Despite having an odd parking situation and poorly marked directions, we thought it was well worth hiking Dinosaur Tracks Trail near Kanab, Utah. It’s not every day you get to see 185 million year old dinosaur prints clearly eroded into a perfectly flat rocky plateau, right? This is a quick and fun hike with a unique ending, so let’s see if it’s something you want to include on your itinerary.
In this guide we show you exactly how to hike Dinosaur Tracks Trail near Kanab UT, based on our own experience.
Our Experience
We quickly hiked up to see the Dinosaur Tracks during our most recent trip to Kanab UT. It was getting close to sunset so we rushed up the small mound and it was a bit of a lung-buster in the end, especially because the unmaintained trail had loose dirt and small stones underfoot making it slippery. Robust shoes with good traction will help you on this hike!
Once we reached the summit and caught our breath we took a few photos of the Grallator prints, enjoyed far reaching views and watched soft sunset colors transition throughout the sky above. We don’t think this hike should be a top priority for your trip to Kanab, but if you have plenty of time it’s a worthwhile one hour stop to make, especially if you’re traveling with teenage kids. Read more about us.
READ: Top 10 things to do in Kanab Utah
Trailhead Parking
There’s no designated parking lot at Dinosaur Tracks Trailhead. And the exact location on Google Maps is slightly off. We set our GPS for “Utah Port of Entry” and parked in one of 7 or 8 spaces available on the south side of the roadside area. It might not still be there, but we parked near a porta-potty so use that for reference.
The trailhead is located 3 miles north of Kanab along US-89, which was around 4 minutes drive from our hotel. We missed the parking area at first because it’s not marked or obvious, but once we saw the lined spaces we knew we’d arrived.
- Here’s the exact Google Maps location for parking
Hiking Statistics
- Distance: 0.7 miles roundtrip
- Elevation Gain: 246 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
- Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Dogs: Allowed, on leash
- Best Season: Spring, fall
- Recent Comments: AllTrails
Dinosaur Tracks Trail is a steep 0.7-mile roundtrip hike, which we’d rate as moderately difficult. With that said, the steepness and poor condition of the trail make it a little more challenging. Despite being a very short hike, it will take a bit longer than you might expect.
We recommend you allow for one full hour of your day to hike up, check out the dinosaur tracks and descend back down the trail. It took us around 45 minutes in total but we were rushing to beat darkness and we’d have gone up slower if we arrived earlier.
Dinosaur Tracks Trail Walkthrough
Okay, this is a really easy description of our hike because it’s so short. After parking, we hopped over a shallow cement wall and aimed for a cliff to our southeast. We could see a patch of deep and vibrant orange on a shelf around 30 feet off the ground, so we used that as a reference point and weaved our way through desert vegetation on dirt paths towards the cliff.
The cliff access point wasn’t easy to find initially, but it became very obvious once we did reach it because it’s the only way to gain elevation onto the shelf. We took a right, continued along the vibrant orange shelf we’d seen earlier, turned left and then it essentially went straight up. There’s a bunch of lightly beaten trails you can use to climb the steep ascent, and we took one that arced around to the right like a boomerang.
Note: The trail was very loose and slippery underfoot, so we strongly recommend you wear solid shoes with good grips. Watch your foot placements and test out your footing if there’s lots of gravel. The last thing you want to do is take a fall.
READ: The 20 places you can’t miss in Utah
Are The Dinosaur Tracks Easy To Find?
Once we finally reached the tabletop-like plateau, we took a breather, allowed our burning thighs and calves to rest for a moment and looked around at the views. We weren’t sure what to expect. One print, maybe two? It turned out there were actually quite a lot of dinosaur tracks scattered right across the surface of the plateau. Some were deep and obvious, whereas others were faded and shallow, but all were very easy to find.
We’ll admit the summit views aren’t anything to shout home about, especially with what else you can see nearby. But considering you’re here to see dinosaur footprints, the decent views are an added bonus. From the top you’ll see Hog Canyon, highway 89 and the surrounding red rock area which looked great under soft light at dusk.
Best Time To Hike Dinosaur Tracks Trail
Dinosaur Tracks Trail is accessible all day, every day. It’s not an exceedingly popular hike so you don’t have to worry about beating the crowds or planning your day around parking for the trail. We’d say perfect conditions for this hike would be for sunrise or sunset in spring or fall when temperatures are comfortable and the light is soft.
We hiked the trail just before sunset on a cool December evening, so we had to wear light fleeces over moisture wicking shirts, as well as light pants to keep warm enough. We definitely overheated on the climb, but we were glad for the layers at the top and on the way down. It’s completely exposed so make sure you prepare appropriately with water and sun protection if you hike in summer.
READ: 25 unmissable hiking trails in Utah
How Did The Prints Form?
Just before we finish, we wanted to quickly cover how the prints were formed, just in case you’re interested. Dinosaur tracks, like the ones you’ll see here in Kanab, are a type of trace fossil found all over the world. Wind and water erosion over millennia reveal layers of rock that dinosaurs walked on around 245 to 66 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era.
Imagine a huge footprint left by a dinosaur filling with small rocks, mud and sand. Eventually that filled print would dry and turn into sediment. Over time the sediment turned to hardened rock (compaction and cementation), and dinosaur tracks became fossilized. Fast forward millions of years and several global weather events, and prints like the ones in Kanab are once again revealed.
The Morgan Conclusion
What we liked: Dinosaur Tracks Trail is a fun and unique hike, and it’s very close to downtown Kanab. We liked how quickly we could get up and down, as well as having the trail entirely to ourselves. And the dinosaur tracks were much better than we’d expected, there were lots of prints and some were incredibly clear.
What we didn’t like: We weren’t huge fans of the parking area and the trail itself was poorly marked. It takes a bit of working out to actually get up on the shelf and then the steep ascent is very loose underfoot, so it could be dangerous after rainfall.
More From Kanab
- How to hike The Wave
- Visiting Belly of the Dragon
- How to hike Buckskin Gulch
- Visiting Coral Pink Sand Dunes
- How to hike Toadstool Hoodoos
- Visiting Moqui Cave Museum
- Hike to Moqui Cave Sand Caverns
Want more Utah content? Head over to our Utah Travel Guides to explore the Mighty Five National Parks and beyond.
We hope this Dinosaur Tracks Trail guide helps with planning your visit to Kanab, Utah!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.