Tucked behind the town of Kanarraville, roughly 7 miles north of the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park, is the beautiful little Kanarra Creek slot canyon. This once unknown canyon has gained epic popularity over years thanks to its beautiful sandstone walls and perpetually flowing stream that make it photogenic like a smaller version of the famous Zion Narrows. Referred to more popularly as "Kanarra Falls" these days, a permit system with daily quotas has been put in place to control the crowds. Note: This hike is not inside Zion National Park, but if you are in the area for sightseeing and hiking, this is a great one to put on your list!
| Rating: Moderately strenuous day hike |
| Access: 345 East 100 North Street in Kanarraville |
| Time Required: 3-5 hours |
| Length: Roughly 4 miles total (1.6 miles to Kanarra Falls, .3 miles more to second fall, one-way) |
| Elevation Change: Gradual 600-ft from town up into the canyon |
| Seasons: Early summer through fall for casual tourists |
| Permit Required? YES, tickets are $15 per person. (Parking at the trailhead parking lot is now free.) |
| Flash Flood Warning: Check weather forecast and do not do this hike if there is a threat of rain. |
The cost of a hiking permit (ticket) is $15 per person; children ages 7 and under are free. Visitors can purchase hiking permits in advance on the official Kanarra Falls website. As of 2025, permits are limited to 150 hikers per day. During the popular tourist months, most days get sold out, especially weekends, so be sure to purchase your tickets well in advance. On the day of your hike, bring your permit with you, either printed or on your phone. When the daily quota has been reached, in-person tickets will not be issued.
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Kanarra Falls Map. Note: While viewing the map, click on the map to return to this page. |
If you are driving from Zion National Park, take I-15 north to Exit 42 (roughly 2 miles north of the Kolob Canyons exit). If you are coming from the north, use Exit 51. Drive along Old US Hwy 91 until you reach downtown Kanarraville, then turn east on E 100 N St. and drive four blocks to the large public parking area. As Kanarra Falls is a major tourist attraction, it should be easy to find your way with all of the signage. Park and proceed to the ticket booth and gate to show your ticket(s) for the hike.
Kanarra Falls is a moderately strenuous day hike up the beautiful little canyon and could take anywhere between 3-5 hours at a leisurely pace. From the ticket booth and gate, hike up the old dirt road as it wanders up into the Hurricane Cliffs past the water tanks and enters the lower open sections of the canyon. You will cross the stream several times and soon enough, the road will end by the water well and you will be hiking in the stream most of the time. Good water hiking shoes are recommended for the usually cold water; hiking poles may be useful for some.
The lower sections of canyon are mostly open and overgrown and you will be alternating between hiking in the (usually shallow) water and hiking on one of the many short trails of use on both sides of the stream. Please follow any signage and instructions to avoid causing any erosion to the banks of the stream. After about half a mile, the canyon suddenly slots up and you are now in the magical part of the hike!
Just upstream from entering the dark slot section, you will reach the famous Kanarra Falls, a photogenic 15-foot high waterfall with a metal staircase to the right of it. (If you have seen older photos of this fall, various logs and ladders had been put in place over the years to help people climb past the waterfall, but after the last metal rung on a log washed away, the newer metal staircase was installed in October 2021.)
Just upstream and around the corner from Kanarra Falls is a boulder obstacle with a small waterfall to the left. Most fit people should be able to bypass the boulder by scrambling up the right side. After several more beautiful turns in the canyon and a few minor obstacles and possibly a waist-deep section of water, you will reach the second major waterfall which marks the turnaround spot for this hike. Enjoy this extremely photogenic spot and then return the way you came.
While Kanarra Falls is a lovely "mini Zion Narrows" and you will get your feet wet, it is a much easier hike and you do not need all of the gear that people rent for the Zion Narrows. Most of the hike is on dry land with a few sections of hiking directly in the ankle to knee-deep water. There is a really short pool just before the second falls that is occasionally almost waist-deep. Hiking shoes that don't mind getting wet are recommended. Neoprene socks and hiking poles may be helpful to some. On colder days, a good jacket will be appreciated, but wetsuits or drysuits would be complete overkill.
This may be obvious to many, but it needs to be stated because many people who visit this canyon do not understand "leave no trace" ethics. Please do not dump any garbage in the canyon; please do not stack rocks, and please do not scratch your name or anything else into the canyon walls. While one might argue that the markings aren't permanent, they are a form of vandalism and have to be cleaned up by somebody else. It ruins the outdoor experience for others to have to see ugly graffiti.
Access to this canyon has changed quite a bit over the decades. Back in the 2000s when this canyon was virtually unknown, you could drive up the access road and park a mile closer to the slot section. The ladder at Kanarra Falls was a makeshift concoction of logs and wooden rungs that might make you feel like you were risking great bodily harm when you climbed up. By the 2010s before the permit system was put in place, the canyon was often overrun by large crowds of tourists trampling the vegetation, leaving garbage everywhere, and vandalizing the canyon walls.
The newer ticketing/quota system and current maintenence of the canyon has definitely restored a sense of peace and wilderness to the hike. The only sad loss now is that hikers used to be able hike past the final waterfall. (Various contraptions and ladders were in place here as well to help people climb above.) There is a lot of good canyon above that final fall that people won't be able to see anymore. (The stated reason is due to private property issues.) In my collection of photos for this hike, I have kept historical images of the upper sections as reference. Maybe one day in the future access can be restored again!
Kanarra Falls is a great little hike and thanks to the ticketing system, the crowds and chaos of decades past are mostly under control. If you are visiting the greater Zion area and don't mind paying the fee for a "mini Zion Narrows" experience, do this hike! But be sure to plan ahead and don't wait until the last minute to buy your tickets.
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