Kanab is one of my favorite towns to base a hiking trip out of. It’s close to Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, and many other underrated areas. If you’re lucky in the winter, snow will dust the orange rock and make for spectacular views!
If you’re going to Southern Utah in the winter, don’t forget to pack warm clothes. It gets really cold at night, even down to 15 degrees. It’s a bit chilly during the day too. My Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket is my go-to, as well as an Icebreaker Merino mid-layer and a Warm Winter Legging.
Coral Sand Dunes State Park
First on your list should be Coral Sand Dunes State Park. In the summer, it tends to be overrun with ATVs and other visitors. But in the winter, this place is heaven. When we went on a December night for sunset, we only saw 2 other groups there.
There are no trails here – simply find a spot in the sand and head up there. As a reminder, the best time to go is at sunset! Coral Sand Dunes is dog friendly so you can bring your pup along. Just make sure he/she is under control and remember to pick up any poop/trash. We had so much fun running up and down the sand dunes.
Kodachrome State Park
Kodachrome State Park is another dog friendly spot near Kanab. The rock formations are crazy here and look like they have a filter or ombre on them. It’s really unique to other places I have seen before and I can’t believe it isn’t more popular!
The park itself isn’t very large so you can allocate 3-4 hours here. I would recommend hiking both the Panorama Trail which is anywhere from 3-6 miles and the Angel’s Palace Trail (1.5 miles) which gives a great panoramic view of the surrounding hoodoos.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon is an amazing park, mostly for its incredible hoodoos. I visited a few summers ago (see my summer trip report for Bryce Canyon here). I was really excited to visit in the winter because I had seen photos of how beautiful the park is when there is snow. Luckily the Rim Trail is dog-friendly! It is a paved trail with views of all the amazing hoodoos. It is not very long, but it’s a good stop by to do some sightseeing with your pup.
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