a vibrant Chuckwagon Cookout.

Take a boat or kayak onto Lake Powell, and discover the engineering marvel of Glen Canyon Dam.

Explore the wilderness on horseback, go canyoning or climbing, and camp out under the unspoiled stars among the many trails of Zion National Park. Take the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive along the canyon floor as the cliffs rise high on each side. Or why not drive the mountainside Zion-Mount Carmel Highway? You’ll get a new perspective when you pass through the one-mile tunnel from the south of the park to the east.

Enter the daily lottery for a sought-after ticket to The Wave and Coyote Buttes, where you can snap photos that fill your friends with envy. These colourful rock formations are the most famous sight in Kanab – but there’s plenty more to see.

Wander through Buckskin Gulch, the deepest slot canyon in the southeast. Ride Coral Pink Sand Dunes by dune buggy, dirt bike, or sand-board. See 1,000-year-old artefacts at Red Pueblo Museum and Heritage Park, or step into dinosaur footprints at Moqui Cave.

You can see real movie sets at Little Hollywood Museum. Uncover art inspired by the region’s stunning landscapes at the galleries of Walt Thirion, Raven’s Heart, The Rafters, and Maynard Dixon Legacy Museum. Learn about the city’s native people and early settlers at Kanab Heritage House and Museum. And discover how two cultures learned to co-exist at Pipe Spring National Monument.

With two scenic drives and a hop-on hop-off shuttle, Zion is one of the easiest national parks in America to explore. But the short, simple hiking trails offer the best way to immerse yourself in this incredible landscape.

You can walk just one mile around Canyon Overlook Trail to enjoy spectacular views over the valley below. Take the two-mile Riverside Walk past hanging gardens, waterside spurs, and seasonal waterfalls along the Virgin River.

Witness the dripping stone overhang and its cliff-side flora, as you travel the four-mile Weeping Rock trail – you’ll be able to truly appreciate the canyon’s vastness from the rock base. Looking for more of a challenge? Travel the narrow ridge to Angels Landing and a breath-taking lookout over Zion Canyon, or follow the river through the huge slot canyon of The Narrows.

Both the city of Kanab and Zion National Park can be visited all year round. But some attractions and facilities operate seasonably between May and September.

Late summer and autumn traditionally offer the best weather for hikers, as temperatures hover between 15°C and 20°C and lower rainfall leaves the trails dry and accessible. July temperatures can soar to 30°C on extreme occasions, but most days remain cooler – so there’s rarely a bad time for outdoor activities during this period.

Winter is quieter in Kanab and Zion National Park. The park’s shuttle services take a break, but you can still explore independently. Just be sure to pack suitable clothing for staying comfortable and safe during the colder days, as snowfall is not unheard of.