Kanab, Utah is one of my favorite towns in the American Southwest. Located just a few miles north of the Arizona state line, the population numbers only 4,000, which gives Kanab a small-town, “Mayberry RFD,” feel. Unlike Andy Griffith’s hometown, however, Kanab sits in red rock country and is nearly surrounded by multi-colored cliffs of limestone and sandstone. It also lies within the so-called “Grand Circle,” where you can find the nearby attractions of Bryce Canyon National Park, the Grand Canyon (North Rim), Zion National Park, and Lake Powell. In Kanab itself you can find the largest wildlife animal sanctuary in the country, the Best Friends Animal Society.
We are currently on a combined business and vacation trip in Utah. Last night we decided to stop and boondock on public land a little north of town on BLM 106, a partially paved and gravel covered road that roughly runs parallel with Highway 89. This location, which is administered by the Kanab BLM Field Office, is just a few miles north of the Moqui Cave and a few miles east of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The road is hard to find and is best done by locating the Peakaboo Trailhead so be on the lookout for signs to that trailhead. The area along BLM 106 is very quiet, though windy at times, and incredibly picturesque. At our campsite at 6,000 ft we are parked on a carpet of coral pink sand and surrounded by a forest of pinyon pines. There were only three other RVs that boondocked here last night and the closest one was more than two miles away.
BLM 106 (Old Highway 89) looking north.
Our campsite near sunset.
Our campsite looking north at sunrise.
View from our back window.
For those who need phone and Internet access, like myself, you can get anywhere between 2 to 4 bars of cell service through AT&T in this area. Temperatures ranged from a low of 40 to a high of 67, not too bad for early April. So if you’re passing through Kanab and need a place stay for a night or two, or even a week, this area might be worth checking out.
Mello Mike is an Arizona native, author, and the founder of Truck Camper Adventure, one of the leading online resources for truck campers and off-grid travel. An RVIA Level 1 Certified RV Technician, Mike has been RV’ing since 2002, restored several Airstream travel trailers, and brings more than two decades of hands-on experience in RV repairs, upgrades, inspections, and consulting. Before launching Truck Camper Adventure full-time, he served 24 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3) with a background in communications. Today, Mike and his wife, Karen, explore the country in their custom adventure rig, “Godzilla,” an Elevation Off Grid Black Edition Ford F-550 outfitted with a Bowen Customs bed and Kingstar KRUZR 8 truck camper.
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Vermillion Cliffs NM, Northern Arizona. Boondocking on BLM land north of Kanab, Utah. Cove Fort near Beaver, Utah. Losee Canyon. Dixie National Forest, Utah. Grosvenor Arch, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM. Grosvenor Arch, Cottonwood Canyon Rd. The [read more]
The American West has vast amounts of public land offering almost unlimited opportunities to explore off road often with free camping. Iconic trails such as the White Rim, Mojave Road, Bradshaw, Camino del Diablo, Moab, [read more]
Kanab, Utah is one of my favorite towns in the American Southwest. Located just a few miles north of the Arizona state line, the population numbers only 4,000, which gives Kanab a small-town, “Mayberry RFD,” feel. Unlike Andy Griffith’s hometown, however, Kanab sits in red rock country and is nearly surrounded by multi-colored cliffs of limestone and sandstone. It also lies within the so-called “Grand Circle,” where you can find the nearby attractions of Bryce Canyon National Park, the Grand Canyon (North Rim), Zion National Park, and Lake Powell. In Kanab itself you can find the largest wildlife animal sanctuary in the country, the Best Friends Animal Society.
Cool Thanks Mike!
https://goo.gl/maps/qf5bj
See if this one works – if it doesn't you can copy and paste it in your browser and it should work 😉 Thanks!!!
I don't see the dirt roads on that map, but I think that's pretty close.
Hey Mike – Thanks for posting this BLM location! Is this the location of BLM 106? Or am I way off? https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B009'17.1%22N+112%C2%B034'26.7%22W/@37.15475,-112.57409,312m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0
Sorry, Brian, your link doesn't work.