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Bryce Canyon Fairyland Loop
Area generally east and northeast of Kanab, UT: Bryce Canyon National Park, Escalante, UT, Capitol Reef National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and several Wilderness Study Areas.
I absolutely love this area, and when planning my coming trips for a few months out I always think of southern Utah. The desert, rock formations, long slot canyons, hoodoos, waterways, wildlife, wildflowers, ancient petroglyphs, and crazy-rugged beauty, most of which is still undisturbed and can provide wonderful solitude, makes this area one of my favorite places – period.
The Bureau of Land Management manages much of the land, with some tribal land, US Forest Service, National Park Service, and a smattering of private and city land. On BLM land, you can pretty much go anywhere you want (but you should verify that the area you want to go to doesn’t have restrictions). We have always camped when visiting the area. Frankly, I am not sure there are that many hotels in the area. I am sure there are a few, but they might not be near the best hiking. There are several places to camp, and you should plan on camping.
If you are looking for more trails in the area, then I recommend taking a look at The Outbound (Southern Utah) and here is a good starter search on Alltrails.
And here is another great site with more suggestions.
You are in the desert now. Before visiting this area, there are things you should consider to keep you and yours safe. A great article about staying safe in the desert can be found at this Gore-Tex site. To paraphrase:
Alltrails Easy/Moderate trails in the area
Per Weather Spark: In Kanab, the summers are hot, dry, and mostly clear and the winters are very cold, snowy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 22°F to 92°F and is rarely below 10°F or above 99°F.
I have found that the best time to visit the area is April, May and late September and October. It is not as hot then.
Great Site: Two Outliers: Sometimes while researching trails, I come across a site that is, well, awesome. Two Outliers is one of those sites. This couple seems like a younger version of ourselves. If they keep this website going until they reach my age (70ish ☹) then they will have an incredible collection of hiking and adventure trips to share with friends and, especially, family. I’m impressed. Per there website: We created Two Outliers as a resource for travel addicts, thrill seekers, and anyone else in search of the next adventure. The name is a reference to Sarah’s love of Statistics but more so, our determination to stray from the easy path, to do things that others might think are crazy, and live life outside the norm.
Great Site: The Wave Info. Per the About Info: The primary purpose of this website is to provide information about The Wave and the Coyote Buttes area of Northern Arizona / Southern Utah. Following my many visits to The Wave in the late 1990s and early 2000s I created this site in 2003. It is designed to serve the needs of hikers and photographers, and provides permit information, maps, travel directions, locations of particular photographic features etc. Thewave.info also provides advice about other photo worthy sites.