A Pioneer Paradise

Spectacular beauty and Old West heritage makes Kanab, Utah, a perfect Western getaway.

- Leo W. Banks

When pioneers settled on Kanab Creek in the late 1850s, they faced hostile Navajo, Paiute and Hopi Indians. Several attempts at settlement ended in bloodshed before Mormon missionary and frontiersman Jacob Hamblin brokered peace with the tribes.

Some believe the so-called Buckskin Apostle spent more time with warring natives than Daniel Boone or Kit Carson.

The area Hamblin helped tame is now a town of 4,500 set against the beautiful sandstone canyons of southern Utah. Kanab takes its name from the Paiute word meaning “place of the willows.”

Counting those who stay in town and pass-throughs, Kanab attracts 3.5 million tourists a year, especially outdoor-lovers. The following attractions are all located within 80 miles: Zion National Park, Rim, Lake Powell and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

But the most popular might be 70 miles away at Coyote Buttes Permit Area, specifically an area called the Wave, known for its wild colors and incredible rock formations. For those who can’t secure a BLM visitor permit—only 20 are issued a day— Bob Riding, a host at the Kane County Visitors Center, recommends a second site in the same area.