Dark Sky RV Park

Kanab, Utah Advenure
October 21st – October 28th, 2026 (7 nights)

When we got the message from our cousin Suzanne that she wanted to plan a trip together, we were excited.  She had Kanab, Utah on her radar which is about halfway between our homes in Carlsbad, California and Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  The particular attractions in the Kanab area (which is about thirty minutes from Zion National Park) are geological —  which include fantastic red rock cliffs, caves, slots canyons, houthis, and great hiking.  We jointly put together a list of things we wanted to see and made reservations.  Our cousin Suzanne and her husband Craig and dog Penny would be staying at an AirBnB in town.  We chose a luxury RV resort in town for the first few nights and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park for the remaining three nights of the trip.

The Wave, a wonderland of trails through a kaleioscope of multi hued red and earth toned canyons, was at the top of Suzanne’s wish list.  However, since we didn’t enter the lottery 6 months out, Suzanne tried daily in the two day lottery.  The odds are extremely low as it’s very popular.  And if it rains, the roads are inaccessible and dangerous (the host at the Visitor Center told us the cost to get towed out of the mud there is up to $2,000).  It rained most nights during our stay, but Suzanne still tried the lottery.  Although we didn’t get a ticket to The Wave, there were plenty of other amazing attractions to make our six day stay fun and worthwhile.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Campground (near Las Vegas)
Because it’s over an eight hour direct drive from Carlsbad to Kanab, we broke up the trip by spending a night at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in the Las Vegas Area.  The campground is set up against a back drop of dramatic red rock cliffs.  We had campsite #21 ($25/night) which is a nice site well spaced out from the sites next to it.  There is sporadic Verizon service in the campground as well as water spigots.  There are hiking trails near the campground.  Since we were only there overnight, we chose to stop by the Visitor’s Center ($2 mandatory) the next morning (very impressive center which features a giant dramatic long viewing window that frames the spectacular red rock formations).  After touring the Visitor’s Center, we took the Scenic Drive (free with America the Beautiful Pass or $20) which gives spectactular views from various vantage points of the red rock formations (takes about 40 minutes).

Dark Sky RV Park, Kanab, Utah
We spent our first three nights in Kanab close to town.  We chose Dark Sky RV Park because it is situated on 40 acres of natural habitat and feels like being in a park.  The Luxury Camp area of Dark Sky is the most private and has secluded patios with stunning views of the desert and red rock cliffs.  Only smaller RVs are allowed in this section of the park, which offers electric hookups.  There’s a central dump and potable water fill station at the entrance which is included in the nighly rate (our stay was around $77/night including taxes).  Fast Wifi is also included.  We had Site F which is very private and a short walk to the hospitality store (lots of goodies, including farm fresh eggs for $6/dozen, are available at very reasonable prices).  Outside lights are prohibited at night so the dark night sky and stars can be appreciated.  We met one guest at the welcome dinner (incuded in our stay — usually happening once per week) who comes every year to take deep space images with her astrophotography equipment.  The park owners are very generous and even invited our cousin Suzanne and her husband Craig to join us at the dinner even though they weren’t guests at the park.

The sky opened up toward the end of the welcome dinner and it really poured.  There was loud thunder and brilliant lightning.  Fortunately, the next morning welcomed a beautiful partly cloudy sky.  But, any activity aligned with the area’s deep red clay would be bogged down in mud.  So, we walked around downtown Kanab on our first morning checking out some of the shops.  We happened upon a gift shop and had an interesting conversation with a shop keeper whose great great great grandfather, Jacob Hamblin (nicknamed the “Buckskin Apostle”), was sent by the Mormon church in Salt Lake City down to Kanab in the 1800’s to help make peace with the Indians.  He’s a Utah legend and there’s a park in his name in the town center.  After wandering downtown Kanab, we took the shopkeepers suggestion and headed towards the Kanab Sand (Moqui) Caves.  The shopkeeper told us she used to dance in the caves as a child (some 60 years ago).  The caves are close to town and the hike to the caves is easy and short (about a mile).  However, climbing the slippery rock walls to get up to the caves was challenging and could be dangerous.  The caves themselves aren’t too deep but fun to walk through.

After exploring the caves, we went to the Brown Box for lunch.  This yummy and inexpensive eatery specializes in all types of grilled cheese sandwhiches and soups.  Highly recommended.

On our second day in Kanab, we hiked the Mansard Trail, a 5.2 mil round trip climb high up the slopes of a dramatic red rock mountain.  There are petroglyphs at the end of the trail.  There’s one section of the trail which is a vertical rock wall with natural stone hand holds.  The wall is about 20 feet high and requires concentration.  Craig had to boost Penny up from the bottom of the wall while Suzanne had to lift her from the top.  It was a bit unsettling to watch, but everything worked out ok (both climbing up and down).  To celebrate our climbing success, we had a great lunch at Peekaboo Canyon Wood Fired Kichen (great pizza and vegetarian burgers) followed by a special ice-cream treat at Kanab Drug & Soda Fountain. The sky opened up again at night with loud thunder and bright lightning.

Because there was heavy rain the night before, we chose to walk the paved Jackson Flat Resevoir Loop (about 4 mile loop).  It’s a beautiful estuary with all kinds of birds (including pelicans, herons, egrets, bald eagles, Canadian geese, ….).  Tall red rock mountains frame the resevoir in the distance, creating a beautiful backdrop in which to walk.  Other activities here include biking, kayaking, paddle boardring, and fishing.  We had lunch with Suzanne and Craig at Rocking V Cafe (great salads, chicken dishes, and burgers) before heading out toward Coral Pink San Dunes State Park.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
The drive from Kanab to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is only about thirty minutes.  This state park is known for its bright pink sand dunes on which visitors hike, sand board & sled, and ride dune buggies.  The Visitor Center rents both sand boards and sleds ($25 at the time of our visit).  There’s also an adventure company at the park which gives dune buggy tours and offers repelling classes.

Campsites are divided between hookup sites (at the entrance, water/electric $45/night) and pull through dry sites farther back ($25/night).  The dry sites are much more private and spaced out.  There’s no mobile phone service here, but the Visitors Center offers free guest WiFi.  We had campsite C008 (a nice private site with a water spigot right next to it) and the walk to the Visitors Center is only about ten minutes.  We went to the Visitors Center daily to use the WiFi and avoided subscribing to Starllink on this trip.  There’s also a free central dump for campsites without hookups.

The main highlights of this campground are the pink sand dunes.  They get their striking pink color from the iron oxide in the sand.  To access the dunes by foot, walk over to the day use parking lot and follow the path up to the viewing tower.  After getting a great panoramic overview of the dunes, walk down onto the sand and out onto the dunes.  Climbing the dunes can be strenuous but is a lot of fun.  We were going to rent a sand sled, but met a family who were done sledding and gave us the one they found at the entrance.  We spent a couple of hours trudging up the dunes and then sledding down.  We attached Penny’s leash to the sled and she pulled the empty sled up to the top of the sand dune after each ride!

Red Canyon (Peekaboo Kanab) Slot
On our last day in the Kanab area, we decided to hike Peekaboo Kanab, a slot canyon.  It wasn’t safe earlier in our visit to hike any of the dramatic slot canyons because of the risk of flash floods due to recent rains.  The weather was perfect on the day of our hike, so there was little risk.  There’s a staging area at the entrance of the off road drive to Peekaboo Slot Canyon where people park and wait for their friends.  At the staging area, there are warning signs stating it is dangerous to hike in (9 mile round trip) due to difficult terrain and heat in the summer months and recomending to make the drive through the deep sand using a high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicle.  It’s also noted that AWD vehicles are not rated for the trip.  Fortunately, Suzanne and Craig have a 4WD vehicle and drove us to the entrance of the slot canyon.  Peekaboo Slot is very dramatic featuring high narrow canyon walls with beautiful earth tone colors.  The hike itself is fairly easy, only about one mile round trip taking about 30 minutes to an hour.  There are a couple of sections where the walls get very close and one area where a ladder is needed where the ground jumps levels.  Slot canyon hikes are incredible, but always check the weather before going to make sure there haven’t been any recent rains that could impact the safety of the hike.

Final Thoughts
Southern Utah is a beautiful place featuring inspiring rock formations and slot canyons.  The iron oxides in the sand make the cliffs here red and pink and the colors especially pop during sunrise and sunset.  Kanab is just one of many great locations in the region worth visiting.  Zion National Park is close by as are other great adventure locations.  Check out our trip reports for Zion National Park and the other national parks in Utah.  And, travelling with friends and family makes any trip even better, such as this trip with our cousin Suzanne and her husband Craig and dog Penny.  Some trips are memorable because of where you go — but the very best ones become unforgettable because of who you go with.

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