Sit, Stay, and Play at Best Friends
Whether you are driving through Kanab or staying several days, Best Friends Animal Society has plenty of options for animal-loving travelers this summer.
Set in Kanab’s spectacular Angel Canyon, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary cares for about 1,600 dogs, cats, pigs, goats, horses, bunnies, birds, and wildlife on any given day, making it the nation’s largest no-kill Sanctuary.
Visitors can experience Best Friends’ lifesaving work in action with free daily tours of the Sanctuary and individual animal care areas. At the same time, volunteers can help socialize puppies or bunnies, feed pigs, groom horses, take a dog for a walk or a cat on a stroller ride, and much more.
For those looking to bring a new best friend home, adoptable pets are available to meet every day at the Welcome Center, Sinjin’s in Cat World, or the Adoption Hub on Rhonda Road.
Guests can also enjoy a $5 daily vegan buffet lunch at the Village Café, which boasts a million-dollar view of the stunning Southern Utah canyons surrounding the Sanctuary. The buffet includes a salad bar, main dish, sides, desserts, and coffee or tea from 11:30 am to 1 pm.
These fantastic experiences led to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary winning the 2024 Best of State Utah awards for Best Attraction, Best Recreation/Activity Facility, and Best Health Foods. Best Friends was also a big winner at the Best of Southern Utah in 2024, taking home medals for Best Nonprofit and Best Place to Volunteer.
If you want to stay on-site, pet-friendly lodging can be found on-site in one of the Sanctuary’s several cabins, cottages, cabins, and RV sites that offer views of horse pastures and starry skies at affordable rates.
The RV sites have been expanded and appointed with brand-new restrooms that feature sparkling clean showers. Flat paths with beautiful scenery abound, perfect for walking the dog or taking a bike ride. Hikers can enjoy trails all around the Sanctuary, including one that leads to a hidden lake where it’s 20 degrees cooler than the outside.
There’s also the Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile in downtown Kanab, winner of the 2022 and 2023 Best Motel Award from Best of State Utah, as well as the Best of the Best in Hospitality in 2023.
Designed as the most pet-centric hotel in the country, the Roadhouse extends the Sanctuary experience by offering guests sleepovers of Sanctuary dogs, cats, and bunnies. Guests can also bring their pets; up to 4 dogs or cats can stay in each room at no charge.
A vegan continental breakfast and coffee are offered in the Mercantile, and Roadhouse guests will also receive two free passes for lunch at Angel Village Cafe. From May through October, yoga and live music take place on the Roadhouse stage every Saturday morning and evening. Stargazers can enjoy the especially dark night skies in Kanab, while others can opt to gather around the bonfire and make s’mores from a vegan kit in the Mercantile.
The Mercantile is a festive place to have a meeting, hang out, play games or buy a gift for the pet lovers in your life. The merchandise here is so unique the Roadhouse was recently named the Best Place to Buy a Unique Gift by Best of Southern Utah.
However long you plan to visit Kanab – a few hours, days, or even weeks – you won’t want to miss the magic of the Best Friends!
Call (435) 688-2327 or visit bestfriends.org to learn more about the Sanctuary. For info about or to book a stay at the Roadhouse & Mercantile, call (435) 644-3400 or check out bestfriendsroadhouse.org.
