Story & Photos by Melissa Bowersock
Most of us who live in America’s Southwest love the mystique: the deserts high and low, the dry air, the colorful and ever-changing scenery, the amazing sunsets… I could go on, but you know what I mean. So when the summer of 2020 became too brutal to bear with temperatures in the Verde Valley that rivaled Phoenix, it was time to get to higher and more northerly terrain. To that end, I recently moved—not out of the Southwest, but to Kanab, Utah.
Kanab sits at 5,000 feet, about the same as Prescott, and has a backdrop of stunning red rocks very much like Sedona. In and of itself, Kanab is a delightful small town, but it is also a gateway to some of the prize national parks of the Southwest. Zion National Park is only 30 minutes away; Bryce is 90 minutes, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is also 90 minutes. Utah also boasts Grand Staircase of the Escalante, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Arches. I don’t think there are too many states that can compare to the dramatic beauty here.
When my husband and I decided to move, it was not only our own comfort that we were thinking of. Our Airedale, Annie, runs hot (as has every Airedale we’ve ever had), and the summer in the Verde Valley was difficult for her. She would enjoy the cooler mornings outside until about 9am, then come inside and flop down on the cool tile in the bathroom for the rest of the day. No amount of pleading would get her outside until the sun had set and the temps had dropped (ha!) to at least 90. We knew she would enjoy the cooler temps in Kanab as much as, or more than, we would. And we were right. She spends the majority of her time outside in the shade, watching for rabbits or deer, both of which frequent our yard from time to time. She’s happier, more energetic, and goes crazy for walks.
Just about 5 miles north of Kanab is another hidden gem, but not a national park. It’s Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill preserve located on 3,700 acres (yes, you read that right) in a beautiful canyon of red rocks, green trees, and gentle breezes. Best Friends houses dogs and cats, of course, but also pigs, rabbits, goats, horses, and any other orphaned animal that comes their way. The animals are available for adoption, but if they aren’t taken, they spend the rest of their lives right there, in comfort and dignity.
Because Best Friends encompasses such extensive acreage, they have multiple places of interest. Along with all their facilities accessible via tour, there are also hiking trails and picnic areas. One such trail is the Water Canyon trail, which descends down into the canyon to the banks of Kanab Creek. Recently we took Annie there.
The trail winds around a bit, looping down to the bottom of the canyon and the creek. There are plenty of cottonwood trees (now blazing in yellow and gold), and a thick growth of cattails and other water-loving plants along the creek’s shores. Because the creek floods periodically, sometimes catastrophically, there is no development there, so other than the narrow trails, the canyon is wild and untamed.
Annie had a field day with all the unfamiliar sights and smells. We saw plenty of deer tracks along the sandy trail, while birds flew and sang amid the trees and we could hear small scufflings beneath the brush. The place abounds with rabbits, with skunks and raccoons making rarer appearances. We even saw some wild turkeys! Annie went nuts over them, whining and barking. I’m not sure what she thought she’d do if she caught one, but she didn’t get to find out.
Interestingly enough, we’ve heard that mountain lions have been seen around the creek. It’s been incredibly dry in the Southwest these last two years, so it makes sense that even cougars have to seek out water, even if it’s close to people. The densely overgrown canyon is a perfect place for the big cats, since they hunt by ambush and there are plenty of places to hide. We kept a good lookout, but didn’t see any evidence of them, thankfully.
The creek itself is probably pretty cold; Annie went out wading a little, but didn’t seem inclined to swim in the deeper areas. The shoreline is pretty well choked with brush, so even getting to the deeper channel would be difficult. On hot summer days, she might try it, but in fall with temps in the 40s, she was just as happy to stay mostly dry.
After our hike, we took Annie to the Welcome Center of Best Friends, which offers a lovely patio area, a store, and information about the place and access to the tour. Pets are welcome so long as they are on leash, and now during the pandemic, masks for humans are required. There are plenty of beautiful places throughout Best Friends. There is a labyrinth that you can walk and perhaps meditate on peace and harmony in this current polarized world. There is also an extensive pet cemetery, which is beautiful but heart-wrenching.
The first time we walked through, seeing all the graves with the dedications, seeing collars left on the corners of gravestones made me choke up. Of course, loving Annie as I do, I can imagine the pain of losing her as so many other pets have been lost. It’s a place of deep sadness but incredible gratitude.
How lucky are we that we have these loving animals in our lives? And how lucky are we to have a place like Best Friends?
