National Parks Zone
Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
The Vermillion Cliffs National Monument is an untamed desert wilderness of red rock canyons, arches, sandstone buttes, slickrock, and dinosaur tracks.
Utah-
2016, 2017
About The National Monument
Being partial to the southwest, particularly the red rock canyon country of southern Utah and northern Arizona, these are three of the most amazing places I have visited. They are not easy to get to but worth the effort.
If you do get to them you'll see some of the most amazing scenery. A land of red rock and slick rock, of buttes and mesas, dinosaur tracks and sandstone sculpted by wind and water into bizarre formations. Rock formations that look like they were churned before they solidified; others containing countless thin layers laid down over the eons.
The town of Kanab Utah, situated just a couple of miles north of the Arizona border, is kind of a hub for three terrific national parks. To the south there is the Grand Canyon North Rim which is about a two-
Kanab is an up-
Lodging And Dining
There is no lodging in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. It is a designated wilderness area and, as such, there are no marked trails nor lodging.
Canyons Boutique Hotel
Since I was in Kanab to hike to The Wave, we elected to stay six days at the Canyons Boutique Hotel (formerly the Victorian Inn). It is a fine establishement with a limited number of rooms and tapas style dining. From our base in Kanab we visited Zion twice and Bryce once and toured some local canyons on another day and hiked to The Wave on our designated-
There are lots of other lodging options in Kanab with the usual nation-
Rocking V Cafe
The Rocking V Cafe Restaurant and Art Gallery is the best restaurant in town and the gallery has some great pictures and paintings of scenes from the surrounding attractions. The owner, Victor, is a fun guy and a great host.
Coyote Buttes South and White Pocket
Coyote Buttes North - The Wave - 2016
Coyote Buttes North - The Wave - 2017
Other Points of Interest
About 10 miles north of Kanab is Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. There’s also Kanab Canyon, Johnson Canyon, ghost towns and old movie sets (Gunsmoke’s is in Johnson Canyon). Down the road there is the Toadstools which is a nice and interesting short hike off US 89. There is also a relatively short back country drive (5 miles) down to the Paria townsite which is an old Mormon settlement. There isn’t much left there but the drive is very scenic. For the ambitious there is the Toroweap overlook which is the highest vertical drop into the Grand Canyon -
Other Resources
Kanab, Utah official site
Vermillion Cliffs -
Zion National Park -
Bryce Canyon National Park -
Grand Canyon National Park -
Grand Canyon National Park -
Toroweap -
These are potentially useful numbers to have in your cell phone.
Kane County (UT) Search and Rescue -
Coconino County (AZ) Search and Rescue -
Kane County Sheriff -
You probably won’t have service in the back country but you never know and, if you have to leave someone behind and get to cell phone service, the sooner you can contact help the better.
Other National Parks and National Monuments Within a Day’s Drive:
The distances below are from Kanab, Utah which is the main place where lodging can be found in the Vermillion Cliffs area
Zion Canyon National Park is on the short list of America’s most beautiful national parks and is about 45 miles to the northwest and about a 1 hour drive.
Grand Canyon National Park -
Bryce Canyon National Park famous for its hoodoo’s is 98 miles to the northeast and about a 2 hour drive.
Cedar Breaks National Monument is often called a mini-
Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona is a famous and much photographed slot canyon sculpted by wind and water. It is 75 miles east and about a 1.5 hour drive.
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Updated 02/11/23 7:04 PM