Hike to The Nautilus, a Unique Rock Formation Near Kanab, Utah

Here at That Adventure Life, we are fans of unique rock formations. And it always seems like sandstone creates some of our favorites. This is the case with the Nautilus. To get to this unique spot, you're going to be exiting Highway 89 and driving about a mile and a half down a very bumpy dirt road. I feel like this road is accessible to most cars, but having a high clearance vehicle with some decent suspension will definitely make your life a lot easier. You're going to end up crossing through two washes before you come to a small parking lot that is only big enough to hold about two cars. The washes can be difficult or even dangerous to cross in bad weather, so please be careful. From the parking lot, you're going to be backtracking about 150 feet where you will find the trailhead on your right. The trail is almost hard to consider a hike because it is only one mile long with 50 feet of elevation gain. The only thing that could be remotely considered challenging about it is that it is in the middle of the desert and there is practically no shade. So if you're going to be attempting this one in the summer, be sure to bring more water than you think you need. Around 200 yards down the wash, you should find yourself at this fence. There isn't really a gate to let you through, but you can squeeze around it on the far right side. It's at this point that the hike becomes really pretty. You are now going to be surrounded by sandstone walls and unique rock formations. I have nothing but faith in our viewers, but I feel like it has to be said anyways. Please be sure to practice leave no trace and refrain from carving your name into the sandstone here and at the Nautilus. Let's do our part to keep this area pristine for generations to come. Now that we have all of the formalities out of the way, let's get back to the adventure. After you pass the fence, you're going to be walking down the curved wash for about 3 tenths of a mile before you will see the Nautilus on your right side. It can be a little bit difficult to spot from the wash, so you're going to have to keep your eyes peeled for it. And here we are at the Nautilus. It's hard to believe, but this place actually used to look even cooler. There was a partial collapse all the way back in 2014. One of the only downsides of our beloved sandstone rock formations is that they have a relatively short lifespan. But we're saying short in earth years, not human years, so hopefully what's left of the Nautilus still has a long life ahead of it. We visited on a pretty windy day and the sand was shooting down through the Nautilus. If you're down in the cove, be prepared for it to feel like you're getting hit with needles. It was definitely easy to see the forces at work that helped carve out this unique formation. The Nautilus is beautiful from all angles, and if you enjoy taking landscape photos anywhere near as much as I do, you'll find it pretty easy to spend maybe 30 to 45 minutes here. Once you are done exploring the area, you have two different options. You can either take the hike down the side of the Nautilus like we are doing here. This is a shortcut back to the trail that you came in on. Or you can make your way back down to make this trail an out and back. We wanted to take just a couple more pictures of it before we left, so we went with the out and back route. I'm so glad that we took the time to stop by the Nautilus, it is such a unique spot. And one great thing is that you can probably be in and out in about an hour, so you can make this part of a multi-stop day. There is another spot just on the other side of Highway 89 called the Toadstool Hoodoos. It's another fun stop and we will be covering it in a future episode. If you want to make this hike a little more substantial, you can continue up the wash from the Nautilus and take the fork to the left. That will take you to the Hoodoos as well. If you combine the two hikes, you can probably expect a distance of around 3 miles, but it will have more elevation gain. However you get to them, I think that both spots definitely deserve a spot on your trip's itinerary. As I said before, we are definitely fans of unique rock formations. So what are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below. Well that is going to do it for our video about the Nautilus. It is such a neat spot, especially when you consider the fact that you only have to hike a short distance to get to it. If you enjoyed learning about the Nautilus, be sure to stay tuned because we have a lot of cool videos coming up in the surrounding area really soon. Also, be sure to subscribe and hit that bell icon so you get notified when we make new videos. Check us out on Instagram at thatadventurelife underscore official, and for all the information about the Nautilus hike as well as other awesome things to do in Utah, head on over to thatadventurelife.com.