Kanab Dinosaur Tracks

Posted in Hikes
Updated October 7, 2022

There are some really nice dinosaur tracks just north of Kanab. A short, but steep hike is required to visit the Kanab Dinosaur Tracks, but they are worth it. We counted over a dozen tracks along the ridge, and most were easy to distinguish and fairly obvious. This hike only runs a little under a mile, but the trail climbs almost straight up the ridge to the top of the butte. Not only that, the trail isn’t always obvious, but the general direction is easy to find.

You can see about how big the tracks are. This is my 13 year old’s shoe.

Park at the large lot located at the Utah Port of Entry. The lot is located about 3 miles north of Kanab on US-89. In the southeast corner of that lot is a single porta-potty. That toilet marks the trailhead. Cross the short barrier and head south along the trail. Follow the trail as it weaves back and forth to the bottom of the ridge. There are trail markers to guide the way. Suddenly, it turns around toward the point of the ridge (west) and climbs. As you can see from the ground, the ridge isn’t too high, but it is rocky. Be careful as you find your footing, particularly on the way down. We used AllTrails to help us stay on the trail.

The trailhead begins in the corner by the porta-potty.

The trail is flat as it heads toward the cliffs.

Once you get close to the rocks, take a left turn.

Walk along the rocks until you see a sign to help you climb up.

Look for these rocks and you’ll know you’re headed in the right direction.

The trail then flattens out as it heads back to the road.

Once you reach the end of the rocks back by the road, there is a trail sign that points you up the mountain.

The trail is hard to follow up the mountain. But any way up will you get you to the tracks.

It is a really hard climb, but it’s short.

When you reach the top of the ridge, the top layer of rock is black. Look for footprints in the black rock. Someone had put a ring of small stones around some of the obvious tracks, and this helped us find what we were looking for. As we ventured farther from the point of the ridge, we noticed more and more tracks. We counted 15 in all, and we were pretty sure all of them were Kanab Dinosaur tracks.

Make sure to watch for the cool rock formations, too.

There are tracks all over the top of the ridge. Most are marked with rocks.

It was fun to look for the Kanab Dinosaur Tracks all over the top.

Make sure not to step on them or touch them. We want to keep them safe for everyone else to see, too.

The view is good from the top of the ridge. Make sure to take a second from looking down at your feet to look up into the sky. You can see for a long way. As always when exploring Utah, leave things the way you found them. Don’t etch initials or chip the stone.

We hiked the Kanab Dinosaur Tracks in the evening and it was perfect. We recommend hiking in the morning or evening because there is no shade and it will be hot during mid-day. Have a safe hike and enjoy the Kanab Dinosaur Tracks. For other fun ideas, check out our Things to do in Kanab list.