Kanarra Creek Trail is located just outside of the small town of Kanarraville, Utah. It’s right off I-15 between St. George and Cedar City. There are two dirt parking lots at the start of the trail that charge $10 for parking. I’m cheap and parked for free at the Town Hall which is about .5 miles from the trail. Besides saving ten bucks, I actually really recommend you do that for a couple reasons. It’s a beautiful walk through the town, and the walk to the trail provides a nice warm up before hiking the steep inclines, as well as a nice cool down when you are finished. The trail is about 4.8 miles round-trip. If you park in town like I did then it’ll be closer to 6 miles.
The trail starts as a hilly dirt road. You’ll hike on that for awhile until it becomes a single track trail. After that the rest of your hike will be in the creek. You’ll eventually go through a stunning slot canyon then come to the Kanarraville Falls. There’s a ladder you can climb up that will lead to more small waterfalls. You can keep hiking or turn around if you aren’t able to climb the ladder. I personally kept hiking, but you won’t be missing out on much if you don’t continue. Make sure to wear shoes that can get wet, bring plenty of drinking water, and a snack or lunch. The water is pretty shallow so I don’t think a walking stick or trekking poles are necessary (do what you think is best though). I wouldn’t recommend bringing your dog or small kid, unless you want to carry them. The entire hike is beautiful and varies in scenery. It’s like a mini version of the Zion Narrows.
“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!”
– Percy Bysshe Shelley
“Touch us gently, Time! Let us glide adown thy stream, Gently, – as we sometimes glide Through a quiet dream!”
– Bryan Procter
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
-Henri Matisse
“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees,
and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. ”
– Henry David Thoreau
“If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.”
– Carl Perkins
I abruptly stopped on my journey as these roots caught my eye.
Completely enthralled by the profoundness of this exposed root system.
Expansive, intertwining, and steadfast.
How could one not be enchanted by the beauty?
We are surrounded daily by grandeur and miracles.
So much can be learned from our Mother Earth if we open our hearts and minds to her.
“When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy, And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit, And the green hill laughs with the noise of it.”
-William Blake
Slot canyons feel cool and calming. The air smells clean and crisp. All is quiet.
Nothing else matters. You are completely living in the moment as you are cocooned by sandstone cliffs.
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.”
-Henry David Thoreau
A tree growing out of a cliff, high up in the slot canyon. Absolutely amazing.
Kanarraville Falls.
“Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.”
– J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Another waterfall.
“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”
– Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks (Notebook, Oct. 10, 1842)
View of Kanarraville.
I am completely intrigued by this old house in Kanarraville.
I wonder what the interior looks like. How does it smell? What did this house look like in it’s prime?
Who was the family that called this place “home” back in a bygone era? What were their lives like? Were they happy?
Why was this beautiful house neglected? So many questions…
