Hog Canyon near Kanab, Utah, offers UTV riders sandy trails, sandstone scenery and rock-crawling challenges in one compact trail system. You can spend a day exploring Hog Canyon itself or plan a longer ride to nearby destinations such as the Great Chamber and Peekaboo Slot Canyon, as we did on this trip.
What to Expect on the Hog Canyon Trails
The BLM describes roughly 30 miles of trails ranging from easy sand to extreme rock crawling. Steep climbs, rocky surfaces, narrow passages and deep sand mean difficulty varies substantially by route. Our ride included sandy trails and lighter rock crawling, but that does not describe every trail in the system. Choose a route that matches your experience and vehicle.
Hog Canyon Trailheads and Staging
Hog Canyon has western and eastern access. The west staging area is reached from Highway 89 north of Kanab. Follow the signed Hog Canyon turnoff and dirt access road to the kiosk, respecting the private property along the entrance.
For eastern access, the BLM directs riders to Crocodile Staging Area on Johnson Canyon Road. It has parking, a vault toilet and a picnic table. The eastern Hog Canyon kiosk has no other amenities. Bring your own water and supplies.
Use the BLM Hog Canyon OHV Trail System information and maps at the kiosks to plan your ride and check current conditions before heading out.
Our Ride: The Pinnacles, Great Chamber and Peekaboo
The Pinnacles in Hog Canyon
Our first stop was the Pinnacles within the Hog Canyon Trail System. We continued exploring Hog Canyon before exiting on the east side and heading toward the next two destinations. The Great Chamber and Peekaboo are additional stops beyond the core Hog Canyon trails, so allow extra time, fuel and navigation planning for the longer ride.
The Great Chamber at Cutler Point
Our second stop was the Great Chamber at Cutler Point. This large sandstone alcove shelters a tall sand hill and makes a memorable destination for a ride near Kanab. Park at the vehicle access point and continue on foot to the alcove. Plan time for the walk through sand and the return to your UTV.
Peekaboo Slot Canyon near Kanab
Our third stop was Peekaboo Slot Canyon, also known as Red Canyon. This is the Peekaboo near Kanab, rather than the similarly named canyon near Escalante. Tours and rental groups visit regularly, so an early arrival may give you a quieter experience.
The UTV ride gets you to the canyon entrance; exploring the slot canyon is a hike. The BLM notes that deep sand can make vehicle access difficult or impassable, and flooding can change obstacles inside the canyon. Check the forecast and upstream weather, and avoid entering a slot canyon when flash flooding is possible. See the BLM Peekaboo Slot Canyon guide for access information and current-condition contacts.
GPS Waypoints for Planning
The west kiosk coordinate below comes from the BLM. The destination waypoints are retained from our original ride report. These pins identify places, not a turn-by-turn route or confirmation that every connecting road is open to motorized use.
| Location | Latitude, Longitude |
|---|---|
| Hog Canyon West Kiosk / Staging Area | 37.08269, -112.52629 |
| The Pinnacles | 37.08480, -112.49873 |
| Cutler Point Parking / Great Chamber | 37.18612, -112.45884 |
| Peekaboo Slot Canyon | 37.17929, -112.55952 |
Our UTV and Trail Navigation
We traveled this route in a 2024 Polaris RZR XP equipped with RIDE COMMAND. Its GPS trail display helped us follow our route and keep track of our location as we moved between destinations.
Carry offline maps and compare your planned route with current land-management maps and posted signs. A line on a GPS display does not establish legal access. Stay on designated motorized routes, respect private land, and avoid creating tracks around obstacles.
Before leaving Kanab, fuel up and pack water, food, recovery equipment, a tire repair kit and a reliable way to communicate. Leave time for slow technical sections and hiking stops rather than planning the day around trail mileage alone.
