After checking out of the Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile in Kanab, Utah, we headed east on 89 with a vague plan to find somewhere a little cooler to dispersed camp with our old dog, Stevie Ray (who’d gotten accustomed to air-conditioned comfort in the desert in the middle of June). While studying the atlas, we noted that Kodachrome Basin was not too far away, and decided to detour in that direction. About ten miles southeast of the park, we stopped to see Grosvenor Arch, a spectacular towering sandstone double-arch located just off the main road. An easy five minute walk from the pull-out, the arches are a dramatic sight – especially against the bluebird skies we had on the day of our visit. Picture-taking complete, we continued on our way to Kodachrome Basin.
Towering Sandstone Monoliths in a Dark Sky Park
Tucked away at an elevation of 5800 feet (important to know if you have altitude sensitive travelers along), Kodachrome Basin State Park treated us – even from the park entrance – to teasing glimpses of its spectacular, multi-hued sandstone monoliths. Kodachrome Basin earned its moniker back in 1948, when the National Geographic society chose the name of the color camera film in honor of the multi-hued splendor the park offers. What makes the park so unique are the many colors displayed in the sandstone layers of its unique formations.
We’d read that Kodachrome is one of the International Dark Sky Parks – ideal for night photography due to its higher elevation, good air quality, low humidity and remoteness from urban areas. As it was later in the afternoon by the time we arrived, and we were intrigued by the prospect of practicing night photography among the towering sandstone spires, we decided to camp here for a night.
Primitive/Walk-in Camping
There weren’t a lot of spots available at the time of our stay, due to the time of year and the fact that there aren’t (thankfully) a lot of campsites (fewer campers = less congestion) so we grabbed the single walk-in/primitive site that was available. Because of the easy access to the site and our roof-top tent, we were able to set up our Roam Adventure Co. “lodging” in the entrance to the site and still have an entire space – complete with fire-ring and picnic table, shade trees and canyon access – to spread out. The site was huge, and situated right in direct view of a spectacular (if rather phallic) spire, which made for some great night sky photos. We wound up being especially grateful for our site, as after walking around the loops, we noted that the primitive camping sites offered way more privacy than most of the others.
Campfires and Night Sky Photography
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Having traveled through New Mexico, Arizona, and much of Utah, and experienced the smoky skies, closed roads, and fire restrictions that come with the forest fires currently plaguing the southwest, we were surprised to find that we were able to have a campfire at Kodachrome. After a young lady came by our site in search of butter and milk for her family’s Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner, we made a trade of Earth Balance and oat milk for a bundle of firewood and enjoyed a nice campfire and roasting marshmallows instead of eating them “raw” as we’ve been doing (or burning them over the Coleman stove). Stevie enjoyed the fire so much that, after a long day of exploring, he fell asleep and spent most of the evening snoring peacefully in our laps – then later, up in the rooftop tent! While Melissa and Stevie Ray slept on, I got up and spent a little time prowling around our site, trying to digitally capture the wide, sparkling ribbon of the Milky Way.
A Good Night’s Sleep – and A Nice Long Hike on the Panorama Trail
We really appreciated other folks honoring the quiet hours at the campground, and drifted off to sleep under a canopy of glittery stars, serenaded by the howl of coyotes. Waking early the next day, we decided to explore one of the trails, and settled on the Panorama Trail, since it was still cool enough to take our old dog for a good hike.
There are six trails at Kodachrome, including the one we hiked early the next morning – The Panorama Trail – which offers wide open views in the distance of the Paunsaugunt Plateau (otherwise known as the rim of Bryce Canyon) and several sedimentary pipes. Located on the west side of the park, this trail is rated easy/moderate and can be done as a 3 mile hike or 6 mile loop. It’s open to hikers, horses, and bicycles, but thankfully, on the day of our visit, it was just the humans and Stevie Ray.
This trail features many interesting geological features, the most intriguing of which are what appear to be hand-prints indented in the rocks at “Indian Cave”. These markings are unprotected and no information was provided at the site, but a little digging post-hike told us that they are surmised to really be hand-prints worn into the soft sandstone over time. But – who knows for certain? It’s nice to have a little mystery to ponder, for sure!
Oh Those Gnats…
There are a lot of pluses to Kodachrome State Park, with only one negative – the biting gnats. We’d always just thought them a nuisance to be fanned away, but both of us must be sensitive to their bites because despite the great repellent we’ve been using against mosquitos (Alba Botanica Deet-Free Repellent*) nothing kept these away and we were both left with extremely itchy, rapidly-swelling hard bumps that took days to shrink. Fortunately, all the other pluses of the park made the gnats tolerable – particularly the relatively intimate size and quiet we already mentioned – as well as the fantastic amenities available.
Oh – the Showers!
While we are accustomed to the comforts (and sometimes discomforts) of dispersed camping – al fresco potties, brief showers and scrounging enough change for the coin-operated laundries we find along the way – everyone appreciates nice amenities, and Kodachrome has them in spades. As we’d just done a load of laundry back in Kanab, we didn’t take advantage of the full service “Red Dirt” Laundromat, but saw that they have four washers and dryers and vending machines for detergent.
We did fully enjoy the fantastic bathroom/shower facilities at Kodachrome. Here, the bathrooms are spotless, and the showers modern and spacious, with spa-like tiles and great (hot!) water pressure from big rainfall showerheads. We met a gentleman at the campground who told us he takes “one shower a week – whether I need it or not” – and he let us know he’d switched up his routine – taking two showers during his two day stay because the showers were so amazing! Seriously, these are the nicest bathroom facilities we’ve encountered in our camping travels. They’re that good!
We would absolutely recommend adding Kodachrome Basin State Park – either for a stopover or a longer stay – to your Utah road trip itinerary. Having experienced nearby Bryce Canyon at the beginning of its peak season and being turned off by the crowds, we were thrilled to find such a calm, quiet, and spectacularly beautiful gem tucked away just a little “woof the beaten path.”
Below is a video we took of Stevie Ray, crashed out in our arms after an adventure filled day in Kodachrome Basin State Park.
For more info you can visit the Kodachrome Basin State Park website.
After camping there, we visited Kolob Reservoir, which is a nice place to escape the desert heat. See Camping at Kolob Reservoir for our review.
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