Discover These Hidden Sand Caves in Kanab

The Moqui Caverns, also referred to as the Kanab sand caves, are a hidden gem that most people don’t know about! So much that you might get lucky and have the entire cave to yourself. They are randomly located on the side of the road, where you simply pull over and walk to them…Did I mention they’re free? What’s really interesting about the caverns is that they are actually man-made caves that were used to harvest sand for glassmaking in the 1970s.

The Moqui Caverns are not to be confused with Moqui Cave that’s up the road. Moqui Cave is very different from the caverns, and more of a tourist attraction.

Entrance to caves

GETTING THERE

The Moqui Caverns are located off Highway 89, just north of Kanab.

From Kanab:

If you’re coming from Kanab, you will take Highway 89 towards Moqui Cave. Keep an eye out for the mile markers on the side of the road. After you pass mile 88 you can look up and see the caves on your right hand side. About one mile after that you’ll see a small trail on your right (west) side that leads up to the cave. If you’ve reached Moqui Cave, you’ve gone too far. When you see that trail on your right, you should see a pullout on the left (east) side of the road. You can park there and walk across the street to the trail. Follow the trail until you reach the wall that leads to the caves. You’ll have to scale up that wall to get to the caverns.

From Zion/ Orderville:

If you’re coming from the Zion/ Orderville side, you will take Highway 89 towards Moqui Cave. You will pass Moqui Cave, which will be on your left. Once you pass Moqui Cave, keep an eye out for the cavern windows up ahead on your left hand side. You will see a pullout on right (west) side of the road, between Moqui Cave and the cavern windows. Directly across the street from the pullout, which is the east side of the road, you should see a small trail. That’s how you know you’re at the right place. If you’ve passed the cavern windows in the mountain to your left, you’ve driven too far. Park your car at the pullout and walk across the street to the trail. Follow the trail until you reach the wall that leads to the caves. You’ll have to scale up that wall to get to the caverns.

View from trail to pullout across the street (where you park)

DIFFICULTY

It’s a fairly easy hike, however, you do have to scramble along the side of a mountain to get to the caves. This part can be challenging since some parts of the mountain are very smooth and can be easy to slip off of. Be very careful on this part, I almost slid down the side of the mountain on our way back. Read the GEAR section for tips on how to avoid that.

LENGTH & TIME

The hike is .5 miles roundtrip and doesn’t take much time. We spent about 20-30 minutes total on the hike, which included stopping for photos.

TRAIL DETAILS

The trail from the road to the wall of the mountain is flat and paved. The section where you scale up the wall is rough as you’re scrambling up alongside a mountain. Avoid areas on the wall that are really smooth. It’s harder to gain traction in those areas.

The mountain wall you scramble up

GEAR

Bring shoes with very good grip! Some parts of the mountain can be very smooth.

WHAT TO BRING

You don’t want to bring too much on this as you want your hands to be free so you can scramble up the mountain. If you’re visiting during a hot time of the day, I’d recommend some water.

ADDITIONAL TIPS

• The best time to visit is at sunset or right before sunset, when the light shines through the cavern windows.

• This trail is good for kids, but be careful when going up the mountain. It’s also recommended to keep an eye on them inside the cafe since there are dropoffs if you walk through the cave windows.

• Dogs are allowed on this trail, just be careful when going up the mountain.

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