ATVing and Canyoneering with Kanab Tour Company

During our time in Kanab, Utah, we went ATVing and canyoneering with Kanab Tour Company, and we had so much fun! The two days I’m sharing in this post are definitely pretty high up on the list of our most fun adventure days ever!!

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ATVing and canyoneering with Kanab Tour Company for Tucker’s birthday

ATVing with Kanab Tour Company

Tucker’s birthday was at the end of October and I knew I wanted to plan something extra special since this year was his golden birthday! We ended up going ATVing and canyoneering and it was amazing!

When he was growing up, his family used to go ATVing in Texas and New Mexico. The time spent with his dad and family riding ATVs and dirt bikes are some of his favorite memories and so I knew it would be something he would enjoy.

We had my (Janae’s) aunt and uncle and their two kids visiting with us at the time and had our schedule planned out in advance so I knew we would be in the Kanab area. I looked up ATV rental companies in the Kanab area and that’s how I found Kanab Tour Company.

Kanab Tour Company is one of the most popular tour companies in Kanab, Utah. They offer multiple day-tours in the surrounding areas including Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, White Pocket, Peekaboo Slot Canyon, and more!

They offer both ATV tours and ATV rentals as well as canyoneering, hiking, and other activities.

Getting our gear and getting to the trailhead

We showed up at the office about 30 mins before our ATVing tour to sign waivers and be fitted for helmets. This was also a convenient time to use the restroom one last time before heading out.

We drove our own vehicle to the Peek-a-boo slot canyon trailhead which is where we met our amazing tour guide, Nick, and started our ATVing tour.

Nick gave us all a quick safety briefing as well as showed the drivers (Tucker and my uncle) how to safely operate the ATVs. Tucker and I shared an ATV while my aunt & uncle and their kids shared another one. We all got in our assigned ATVs, buckled up, and headed out!

ATVing through the desert

Oh my goodness, talk about FUN! The next hour flew by crazy fast as we rode through the desert in our ATVs! The max we were permitted to go was 40 MPH but honestly, we didn’t even hit that very often. 30 felt like we were flying haha!

The trails we were riding on were only wide enough for one ATV so we drove single file. The dust kicked up by the ATVs in front of us caused us to lag behind a little to avoid eating all the dirt.

We wove in and out of trees, bushes, rocks, and river beds. The views were gorgeous! If you’ve ever been to the Kanab area then you know exactly what I mean.

Peek-a-boo slot canyon

Throughout our time spent in the west, we’ve learned that we love exploring slot canyons! Often the only drawback is that they can be crowded and are really popular tourist destinations.

Peek-a-boo slot canyon is probably our favorite one so far for multiple reasons, one being that we only saw a few other people the whole time we were exploring there!

The canyon is absolutely gorgeous with its red/orange walls and its twisting tight passageways. We went as far back as we could until we got to a section of the canyon that would have required some serious rock wall climbing (over 30 ft) to continue any further.

Our tour guide, Nick, was very knowledgeable about the canyon and told us a lot about how slot canyons are formed and the dangers of being in them during flooding.

Read next >>> 11 Utah Slot Canyons That Should Be On Your Bucket List <<<

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

After we were finished exploring the slot canyon, we set out in our ATVs again. We followed a dry riverbed for a while and then hit a few more desert trails.

The last hour or so we spent on the edge of nearby Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Riding the ATVs on the sand dunes was both terrifying and thrilling at the same time haha!

After riding in the dunes for a little bit, our tour guide had us stop at the top of one of the dunes so we could try sandboarding. Let me just say, I discovered that sandboarding is not one of my talents in life haha!

If you want some extra entertainment, be sure to watch the segment of our YouTube video that shows all of us trying out sand boarding…I promise you won’t be able to watch it without dying laughing!

After playing in the sand for a while it was time to head back. We had an absolute blast and we were so glad that we decided to book the tour! Tucker even said it was his best birthday ever…woohoo!

Read next: Complete Guide to Visiting Belly of the Dragon in Kanab, Utah

Canyoneering

Canyoneering:
The sport of exploring a canyon by engaging in such activities as rappelling, rafting, and waterfall jumping.

We had such a blast ATVing that we decided to book another tour with Kanab Tour Company that weekend to do a half-day of canyoneering! It was something we had always wanted to do so we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to do so in such a beautiful part of the country!

Tucker had done a bit of rappelling when he was in Boy Scouts but I hadn’t ever had the opportunity. I kept telling myself that I should probably be nervous but I was too excited to be nervous!

Getting our gear and heading to the trailhead

Once again, we started at the Kanab Tour Company’s office to sign waivers and meet up with our tour guides. This time we headed out really early in the morning.

Our family had already gone home so this day it was only me and Tucker. We followed our tour guides part of the way and then ended up hopping in their Jeep to drive through the off-road dirt trails.

Once parked we had to get our harnesses and gear and hike to the top of the canyon we would be rappelling.

Learning how to rappel

Our tour guides Daniel and Mica were a blast to be with! They are canyoneering pros and were very patient with us as we were learning. They taught us the basics but still allowed us room to figure things out.

It was seriously so much fun! There’s definitely a lot to learn and it can take a little bit to figure out the technique but we had an absolute blast!

The first series of rappels we did were pretty straightforward with straight-down rappels that didn’t require much extra finagling. They varied in height with some only being around 8 feet and others being up to 60 feet.

The Dark Side

We ended up getting through the first rappels with extra time to spare so Dan and Mica took us to The Dark Side. Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?! Haha!

They explained to us that it was named The Dark Side because this canyon is almost 100% shaded and doesn’t really see any sunshine. The rappels are trickier and some have tight spaces you have to squeeze through.

Most of it could be navigated without rappelling but the last wall is roughly 45 feet tall. It was a fun one to jump around on while rappelling down!

Would you jump around on a canyon wall if you were wearing a harness?!

Hiking back up to our vehicle

After we made it to the bottom of the last canyon, we had to hike back up to our vehicle at the top. It was probably about a mile but I quickly learned that hiking in the sand isn’t the easiest thing.

It was neat hiking up above where we had just been rappelling. Going down the canyon is my preference though haha!

Once we made it back to the Jeep, Mica and Daniel drove us back to our vehicle and we headed home with life-long memories and happy hearts!

Final thoughts about ATVing and Canyoneering

To say we had an incredible time ATVing and canyoneering with Kanab Tour Company would be an understatement! Not only do they provide amazing tours and activities to do, but their tour guides are such a blast to hang out with!

If you’re ever in the Kanab, Utah area, be sure and check out ATVing & Canyoneering and all of the excursions that Kanab Tour Company has to offer.

Read next: 18 Incredible Utah Bucket List Destinations