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The small town of Kanab, Utah, sits just north of the Arizona border. It’s a friendly town that makes a great base for visiting some of the spectacular natural attractions in the area.
Introduction to Kanab
Kanab was first settled in 1864, when Fort Kanab was built on the east bank of Kanab Creek. It was used for defensive purposes and as a base for exploration of the area. The town itself was founded in 1870 after 10 Mormon families moved to the area. Kanab means “Place of the Willows” in the Paiute language.
From 1939 through the 1970s, the area around Kanab was a popular location for filming movies and television series, especially Westerns. This resulted in locals calling it “Little Hollywood”.
As I mentioned earlier, Kanab makes a great base for visiting several natural attractions. During our stay, we visited the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and the ghost town of Paria. Zion National Park and Pipe Spring National Monument are also within easy driving distance. There are several other great places nearby as well.
Little Hollywood Museum
One of the highlights in town is the Little Hollywood Museum. It’s a small museum, gift shop, and restaurant. The gift shop offers Native American art and jewelry, cowboy clothes, and movie memorabilia. If you’re looking for “cowboy food”, you can find it in the restaurant.
The museum behind the building displays movie sets and props used in several Westerns that were filmed around Kanab. Admission is free with a suggested donation of US$5 per adult (as of November 2025).
To be honest, I had never heard of most of the films represented in the museum, but it’s still fun to walk through the sets. It’s also interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at how artificial these scenes really are.
Sets from two more recognizable movies are on display. They include homes used in One Little Indian (1973), starring James Garner (1928-2014) and Vera Miles (b. 1930) along with a young Jodie Foster, and The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), starring Clint Eastwood (b. 1930). Both were filmed in Kanab Canyon. The Josey Wales homestead was built of fiberglass and the crosses in the doors and windows served as gunports during the final battle scene.
Johnson Canyon Road
Another thing we did in Kanab was drive down the unpaved Johnson Canyon Road. It runs along the border of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, with a short section passing through the monument. The scenery is beautiful throughout the drive. You’ll also find some ranches and hiking trails along the way as well as the remains of the Gunsmoke television set.
At one point, we came to a fork in the road with no indication of where to go. Luckily, we guessed correctly. Later on, Johnson Canyon Road turns into Glendale Bench Road and intersects with US-89. On the way back to Kanab, we stopped in Mount Carmel Junction for a quick bite.
Where to Stay in Kanab
We spent a few nights in town using it as a base to visit other attractions in the area.
Hitch-N-Post RV Park
We camped a few nights at the Hitch-N-Post RV Park, which is right in the center of town. They have some nice grassy tent sites and a friendly staff but I wasn’t too crazy about the bathroom facilities.
