The Kanab sand caves are five minutes off Highway 89, take about 20 minutes to reach, and look like something that should require a permit and a guide. They require neither.
They also involve a slickrock scramble that a lot of blogs quietly skip past, so let’s start there.
The scramble is the whole difficulty
The trail is short, roughly a quarter mile from the pullout. Almost all of that is flat. Then you hit a sloped slab of sandstone at the end that you have to walk up at an angle, with nothing but friction holding you on.
It’s not technical. It is genuinely uncomfortable if you don’t like exposure, and it’s worse coming down than going up. Steph went up fine and then sat at the top for a minute working out the descent.
Wear shoes with actual grip. Trail runners or approach shoes are perfect. Flip flops, and we watched someone try, are how you slide.
If it’s wet, skip it. Wet sandstone is a completely different surface.
What’s actually up there
Three connected chambers carved out by sand mining, not by nature. The straight walls and tool marks give it away once you’re inside. That doesn’t make it less impressive, and the way light comes through the openings in the late afternoon is the reason people photograph it.
It’s cool inside, maybe 15 degrees cooler than the parking area in summer.
You’ll be sharing it. This place went from local secret to Instagram destination fast, and on a summer weekend there can be 30 people cycling through.
Getting there
Park at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary overlook pullout on Highway 89, about 5 miles north of Kanab. There’s a small dirt lot on the east side. It holds maybe 15 cars and there’s no fee, no gate, no ranger.
Cell service is spotty at the pullout, so pull the directions up before you leave town.
The UTV part
Kanab is surrounded by BLM land, and renting a UTV is how most people see it. Half day rentals run about $250 to $350 depending on the machine and season.
Peekaboo slot canyon is the popular run, and you need either a UTV with real clearance or a guided tour to get in. The sand on the approach road is deep and soft, and a stock rental sedan will bury itself.
Book ahead in spring and fall. In July, walk-ins are usually fine, because nobody wants to be out there in July.
Costs and timing
- Sand caves: free, about 45 minutes total including the scramble
- UTV half day rental: $250 to $350
- Guided Peekaboo tour: around $100 to $150 per person
- Best time: April, May, September, October
Would we do it again
The caves, yes, but early morning next time. We went at 4pm and the light was great and the crowd was not. The UTV day was the actual highlight, and we’d give that a full day instead of half.
