Explore a private red rock canyon near Kanab, where spring-fed lakes, historic stone homesteads, and luxury cave tents sit beneath towering sandstone walls.
Cave Lakes Canyon Ranch occupies a private, 1,370-acre canyon system just six miles north of Kanab, Utah, along Scenic Highway 89. Stretching two and a half miles into the towering Navajo Sandstone cliffs, this secluded sanctuary is defined by its remarkable hydrology, featuring more than one hundred natural springs, lush meadows, and seven cascading lakes. The canyon walls rise over one hundred feet above the valley floor, creating a sheltered microclimate where damp earth, pinyon pines, and single-leaf ash trees thrive. Historically, this canyon served as a vital water source for the Southern Paiute people, the Nuwuvi, who have known these springs for generations. Today, the ranch preserves this delicate desert oasis while inviting guests to explore its unique geology, from the deep slot canyons to the spring-fed waters that give the property its name.
Accommodations on the ranch blend rustic heritage with modern luxury, offering several distinct ways to experience the canyon. The historic Stone House, originally constructed in the 1920s by early Utah settlers using hand-carved red canyon rock, has been restored into a homestead suite featuring a private bathhouse and an outdoor shower that cascades water directly from a natural hoodoo. For those seeking an immersive outdoor experience, the property features luxury Canvas Cabin Suites equipped with high-efficiency heating and air conditioning, private patios, and copper soaking tubs overlooking the water. Perhaps the most singular accommodation is the Kiva Suite, a premium canvas tent built entirely inside a private sandstone cave, complete with its own cave-side fire pit and a pellet-burning stove for cool desert nights. Waterfront glamping suites sit directly on the edge of the main pond, allowing guests to wake to the calls of canyon wrens and nesting waterfowl.
On-site activities allow guests to engage directly with the ranch's unique landscape. Visitors can rent stand-up paddleboards to navigate the main pond, or follow walking paths to Dellenbaugh Cave and Weeping Cave, where hidden lakes remain sheltered deep inside the rock. The Hoodoo Cave serves as a communal gathering space, housing a shared barbecue pit, grassy lawn, and a stone fire pit beneath a massive natural arch. For adventure seekers, the ranch features a private via ferrata climbing course, an iron-rung pathway engineered directly into the sheer canyon walls that culminates in a dramatic rappel back to the canyon floor. Guided horseback rides wind through the meadows, and local lore even whispers that a portion of Montezuma's lost Aztec gold remains hidden within one of the deep cave lakes. While the ranch serves as an ideal base for exploring Zion and Bryce Canyon, the sheer variety of experiences within its private red rock walls makes it a destination entirely in its own right.
Take the short hike to Dellenbaugh Cave and Weeping Cave to see the ranch's namesake underground lakes, or book the on-site via ferrata to climb and rappel the canyon's sheer red walls.
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