By Melissa Bowersock
Since moving to Kanab, Utah, late last year, Annie and I have discovered that this is one fabulous hikin’ town! There are many named trails, plenty of “official” ones that are marked and mapped, and innumerable social trails that are undesignated but crisscross the landscape. Kanab is a hub for hikers and explorers of all stripes, since it lies 90 minutes or less from Zion National Park, Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon, or the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Most tourists here to see the big name parks, however, would overlook the smaller trails through and around the surrounding Vermillion Cliffs. Their loss.
For anyone spending a few hours (or days) in Kanab, it’s easy to find out about the trails. Many businesses have racks of info sheets about places of interest, places with names like PeekaBoo Canyon, Belly of the Dragon, and Inchworm Arch. I scarfed up an armload of these things when I first saw them, and I refer to them frequently to figure out my next trek. There is even a Kanab Trails app you can download for information, directions, and maps. Annie can’t read, so she’s happy to go with whatever I decide.
The first place we went—and the closest, only a mile from my house—is the Bunting Trail. This is a well-traveled and well-marked trail, easy hiking for the most part, but it does go to the top of a ridge and the last half mile or so is pretty steep. Luckily, the lower part makes for a leisurely, peaceful hike through red rocks and green juniper trees, and has a nifty surprise.
About a mile from the trailhead is a short spur that leads to dinosaur tracks. I’ve learned that there are several places with dino tracks scattered about southern Utah, but this one is practically in my back yard, so of course we had to go there.
The dinosaur tracks are embedded into a large rock that is canted at a steep angle, and do not stand out. If you didn’t know they were there, you probably wouldn’t see them at all.
In the first picture, one is right next to my hand at the top of the rock.
In the second picture, I’ve outlined them so they’re easier to see. They are large three-toed tracks, probably a foot across. My hand easily fits within the print, with plenty of room to spare. The rock itself fell from higher up on the mountain, and no doubt there could be other tracks still up there, undiscovered, but for now, this will do.
Being a dino-lover and geology nut, I get a thrill from seeing tracks that were made millions of years ago. Annie, however, is not so impressed.
My second favorite trail is called the Roadrunner Loop. This is located on the north end of Kanab, just above Jacob Hamblin Park. It has a couple of steep sections but is primarily pretty level, and passes some drop-dead gorgeous and amazing cliffs.
For this geology nerd, seeing the stories told in the rock layers is fascinating. There are some layers of red sandstone that are taller than a house; others that are only inches high. Due to erosion, some chunks of rock break off periodically and tumble down the hillside; you can see them scattered about like a giant child’s blocks.
They leave hard-edged gaping holes while other places have been rounded and smoothed by rain and wind. There’s no end to the shapes and the subtle colors you can find. You can see just a sample in the third picture.
Neither of these trails are long, both under two miles. On the Bunting Trail, you go up and come back down the same way; Roadrunner is a loop, so you can make the circuit without doubling back. This is important to me because Annie hates to turn back. When we’re going forward over fresh ground with new smells, she will go all day. As soon as we turn around and start back, she balks. No—I want to keep going! She’s a true explorer, always looking ahead, never back.
And, of course, there is plenty for her to see, smell, and investigate. Deer are common in and around Kanab; we see the tracks on the trails every time we go. We have, on occasion, seen the deer themselves in the distance, but generally they’re out at dusk and dawn and not so much later in the day. Other denizens of the dark are coyotes, skunks, porcupines, raccoons, even mountain lions.
Annie will sometimes stop and spend full minutes soaking up all the scents left on a stalk of wild grass. Sometimes I wish I could smell what she does; sometimes not.
During the winter, hiking these trails is a delight with cool temps and only occasional rain or snow. I always take a full bottle of water for Annie because she’s a big drinker, even if it’s only 20 degrees out.
In the summertime, we’ll have to go earlier in the day and pack more water because even at 5,000 feet Kanab is a desert and gets hot.
Annie likes to take frequent shade breaks (only on the way back; never on the way out) because, you know, 30 degrees is just too dang hot.
Both of these trails are popular, and we often see other people and their dogs. Annie has many friends among the trail dogs, and they greet each other with play bows and do zoomies as much as their leashes will allow. After a few minutes of play, however, it’s back to the trail.
There’s always more to see. For Annie, it’s always forward.
