With 7 bedrooms, large gathering areas, western themed saloon and theater room, double fridge freezer, oversized kitchen, and turf volley ball court the Kanab Adventure Outpost House makes the perfect hub for an unforgettable family reunion. There are so many family friendly excursions to pick from in the Kanab area, that you can fill your days with adventure and evenings with fun, games, and bonding around the house. Here’s a 6-day/5-night itinerary packed with life long memories:

Arrival Day:

• Arrive anytime after 4:00

• Backyard BBQ

• Let the backyard games begin! Create a corn hole tournament bracket and get it started to establish official bragging rights before the end of the reunion.

• Get settled in and explore the town (a cone of Coconut Castaway ice cream from the Soda Fountain is just right at the end of a travel day).

Day 2:

• Kids craft and board game morning in the great room.

• Jackson reservoir for a picnic lunch and assorted afternoon fun. Kanab City has built an amazing park around the reservoir that provide free access to (With this set up there are all kinds of family Olympics-style contests you can arrange. If you have enough paddle boards, we highly recommend setting up your own game of paddle board polo. Because it’s a wake less lake the calm waters make it a blast!):

  • Frisbee golf course

  • Paved bike path around the lake

  • Climbing walls that are fun for kids and adults

  • Kids playground

  • Sandy beach for building sand castle

  • Lake access for paddle boarding or canoeing

• On the way back to the house hit Strawz for a refreshing dirty soda or fruit water after a day in the sun.

• After dinner catch the sunset at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The kids will have a blast climbing the soft dunes and running, rolling, or even sledding down them. Perching the family on top of a dune to watch the sunset over the red rock cliffs and Ponderosa Pines is about as picturesque as it gets.

Day 3:

• Have breakfast and pack lunches to head out for a day of enjoying the majesty of Zion National Park.

• Make the scenic drive over to the Park Visitor Center and soak up as much of the history and geology of the park that you can there before the kids get antsy to explore.

• Take your sack lunches and catch the park shuttle to any of the stops that catch your eye during your time at the visitor center. Our favorite hike with kids of all ages is the Emerald Pools hike.

• After your hike find a picnic area to have lunch, immersed in the beauty of the place.

• At this point the younger kids will probably be well spent, so you may want to send group back to the house with them, while another group takes the older kids to the narrows hike.

• The Zions Narrows trail is breathtaking. A trail will lead you up to the point in the canyon where the cliff walls get so close together that river spans from wall to wall. At that point you continue up canyon by hiking through the river. Go until you’ve had enough, then head back to the house to meet up with the rest of your family.

• After dinner and backyard games enjoy roasted marshmallows and s’mores around the backyard fire pit.

Day 4:

There are two options for Day 4. A day boating on Lake Powell as a family is about as memorable as it gets, but costs a bit of money to make happen. For those leery of boating or looking for no cost options, a day trip to Bryce Canyon National Park is the choice for you.

• Lake Powell Option

  • You’ll want to leave the house early to make the most of you rental time with the boat. We left the house at 8:00 to get to Wahweep Marina by 8:30 Arizona time.

  • Lone Rock Boat Rentals seems to provide the right combination of convenience at a reasonable cost. Pontoon boats are a comfortable way to explore the lake.

  • Lake Powell is a magical place. If you haven’t been there before I’m confident you’ll be mesmerized by it. Here are the key stops you’ll want to hit to fully appreciate the place:

    • Drive as close as the buoys let you to the massive Glen Canyon Dam.

    • Drive all the way up Antelope Canyon. In parts of the canyon the channel is only 30-40 feet wide with cliffs jutting straight out of the water on both sides (Once you get to the end of the water you can beach the boat and hike up the canyon as far as you want, or stick to the boat and move on to the next site).

    • Find a good swimming spot up Navajo Canyon. It is not as narrow as Antelope Canyon but longer, a little less crowded, and almost as majestic. We love finding cliffs to jump off into the water, but this can be dangerous so don’t do it unless you know how to take the proper precautions.

• Bryce Canyon Option

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

  • The funnest way to do Bryce is to transport bikes to the last view point parking lot at the top of the park 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. From the bottom the drivers can use the park shuttle bus to get back to the cars while everyone else gets ice cream in the park village.

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

• Whichever option you choose it’s a pretty full day so if your going to have a catered dinner one of your days, this is a good day to do it. Giff’s Barbeque is our favorite take out for large groups.

• After a day like this one the kids will fall asleep in no time after you pop a movie on in the theatre room for them.

Day 5:

• One last day of surprises from the awesome Kanab area.

• Call the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to schedule a free tour for the entire family. I’m confident you will be as bewildered as we were that a place like that exists in little Kanab, Utah. It is inspiring to see the good they are doing for animals. Our kids love seeing the pigs the most.

• On your way out of the sanctuary pull over at the Sand Caves Trailhead and take the short hike up to the caves.

• If your up for one more quick stop, drive to the Belly of the Dragon and take a quick stroll through it.

• On your way back through town stop at The Brown Box for the best grilled cheese sandwiches you’ve ever had and the one of a kind Kanookie!

• Cap the reunion off with good ole’ family bonding time around the house. Get the yard games going in full force and be sure to finish off the corn hole tournament.

• The back patio sits about 2 feet above the turf volleyball court, and makes the perfect stage for a family talent show and story time while everyone spreads out blankets and chairs on the turf.

Departure Day:

• Have a lazy morning getting ready for checkout at 11:00.

• At this point most families are ready to get home, but Zions National Park is a convenient detour on the path back home for those that still want more.

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

Our Favorite Yard Games:

Beach Ball Volleyball

Beach Towel Water Ballon Volley ball

Traditional Volley Ball

Spike Ball

Corn Hole

Bocce Ball