My objective in these suggestions is to help make sure you hit the main tourist attractions, but then also spend time in the lesser known spots where you can have more serenity to enjoy the beauty of the desert. You’ll notice there is a bit of drive time for everything, but for the most part I think you will be blown away by the scenery you are driving through. The order of the days is not important, so you could mix it up however you wanted:

Adventures in the desert are inherently risky. The suggestions below may not be appropriate for your group depending on the ages, experience level, and health condition of your party. Select activities that are safe for your group.

Day one:

• Touristy Zion’s day. Start at the West visitor center (1 hr from Kanab) catch the shuttle to hit the main spots recommended by the park rangers.

• I recommend doing as much of the Narrows trail as you can. It transitions to a hike through the river which may be a little much for some in your group.

• Emerald Pools is a pretty one.

• Same with the Grotto.

• Hiking up the portion of the Angel’s Landing trail that does not require a permit is also spectacular. Permits for the rest are hard to get and that part of the trail is extreme (3 ft wide in parts with 1000 ft drop on both sides).

Day Two:

• Serene day in Zions.

• Observation Point via East Mesa Trail (40 min from Kanab) gives you all the grandeur of the full Angel’s Landing trail without the crowds or the terrifying trail pinned on top of two cliffs.

• If you pack a lunch and still have energy after the observation point hike, hit any of the trails along the highway after the east entrance before you go through the tunnel. Less crowds and different scenery than the main canyon.

• Checkerboard Mesa Canyon Trail is a great one if you just do the first 0.8 miles to the summit of the canyon (FYI - Doing this entire trail makes for an incredible full day hike if you have a good GPS and strong hikers. It ends at one of the most magical places there is. It’s a lot of work for that reward at the end of the 4 miles though.)

Day Three:

• Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (25 min from Kanab) and other local sites

  • Start the day with a stroll up to the top of the highest dune.

  • Then pay for one of the guided side-by-side tours at the park. This is a bit pricey but it is so worth it. Riding on Sand Dunes is a blast, and the scenery surrounding these ones is incredible.

• If you want, you can stop by the Belly of the Dragon and the Sand Caves on the way back to Kanab. One is a culvert the other caves carved out of the red sandstone. Both are cool but overcrowded in my opinion for what the are.

• Hike Wire Pass Trail into Buckskin Gulch (50 min drive from Kanab)

• Buckskin Gulch is one of my favorite places in the world. It is surreal.

• Hiking to it through wire pass and then going into it a mile or two will transport you to a different world.

• The wire pass portion of the trail is about 1.5 miles, then hike into Buckskin until you feel like you’ve seen enough, then turnaround and head back to the cars.

• Read the trail notes because I seem to remember a couple small obstacles that you have to help each other down and back up. You wont want to make the drive if you think any in your group would not be able to do them. In my mind they were very easy, but I’d verify that yourself before you go. An easier alternative for a remote hike, but not as spectacular, is Willis Creek Narrows Trail.

Day Four:

Day Five:

• Bryce Canyon National Park (1.5 hr drive from Kanab)

• Parts of the drive from Kanab to Bryce will take your breath away.

• You have to do the Navajo Loop trail hike while you are there. It will be crowded but is a must see.

• The funnest way to do Bryce is to rent bikes then use the park bus to get the bikes to the top of the park at the last bus stop before it turns around. Then ride the bikes all the way back to the visitors center stopping at as many of the rim overlooks as you’d like along the way. It is downhill on paved path the whole way with absolutely stunning views.

• If you don’t horseback ride at the Grand Canyon this would be a great place to do it too instead of hiking or biking.

• Spend sometime learning about the geology and anthropology of the place at the visitors center.

• Eat at Historic Ruby’s Inn while you’re there.

• It’s a full day by the time you make the drive back, but will be very memorable.

Day Six:

• Lake Powell and the Colorado River (1.25 hr drive from Kanab)

• Lake Powell is a magical place. Imagine filling Zion National Park with water and boating around on it.

• Rent a pontoon boat from either Wahweep Marina (just before the dam) or Antelope Marina (on the Navajo Reservation). Pack a lunch and do a full day rental, because the time will fly by.

• Drive the boat to hit the following highlights:

  • Past the massive Glen Canyon Dam.

  • Up Antelope Canyon. (Once you get to the end of the water you can beach the boat and hike up the canyon as far as you want as well, but you will be hiking plenty at other locations.

  • Up Navajo Canyon. Not as narrow as Antelope Canyon but longer, a little less crowded, and almost as majestic.

• After the day on the lake go to Horseshoe Bend and take the short hike out to the overlook of the Colorado river downstream of the dam. Sunsets are stunning at this place if you can time it that way.

Day Seven:

• North Rim of the Grand Canyon (1.5 hr from Kanab).

• Take a horse back ride part of the way down into the Grand Canyon. It is an incredible way to see the canyon. The horse does the walking while you take in the sites. The guides have cool stuff to share too.

• If you don’t want to spend the money it is a beautiful hike too, but you’ll get plenty of hiking at other locations. Tragically, forest fires burned down the historic lodge at the north rim, so there is not much else to do there now. If the horseback riding isn’t open I would probably wait and do the Grand Canyon from the South Rim on a different trip.