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Kanarra Creek Trail – commonly referred to as Kanarraville Falls – is a very rewarding hike that takes you up a canyon just east of the town of Kanarraville, UT. This is a water hike and cannot be completed without getting wet. The trail crosses Kanarra Creek many times and eventually enters a slot canyon where you have no choice to to enter the 3-8 inches of water so you can see the falls. The trail is lush with trees, plants, reeds – lots of green. Not really suitable for small children unless you plan to carry them a lot of the way. Beautiful hike – definitely a great place to get out of the St George heat in the summer time!
Update 5/1/18: As of 5/1/18, all hikers (or groups) need to have a permit. See details below. Purchase Permit Online
Update 2/2/19: There is now a limit on the number of hikers per day for this trail. If you’re planning to come and hike this trail, please purchase your permits online beforehand as there may not be any available when you get there.
***Hikestgeorge.com is not the administrator of this trail. We provide information only. All permit and hike questions should be directed to the Town of Kanarraville at www.kanarrafalls.com or www.kanarraville.org***
Moderate
4.8 miles
2.5-3 hours
Trailhead: 37.537144, -113.175981
Waterfall: 37.537607, -113.152469
BLM, Kanarraville Town
50 Miles ( 42 minutes driving)
Vault Toilets at Trailhead
Yes
No
No
No
Out & Back
Spring, Summer, Fall
Any Time
No Limit
Permit Required
See Kanarraville Falls website for details and to purchase permit ***Permit numbers are limited. Purchase before you go to ensure the chance to hike!***
Stream/River Along Trail (Purify & Filter Before Drinking)
No Camping Available on Trail
Dirt Single Track, Dirt Double Track, Stream/River
Partial Sun Exposure
Directions to Trailhead. From St George, head north on I-15 for about 33 miles and take exit 42 to New Harmony/Kanarraville. Turn right on Hwy 144 and take an immediate left onto Harmony Ridge Dr/Old US 91. Continue about 4.5 miles into Kanarraville and turn right onto 100 North. Follow 100 North 3.5 blocks until you see the parking lot on your left.
Plants: Typical plant life for Southern Utah lowland hiking.
Animals: Typical animal life for Southern Utah lowland hiking.
We parked and paid the permit fee and went on our way. We started the trail at about 8:30 and there were very few people on the trail. The beginning of the hike is on a nice dirt road with a steep incline that got our heart pumping and provided a beautiful lookout over the valley. This dirt road continues for awhile with several inclines and declines and requires you to cross water in a couple of different places. You wonder if this dirt road is all the hike is but you eventually start to walk near the stream and start heading into the even more beautiful canyon. There are many places that you have to cross the stream to continue on the trail and the further you get up the canyon the water gets very cold. A large portion of the hike is walking through water up to your ankles and sometimes a little higher. The trails are small and winding with beautiful foliage.
Sometimes it was hard to tell which path we should take but it’s hard to go wrong. Young children might have a difficult time walking the trails quickly but on our way back we saw plenty of children on this hike.
You continue up the river and come to the mouth of a beautiful slot canyon. There is a nice place to sit and rest at the mouth of the canyon. It doesn’t take long to get through the canyon when you come to a waterfall. There is a large log with metal steps attached to it to climb up to the top of the fall. There are also ropes attached the the rock wall next to the ladder which are helpful. You have to be careful on this ladder because it could be a little slick and at the highest point it is about a 12 foot drop. Young children will need help climbing up the ladder and getting safely to the top.
Once past the fall we continued on and came to more falls which are smaller and if you are brave with the cold water you can slide down them. There are many places to sit by these small falls and the rising mountains are beautiful.
We headed back after these falls. There were many groups of hikers on our way back so we were glad that we came early. We wore running shoes which worked fine but there were many people who wore water shoes which would have been helpful. This is an all around great hike that is beautiful and perfect for a hot summer day!
HikeStGeorge is a project that began as a seedling for Tim LeBaron in the early part of 2008, but really didn’t begin to blossom until the latter part of 2011. The original idea behind the site was to bring to light all of the harder to find, or “less known” hidden gems of the area. It was more of a pet project than anything. As excitement about the site began to spread, there was more of a push to develop information about all hikes in the Southern Utah Region.
Hi Tim,
I am the webmaster for the Town of Kanarraville and the Kanarra Falls Ticketing website. Thank you so much for your informative page on the Kanarra Falls hike. I like how you have presented the information so that it stays current.
The town has made some changes to the hike for the 2019 season and one of them is that they are now limiting the number of hikers to 150 per day. It would be helpful if you could mention somewhere on your page that “Tickets are limited” or “Tickets are limited so advance purchase is recommended”, or something to that effect.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at any time at (435) 233-2467 or on my cell at (253) 797-3214. You may also contact David Ence at the Town of Kanarraville at (435) 867-1852 if you need verification.
Thanks again and we look forward to an exciting 2019 season!
Best Regards,
Jim
Thanks James! The page has been updated! Let us know if you have any other updates for us!