Utah Vacation–Around Kanab-North

Today started before dawn with a walk to the nearby Jacob Hamblin Park. The park is three blocks north of our condo, up against a vermillion hill. From the park, we watched the sun rise and slowly light the hills on the west side of town.

Wind mill in Jacob Hamblin Park

Being our first day in town, we needed food and information. We chose to get information first. We stopped at the Bureau of Land Management Visitor Center to talk about things to do and things to avoid. They gave us a stack of Kanab Trails maps and told us to drink lots of water. Then we stopped at Glazier’s Market and bought food for breakfast and lunch.

After breakfast, we headed north to the Dinosaur Tracks trail. The trail started at the Port of Entry and climbed along the ridge to about 200 feet. At the top, we stood on a solid rock shelf overlooking the highway, then continued to climb. After a while, we started to wonder, “Where are the dinosaur tracks?” We turned around and headed back to the solid rock shelf. Then we saw them. Clearly, there were three toed tracks in the rock.

Dinosaur tracks in the rock

Going back down was more of a challenge. There was the obvious challenge of going slowly, but Susan had an additional, unexpected challenge. About half way down, I heard Susan say, “What’s going on?” I looked back and to everyone’s surprise, the heel of her boot had separated from the rest of the boot! A few minutes later, the same thing happened to the other boot! I guess those boots didn’t like sitting around in a hot, Florida attic for so many years.

Considering that we were only on our first day, we had to solve the shoe problem. Unfortunately, we were very far from a sizable town. Luckily, Kanab has an outdoor clothing store called Duke’s Clothing and they carry several big name brands. We stopped in and they pointed us to the shoe section. Susan found two pairs of shoes in her size and picked the one she liked best. We were back in business. 

Next up was the Belly of the Dragon trail. This trail was originally a drainage tunnel under the highway, but over time, water expanded it and carved it into a wonder.

Belly of the Dragon trail

Next, we stopped at the Moqui Cave. The cave is currently a museum, but was once a watering hole and dance hall back in the day. It was purchased by the current owner’s grandfather, who just happened to play football for the Pittsburgh Steelers back in the 1940s. There was a Terrible Towel hanging proudly near the entrance. The coolest part of the cave was a display of florescent rocks, glowing under black lights.

Florescent objects in Moqui Cave

Our final stop was the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. We were told that this was a must see destination, especially at sunset. We arrived about an hour and a half early and waited. The park has an overlook with bleachers to help make their guests more comfortable while they watch. From this viewpoint, we could see several large dunes with a vermillion hillside behind it. Andrew set up his Osmo to take a motion lapse video of the shadows walking up and over the dunes.

Sunset at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

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