Travel Blog

One Sunrise, Two Parks, and a Gift Shop Sheep Named BRU

After some amazing off-roading time with friends in Hurricane over the last two weeks, we repositioned further southeast in Kanab, Utah. We tried to find some big-horn sheep in Zion at sun up and close out the day at Bryce Canyon National Park in the afternoon. (April 2025)

We wrapped up our two weeks in Hurricane, Utah, and moved the hour and a half to Kanab, Utah, to be able to pick up two more national parks on our list. On Monday, we were able to get into the East gate of Zion National Park for sunrise and then head up to Bryce Canyon National Park around noon. We even got a stop in at the Fab Rats shop where we picked up an excellent tool roll for Jason and some beef jerky for snacking.

Zion National Park

Our visit to Zion National Park started from the Kanab RV Corral well before the crack of dawn.  We wanted to get into the park, and be quietly positioned at sunrise, to try to catch some big-horn sheep on the move. Needless to say that was a failure, but the views of the canyon at sunrise were beyond amazing.

The eastern side of Zion lights up gently at the early morning golden hour, revealing Checkerboard Mesa and its etched sandstone face. Pine tree shadows stretch along the canyon walls. This part of the park, near the east gate, is far more calm than the crowds at the main west gate!

Only a few enter from the east side of the park, which gave us a quieter and more scenic entrance into the park with the sunrise to our back washing the stone in golden colors. The drive in from Kanab passes through the historic Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel, an engineering marvel from the 1930s that still handles modern RVs and tour buses, one direction at a time. (RVs will be banned in those tunnels in 2026) Once through the tunnel, the road drops dramatically into Zion Canyon. Most visitors enter the park from the southwest at the main visitor center and ride the shuttle system up into the northern canyon. We skipped the bus, missing the north canyon altogether, and focused on exploring the eastern section. It was a good choice. The views were jaw-dropping, and until later in the morning traffic was very light.

We were here for the real-life big horn sheep. All our friends told us we would have no problem finding them! Well, we ended up settling for a gift shop find that had just as much charm. We posed “BRU” (Bahhh-rammm-ewwwe) near the Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel area.

Bryce Canyon National Park

We left Zion out the east gate around 11 AM, having already spent about five hours in the park since sunrise. From there, we drove north to Bryce Canyon National Park and stopped at the Visitor Center before continuing all the way through to the south-end features. Most of the park’s popular viewpoints and trails can only be accessed from the north entrance, and there are park-run shuttles that bring visitors in from outside the park. We drove ourselves without any issues and had no trouble reaching the southern overlooks, with almost no traffic. The contrast between the quieter south end and the shuttle-packed north end made the private drive feel even more peaceful. We were there just a few days before the tragic death of two hikers, a story that made national news mainly because their cat miraculously survived the fall!

With a chill in the air here, we were bundled in long-sleeved shirts to pause for a quick snap at one of the best overlooks in the park. The viewpoint is on the edge of the Navajo Loop, with the classic layers of hoodoos below. Utah scenery at its best here, even in the bright noon sun.
This view from Sunset Point looks out over Bryce Amphitheater, home to famous formations like Thor’s Hammer, Wall Street, and the Queen’s Garden. The dense forest of hoodoos glows in layered reds and oranges under the afternoon sun.

Kanab RV Corral

We wanted to find a location that would be easy for us to hit both of the state parks and not be too far off the line between Hurricane and Moab ultimately. We had planned to stay the full seven nights, but we ultimately left a day early to tackle the Monument Valley area since we had success in the two national parks early in the week.

Rubi the Jeep and the motorhome are settled into a “shady” back-in site at Kanab RV Corral. Early spring leaves are just starting to pop on the trees, and the red cliffs beyond the fence line frame the whole scene in true Utah fashion. This quiet, friendly, well maintained park served as a perfect base for national park day trips in every direction.

This RV park was easy to book through Campspot from their website and is for sure a highlighted icon on our map if we return to this area. We do most of our travel planning in the evening, after campground offices are closed for the day. (and sometimes for a few days now too)  Campspot makes it much easier for us to find a site, book it and then manage the reservation after that. We also always can find the cancellation information very easily on the site, if the RV park is not just using their reasonable standard terms and conditions. (This is not sponsored)

Kanab is out side of the next day delivery zone of Amazon, but there is a UPS drop off box in town for Amazon returns. There are a couple of grocery stores in town, with very different mixes of products on the shelves. The RV park gives out coupons to both for stocking up on supplies. There are very few gas stations outside of Kanab, so it is important to leave town with a fuel tank!

 

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