Bunting Trail in Kanab, Utah is a beautiful hike close to the main town of Kanab. It offers beautiful views of the town below and the red rock mesas. There is even a short detour to see dinosaur tracks!
Trail Distance: 4.7 miles
Elevation Gain: ~1400 ft.
Terrain Rating: Medium
Hike Time: 2 – 2.5 hours
Dog Friendly: Yes but some steep, loose rock sections
Recommended Seasons: All
Trailhead: Bunting Trailhead near the town of Kanab here
Kanab, Utah is an outdoor paradise. With close access to Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, and the Grand Canyon it’s easy to see why travelers come stay in Kanab year after year. I’ve been coming to Kanab for a couple years now (check out my winter hiking guide in Kanab) but only recently started doing more hikes directly near town like the Bunting Trail in Kanab, and I’m so glad I did!
BUNTING TRAIL (KANAB, UTAH)
The Bunting Trail is a medium level of difficulty trail near Kanab Utah. It is one of the more popular hikes directly in the town of Kanab because it offers amazing, sweeping views of the surrounding area. There is also a detour to see dinosaur tracks, so lots of families with kids will do this section of the trail only and then turn around (2.5 miles total, flat).
The hike is dog friendly in that dogs are allowed, but it’s important to note that climbing up to the top of the mesa can be a little narrow and rocky so dogs should be careful!
The hike starts off fairly flat and continues down for a little over a mile. Once you reach the 1 mile mark, you will see turn off for the dinosaur tracks!! Fair warning to temper expectations – these are dinosaur tracks and not a massive dinosaur print from Jurassic Park 🙂 But it’s still really cool to see! Make a left here and keep going until you reach the sign for the tracks. It took us a minute to find, but the tracks are on the rock. You may need to step on a smaller rock to get at eye level.
After the dinosaur tracks, the trail starts to become more steep and narrow. You’ll have to weave around rocks and do a little bit of scrambling and route findings. I highly recommend downloading an offline map / Alltrails to keep track of the trail! It’s not uncommon for folks to lose the trail up here.
Once you are almost at the top of the Bunting Trail, you’ll have a great view of the mesa rock around you. At a total of 2.8 miles in, I actually think this is the best view. The very top of the trail has a few trees that blocks most of the view, but if you weave around them with some patience you can definitely find some good views as well.
Once you reach the top, turn around and head back down the Bunting Trail to get back to your car.
What to pack for the Bunting Trail
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The route down can be a little rocky and tricky and I really recommend wearing shoes with a good grip or hiking with poles if you are less confident hiking on loose rock.
There is also not much shade so if you are hiking in hot weather like over the summer, highly recommend sun protection and definitely bring enough water. On a cold day, 1.5L of water is enough for me but that could easily double to 3L on a hot day.
Here is the full list of recommended gear:
- Osprey 36L Sirrus Pack and rain cover or Topo Designs Mountain Pack (similar here)
- Leki Corklite Trekking Poles (optional but good if you have bad knees for descending down elevation)
- Hoka One One shoes: Those who follow me know that I ditched my hiking boots a couple of years ago. Shoes are very personal and you should definitely wear what is best for you, but I love having a lighter shoe with cushion on the bottom so my feet don’t hurt. Hoka One Ones are perfect!
- MSR Dromlite 2L: my favorite drom bag, have had it over 8 years and it’s holding up great
- Icebreaker Merino mid-layer: a great mid-layer when it gets windy/cold in the fall and winter!
- Smartwool Short Sleeve Tshirt: great t-shirt for when it’s hot. Helps wick away sweat
- Nike Running Shorts: The hiking world has always pushed for expensive, hiking-specific pants but 90% of the time if I’m not walking through bush, scrambling rocks, or worried about poison oak I’ll wear Nike running shorts. Mine have held up for over 10 years!
- Level Foods Protein Bar: The healthiest and best protein bars in the market! Bonus – they also taste GREAT.
Would love to go here one day!
[…] Check out my winter itinerary in Kanab or my guide to the Bunting Trail […]
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