3 Best Sights in Kanab, Southwestern Utah

On a typical day, this 3,700-acre compound 7 miles north of town houses some 1,600 rescued animals, mostly dogs and cats but also horses, rabbits, farm animals, and even wildlife in need of shelter. They receive dozens of visitors who come to take one of the free 90-minute tours (offered four times daily) or a special tour of Dogtown, Cat World Headquarters, Bunny House, Parrot Garden, or one of the other animal-specific areas of the sanctuary and to walk through the animal cemetery or even hike in adjacent Angel Canyon. Founded in 1984 and with several other adoption centers and offices around the country, Best Friends is the largest animal sanctuary in the United States and one of the world's most successful and influential no-kill animal rescue advocacy organizations. It's a rewarding visit if you love animals, and if you have the time and interest, you and your family can volunteer for a day at this amazing place. The organization also operates the Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile, a unique pet-centric hotel and gift shop. All tours should be booked online or by phone, even if same day.

One of the most stately residences in southern Utah, this 1890s redbrick gingerbread Victorian home in the center of town is surrounded by herb and flower gardens and contains many of the original owners' furnishings. Guided tours are offered throughout the day, and historical demonstrations are presented from time to time. Visits provide an interesting look at pioneer life in the Southwest.

Surrounded by stunning striated bluffs and rock formations, here in this remote valley you can visit two ghost towns at once at the Paria (sometimes called Pahreah) townsite and movie set, one settled by hardy pioneers and one built by Hollywood but lost in 1998, briefly rebuilt, and then lost to a fire in 2006. In fact, floods also caused the demise of the original settlements along the Paria River, with the original town fully abandoned by around 1930. Films shot here include the 1962 Rat Pack comedy Sergeants 3, the Gregory Peck film Mackenna's Gold, and the famous Clint Eastwood Civil War western, The Outlaw Josey Wales, which was released in 1976, making it the last of the site's movie productions. To get here, drive 33 miles east of Kanab on U.S. 89, turning left—shortly after mile marker 31—at the Old Town Paria rock marker, and following the unpaved road about 4½ miles north to the parking area and wooden restroom.