Roadtrip 2022 Blog Post 4: Utah - Kanab and Zion

Day 9, april 10th - Dinosaurs & kanab

After four days in the same spot, we were ready to see some new sights! We drove towards our next destination - Kanab, Utah. First we made a little stop at the Big Water Visitor center, 15 minutes past the border, to learn about some the local dinosaur history.

*Jun realizing that we’re at a PRETTY COOL PLACE!*

*Different triceratop-esque dinosaurs that were found around here at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.*

Since 2005, there have been 14 new dinosaur species were discovered here at the monument, making it one of the most productive places to find new dinosaur species in North America.

Looking out amongst the rocky cliffs of Utah, it’s hard not to imagine what other kinds of dinosaur specimens are just hidden in the rocks, waiting to be discovered.

We picked up a triceratops-esque toy for Jun, and jumped back in the car to continued on our drive to Kanab.

KANAB

We pulled into Kanab around 6pm. It was a smaller town than Page, nestled amongst red cliffs. The first place we visited was a mom-and-pop establishment that was half coffeeshop and half miniature-REI with outdoor gear, we ordered some tasty coffee before departing to the nearest town park.

The park was empty, but Jun had the time of his life climbing over the playground equipment, and sprinting around the skate park next-door. We were already having a great time in Kanab, the energy had a more “small town with personality” feel. It was more friendly and inviting than the desolate town of Page.

After we left the park, we checked into our hotel for the night. We’d gotten a good price for a nice victorian hotel in town, it was fancier than we were used to and we were excited to stay.

After putting Jun down for his nap at the hotel, Heiny and I decided to take a little drive up the highway to explore more of the area.

Just 20 minutes of driving yielded incredible scenery. We drove through red canyons, past giant caves, flowing rivers, and pine forests. The Utah landscape seemed to have more form and interesting geography, compared to the flat open deserts we drove through in Arizona. We were beyond excited to be in new territory.

As the sun lowered in the sky, we knew it was time for dinner. I did my usual research, scouring through google maps and yelp, and making phone calls. It turned out that every restaurant was either closed or had a crazy wait. We found this was actually the case during our entire stay. Kanab was the first town I’d ever stayed in that just didn’t seem to have enough restaurants to meet demand. The mom-and-pop restaurants all had a 1.5-2 hour wait time (apparently all locals made reservations in advance) leaving fast-food as the only option.

We reluctantly settled on a nearby Dominoes, which still ended up being a 45 minute wait. We had our pizza back at the hotel (Jun is never disappointed with pizza) and went to sleep for the night.

Day 10 - april 11th - Zion national park

Today would take a day-trip to explore Zion National Park, conveniently, the east entrance was just 30 minutes from Kanab.

Heiny and I had previously visited Zion five years before, the park has held a special place in our heart since then. Back then we did the Angel’s Landing hike, which ended up being one of our all time favorite hikes. This time around we would skip Angel’s Landing however (it felt a bit too dangerous for a two-year old, plus they implemented a new permit system for the hike).

Our goal for this visit was to explore some new kid-friendly areas.

The east entrance was a great way to start the visit, we had never been on this side before, and it was gorgeous. Towering cliffs of all shapes and sizes made us feel small. The east side was less crowded than the rest of the park. We later discovered that it was really the only area we were allowed to drive through (the central/northern side of the park - the busiest areas - were all “shuttle only”). I would later regret not taking more time to stop and explore here, given the convenience of the car.

*The eastern side of Zion National Park - amazing scenery and less crowded here*

It was hard driving through Zion without staring up at the impossible landscapes with your jaw hanging wide open. Up until this point, Zion was one of our favorite National Parks.

As we got closer to the main entrance to the park, we realized the biggest issue with Zion was going to be the crowds. All the main parking lots near the visitor center were completely full, signs directed visitors to park far outside of the park and shuttle in. We hoped that visiting on a Monday would have helped with the crowds, but it didn’t make difference, April through September is Zion’s peak season.

The main entrance had been renovated since our last visit. Instead of two-lane road and one toll booth, stood a five-lane road with four different toll booths and a structure above them to protect them from the elements. It was a reminder that time doesn’t stand still.

We were all starving for lunch at this point. We spent a good 40 minutes circling around different parking lots before we got “creative” with our parking in order to cook lunch at a nearby picnic area.

Betty cooked on our propane stove while Jun and I kicked his soccer ball around in the grass. It was nice to finally be out of the car and breathing in the fresh air. After a satisfying meal amongst the scenery, we started our walk towards the visitor center to catch the shuttle deeper into the park.

We ended up taking the shuttle to the Emerald Pools Trail, it was a shorter hike with great views of the water and the canyon. There was some elevation gain, but nothing too terrible. The wind did pickup during the middle of the hike, which made it a bit difficult with Jun. At some point it was blowing water into our face from the pools. Jun’s favorite part of the hike was when a horseback riding tour went by, there were dozens of horses crossing the stream. We stopped to watch every one go by.

There’s one section of the hike where we walked under a waterfall, it was quite the adventure.

Once we were done with the hike, we were tired and ready to head back to Kanab. Driving back through the east side of the park we discovered a huge group of bighorn sheep by the road - another exciting wildlife photography opportunity!

We pulled over, I grabbed my camera and ran down the hill to where they were, crossing the road. All the females and the babies crossed the road first, while a big group of males laid in the grass on the other side of the road.

I spent a long time watching and photographing them. As much as I love wildlife photography, a large part of what I enjoy is actually just spending hours watching the wildlife. Here are animals that are living as nature intended - no bills to pay, no stores to shop at, no job obligations. These bighorn sheep were just spending their time wandering along the rocks, eating plants, and resting. After any wildlife encounter, I’m always reminded that us humans share many similarities with these animals.

We could all benefit from living life simpler, slower, and just living in the present. It’s a lesson that’s surprisingly easy to forget in this modern age.

That evening we spent in Kanab, washing our first load of laundry at the local laundromat, and waiting the 1.5 hours for dinner at a local diner (which had delicious pie).

Day 11, april 12th - Sand caves & Hurricane

After our adventurous day in Zion, we were ready for a slower day. We started the morning out by exploring the sand caves just outside Kanab, a place we’d seen earlier from the highway, and didn't want to miss.