In 2021 we did a 2 week trip to the Mighty Five and the 2nd week of our trip stayed in Kanab as our home base. We left Torrey, where Capital Reef is located, and drove down a scenic Byway that passed Bryce and stopped here on our way to Kanab. We loved Bryce! We hiked the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail and then drove and stopped at other scenic pullouts. This park really deserved more time than we gave it, but we only spent a day here.
While in Kanab we went to Zion 3 different days, to the Grand Canyon North Rim one day, and drove to Page, Arizona one morning to kayak at Lake Powell and then went to check out Horseshoe Bend. When we were there the Navajo land was still closed due to COVID, so the only way we could see some of Antelope Canyon was to do the kayak tour that took us to a 1 mile section of Antelope canyon that is not on Navajo land - we were able to park the kayaks and hike into Antelope Canyon for that mile and then back out. We chose to do the earliest kayak tour and were so glad that we did. Heading out to where you park the kayaks to see Antelope Canyon was so peaceful and the water was smooth as glass. Coming back there were more people on the water so the water wasn’t as smooth making it not as easy to paddle. (I saw on another post you have that someone recommended the Secret Canyon and Horseshoe Bend tour to see Antelope canyon and Horseshoe Bend. We had originally planned to do that tour, but due to COVID, it was not running).
The Grand Canyon north rim is an easy 1.5 hour drive from Kanab. We loved the North Rim! It was beautiful. My favorite article with tips about the North Rim was
Picturesandwordsblog.com - Things to do at Grand Canyon North Rim. I debated doing a mule ride while there, but my sister is very afraid of heights so she wouldn’t have enjoyed being at a drop off on a mule - ha. If you drive here from Kanab, when you turn off 89A onto 67, stop at the Inn on your right - they have yummy cookies there (our kayak tour guide recommended us stopping there) and good priced souvenirs. I did read to not drive these roads at night due to the chance of cows being on the road, so we made sure we got back to Kanab before dark.
The closest Zion entrance to Kanab is the East entrance - about 30 minutes from Kanab). When you enter there you go down a gorgeous drive - Mount Carmel Hwy- that will take you down to the visitor’s center. There are beautiful scenic pullouts along this drive and an easy 1 mile hike called Canyon Overlook Trail that takes you to a gorgeous view with little effort. If you like to hike I liked this article about Zion’s hikes:
Picturesandwordsblog.com - The Best Hikes in Zion. One day we hiked the Narrows, which was awesome, and another day rented bikes and put them on the shuttle to go up the scenic road that is only open to shuttles and bikes during heavy tourist season, and then rode the bikes back down and stopped at stops along the way. It was an easy beautiful ride! We needed shuttle passes when we went. Not sure if that is still required. It was stressful getting them - I literally had just a few minutes on the day I could get them for our trip, and had 2 people at work helping me get the times I wanted for the 3 different days we would be there. They ended up being a blessing, and worth the effort, because right after we left it was Memorial Day weekend and they stopped requiring shuttle passes and I heard people were having to wait up to 5 hours to catch a shuttle. Definitely research and see if you need any passes or timed entries for the parks you plan to visit.
Well, after all that - ha, I just wanted you to know that we really enjoyed the North Rim and thought it was beautiful!
