A Southwest Utah Character Study

ST. GEORGE, UTAH — Tell me I’m not the only one who lands in a beautiful new place, pulls up Zillow, and starts imagining a whole new life. “Let’s just see what real estate is doing,” quickly spirals into, “Everything would be so perfect if only I could wake up every day and drink my coffee here.”

On a recent five-day trip to southwestern Utah, the real estate fantasy fully took hold. By day three, as we drove from the otherworldly Kanab Valley through Zion National Park to get back to the charming, livable city of St. George, I was overwhelmed by the feeling that a week, a month, a year here would not be enough — and that flying home was going to feel like unrequited love. 

Alas, practicality prevails: I will not be moving my life to southwestern Utah right now (give me ten years). Instead, I’m planning my inevitable return visit, and here are eleven reasons you should be planning a visit, too.

Reason #1: St. George Regional Airport (SGU)

First things first: Once you deplane at this tiny airport, it takes 30 seconds to walk to your baggage, another 15 seconds to get to the rental car counter, and another 30 to get to the car outside. Never in my many years of travels have I disembarked and gotten on the road so quickly and painlessly. (For comparison, when I land at LAX, I give myself three hours to be anywhere.)

St. George is the largest city in the area and a perfect jumping off point for exploring southwestern Utah. For reference, it’s about a four-hour drive southwest of Salt Lake City, a little more than an hour northeast of Vegas, and very close to the northern Arizona border. It’s also super cute.

SGU has daily direct flights from Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Los Angeles. It’s about a 45-minute drive to Zion National Park and 1.5 hours to Kanab.

Reason #2: The Characters

Need inspiration for a screenplay? The small town tourism circuit in southwestern Utah has characters worthy of Coen Brothers classics.

My favorite was the octogenarian raconteur/stuntman/wrangler in Kanab, Dennis Judd (pictured), who dresses like a handsome after-hours John Wayne and spins yarns about meeting glamorous (and oft drunk) movie stars from the 1940s and ‘50s when every Western was filmed in the area. He had stories on everyone from the era – Frank Sinatra, Maureen O’Hara – and I could’ve kept drinking coffee with him and his wife for days.

Then there’s Dr. Buck Montgomery, the former Disney animator and rodeo bulldogger, who wears an embossed leather holster (with an unloaded, I think, gun) while he shows people around the massive Once Upon a Time in America Museum, a collection of hundreds of framed autographs and antique/novelty cars housed in an Old West replica town. You’ll get the good doctor’s own autograph, free of charge, as a parting gift (just don’t ask him for a diagnosis; I don't think he's that kind of specialist).

Dr. Buck’s bosses at the museum, Jason and Nicol Grossman, are a husband and wife team who scour auctions for rare autographs because, “signatures have changed the world.” (Technically true.) Also in their collection: one of the original cars from Back to the Future (they will happily fire it up for you). Time travel not included.

The striking and slow-drawled adventure guide on our Peek-a-Boo canyon tour was a presence with his encyclopedic knowledge of the canyons and pearl snaps on his shirt. He made every coupled woman in attendance wish she had “a friend” who was single. I won’t name him here, but I will recommend Dreamland Tours. Note: Don’t do Peek-a-Boo without a guide who knows the roads. We saw a few stranded cars (even SUVs) on the steep sandy incline down, all belonging to road trippers who’d declined to heed the warnings.

Reason #3: Little Hollywood

In the center of Kanab is the 91-year-old Parry Lodge. The hotel’s walls are covered with hundreds of framed photos of stars from Tinseltown’s glory days – Ava Gardner, Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, the entire Rat Pack – all of whom stayed while filming in the area. One persistent but unconfirmed rumor is that Ol’ Blue Eyes himself paid to put Parry’s pool in the ground (heaven forbid he stay anywhere without a pool). Another fun fact: Dennis Judd, mentioned above, got his start at Parry as a bellhop.

The hotel stands as a tribute to why Kanab earned the nickname "Little Hollywood." After the silent film Deadwood Coach was shot here in 1924, filmmakers couldn’t get enough of the nearby landscape, and hundreds of films and TV shows — mostly westerns — followed suit. If you’re looking to brush up before visiting, consider watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Stagecoach (1939), Maverick (1994), The Lone Ranger (1956), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), Gunsmoke (1955 - 1975), and, more recently, Westworld’s second season (2018).

The movie magic isn’t limited to Kanab. Down in St. George, Kevin Costner is filming his ambitious (largely self-funded) four-film series Horizon: An American Saga (2024). Chapter One, which came out a few months ago, “underperformed” at the box office, but I personally was all-in for all 181 minutes of it. (Kevin, please don’t give up. I need to see what happens to Sienna Miller.). Costner is also backing the development of Territory Film Studios, a massive $40 million facility with 70,000 square feet of soundstages, near the aforementioned airport.

Reason #4: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and Roadhouse

If you haven’t already started planning your trip, this may seal the deal: Kanab is home to the largest animal sanctuary in the United States. Founded in the 1980s, Best Friends provides a loving and beautiful 3,700-acre home for 1,600 dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, horses, pigs, and myriad other critters.

They say volunteers come and stay for months, and I can see why. The sprawling desert canyon landscape would be worth visiting even without the animals, but with the sweet rescued horses and potbellied pigs in need of a belly scratch, it is my version of heaven.

I cried a few times while we roamed the property. The first time, when we met the dogs, many large and older and rightfully a little skeptical of humans, who opened up after a treat and head rub. I got weepy again when we drove past the memorial garden, where hundreds of dearly departed animals are buried, some of whom lived out their lives at the sanctuary, others whose owners paid small donations so their pals could have a final resting place with a view. Lining the garden are hundreds of little wind chimes clattering in the breeze – all in the key of D, because one of the Best Friends founders thought the sound was reminiscent of dog tags jingling. Could there be anything more lovely?

Reason #5: Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile

A few minutes from Best Friends Sanctuary is a small hotel run by the organization. It's a great lodging option for its pristinely clean, quiet, comfortable, and obviously animal-friendly accommodations. A stay includes breakfast and spectacular views of the Utah mountains.

If you are traveling with a pet, you can opt for rooms with built-in dog trundle beds (pictured) and even little dog houses carved into the wall (my hunch is that small children also get a kick out of these). There’s a dog run and pet bathing area on the property, plus a laundry room and a shop with all kinds of pet and human goodies. Even the water fountains outside come in person- and dog-height.

If you aren’t traveling with a pet but wish you were, Best Friends has made it possible for overnight stays with select, pre-vetted adoptable dogs and cats from the sanctuary. Because sometimes you (and they) just sleep better with a cuddling companion. But fair warning, you may not be able to go home without them.

Reason #6: Zion National Park

According to one of my guide books, “southern Utah has the highest concentration of natural wonders found anywhere on the planet.” While the anonymous copywriters don’t cite a source, I would stake my life on its accuracy. St. George is close to so many national parks/monuments: the Grand Canyon (my favorite place I’ve ever been, for the record), Bryce Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs, Dixie Forest, and Grand Staircase-Escalante, to name a few.

But no list about southwest Utah (or the U.S., or Earth, really) would be complete without Zion. Like the Grand Canyon, its sheer size and grandeur distorts a visitor's sense of time and place. Standing amidst those towering red and white sandstone cliffs, formed during the Jurassic Era, I felt awe and existential humility. Which, yes, led me back to the earlier thought: Should I cash out my life savings and just buy a house here already? Probably. Yes.

Zion also feels like a perfect slice of Americana, a place I will drive to in my little RV someday, just like my great-grandparents did 50 years ago, taking nearly the same snapshots.

Reason #7: The State Parks

I personally love state parks because they aren’t as crowded (or as hyped) as their national counterparts – and, depending where you are, sometimes they’re better maintained, too. Utah has a whopping 46 of them, and some of the most popular are close to St. George: Snow Canyon, Quail Creek, Sand Hollow, Kodachrome Basin, and Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

I went to Snow Canyon (pictured), located on the edge of the Mojave Desert, but it felt like I was teleported to Mars. The layers of stratified rock made me feel like I was walking on the surface of a chocolate bar or recently scooped ice cream – and it goes on and on and on, making for the coolest photos.

I went on a Wednesday morning in the summer and probably saw only six or seven people in two hours.

Reason #8: The Consignment Shops

The secondhand sartorial treasures in St. George are abundant, and I say this with confidence as a lifelong thrifter. Coyote Exchange and Urban Renewal by Jenny Larsen, both in the walkable downtown area, are excellent.

I wish I’d allotted a half day for each one (and another full day for all the others). Both had tons of stuff that felt like meeting the closets of Bella Hadid (in her current hot bull-rider boyfriend era), chic Mormon mommy influencers, and a cool artist friend who bought an apartment in Greenpoint 20 years ago and is now a real estate millionaire despite smoking weed all day.

Coyote Exchange has huge racks of local, perfectly worn tees and sweatshirts, and lots of '70s and '80s daily wear vintage (think old Laura Ashley, Liz Claiborne, Alfed Dunner, and other long-gone brands with fonts in an outdated cursive font, iykyk). I bought a flowy hand-sewn dress for $35 that gets lots of compliments, especially when worn with my old red cowboy boots and a chambray button-up with paintings of horse heads on it.

Urban Renewal by Jenny Larsen is a new and used clothing store as well as a giant art and home emporium. (When I buy my house, here’s where I’ll go to furnish it.) I have no idea who Jenny is, but I'm pretty sure I want her to be my best friend. Does she ship in the used couture, or does she find it locally? I don’t know, but I want it all. During my visit, I purchased an affordable black button up vest to go over T-shirts, reminiscent of Clarissa Explains It All (circa 1995), and a handkerchief to go around my neck, giving (friendly) Wild West outlaw.

Reason #9: The Stars

Twenty years of living in New York City has made me sometimes forget there are stars up there (despite my deep affection for Susan G. Miller). My first night in Utah was a dramatic reminder.
The state has the highest concentration of Dark-Sky Association-certified places of anywhere in the world. Zion and Bryce National Parks are two of them, but you don’t have to be in the designated spots to get the full effect.

One night while in Kanab, a group of us hopped into a vintage military truck with Adventure Tour Company to an old al fresco movie fort (where Apple Dumpling Gang was filmed 50+ years ago) outside town. As we waited for the sun to go down, a Texas longhorn casually walked by within a few feet of us – a crazy, majestic sight in itself – and we made s’mores. When the stars came out, I laid on a picnic table and looked up, our group totally quiet in pure awe. Not only could we see tens of thousands of stars, but it was so dark and clear we could also make out satellites and the glowing band of the Milky Way, no telescope required. 

Reason #10: Mocktails and Dirty Sodas

I don't drink much mind-altering substances these days, so I was thrilled to discover that Utah’s non-alcoholic beverage scene is thriving. Credit the local Mormon influence here, since many abstain from alcohol and coffee altogether.

Many restaurants have robust mocktail menus with spritzes and candied garnishes, and I wish my Brooklyn spots would follow suit. (“We can make any of our cocktails without alcohol,” is such a lazy let-down).

Then there are drive-thru spots for “dirty sodas,” regular soft drinks mixed with creams, syrups, candies, you name it, usually over pebble ice. Places like Swig (the original), Sodalicious, Fiiz, and Thirst serve up drinks like Diet Coke with coconut syrup, lime, and half-and-half, or Mountain Dew with mango and strawberry purees.

Don’t knock until you try. When Swig comes to New York City (which is rumored to be happening), I’ll be there opening day, my glucose levels soaring into the sky.

Reason #11: The Drives

The thing about southwestern Utah is that everywhere is beautiful. From the time I left the St. George airport until I reluctantly returned home five days later, I didn’t put my camera away for more than five minutes. The journeys and destinations are almost totally interchangeable.

Yes, there are plenty of amazing places to plug into your GPS, but honestly, just get in the car, put on some really good music, and go. The scenic highways and quieter byways look like they were pulled straight out of the wide shots from Thelma & Louise (coincidentally, also filmed in Utah). And once you inevitably hit Highway 89, the famous stretch between Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon, you’ll get it — a sense of timeless beauty that’ll make you want to drop everything and stay forever.