Kanab, Utah
Little Hollywood — the tourism capital of the greater Arizona Strip region, just over the Utah line.
The Region's Base Camp
Kanab technically sits in Utah, but no guide to the Arizona Strip is complete without it. Seven miles north of Fredonia at the junction of US-89 and US-89A, it is the staging town for the entire eastern Strip — the place with the hotels, restaurants, outfitters, and information centers that the Arizona side never built.
The town earned its "Little Hollywood" nickname from decades of Western film production in the surrounding canyon country, and that red-rock scenery is still the main event: vermilion cliffs rise directly behind Main Street.
Why Travelers Stage Here
Within roughly an hour's drive of Kanab you can reach Zion's east entrance, the approach to Bryce Canyon, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, the Kaibab Plateau, and the trailheads of the Vermilion Cliffs country. The BLM's Kanab visitor center is also where many travelers sort out permits and current conditions for famous spots like the Wave at Coyote Buttes.
That convergence makes Kanab the logical overnight base for exploring the eastern Strip: stock up, sleep comfortably, and cross into the empty country south of the line by morning.
Practical Notes
Kanab has the region's widest range of lodging and dining, and it stays busy in the spring-through-fall season — book ahead around holidays. Elevation keeps summer evenings comfortable, and winter access to town is rarely an issue even when the high plateau roads close.
From Kanab, the Strip Unfolds South
Cross the line at Fredonia and the wild country begins.