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Dog-Friendly Hotel In Southern Utah

The most pet-friendly hotel in Southern Utah

Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile is an awesome pet-friendly hotel in Kanab, Utah. It’s the perfect complement to a Best Friends Animal Sanctuary volunteer trip or the ideal place to stay with pets while traveling in Southern Utah.

Pet amenities with no high extra fees

It truly is the most pet-friendly hotel! Our dog, Allen, gives it 5 stars. He loved sleeping on the pullout bed. He also was impressed with the small touches like his personalized nameplate, welcome treats from the staff, and his very own drinking fountain. His favorite is the fenced pet park for running, playing ball, and meeting new friends. All of this and the pets stay free.

Look at that smile at the Best Friends Roadhouse pet park.

The pet park is spacious with plenty of running room and has a splash zone for hot summer days. There is also a small run area. Other pet amenities include a pet washing station, pet walking service, or pet visits from the staff. There is a fee for the walking service and visits.

This is the walk back to the pet park area. The mural is so beautiful and there’s a great spot to sit and enjoy a bonfire.

Allen enjoyed shopping at the mercantile and visiting with the staff.

Best Friends Roadhouse has a stage for upcoming community events and entertainment.

We were also super impressed with the technology. The internet worked great and these iPads were so nice with all the information about the Roadhouse and surrounding area.

Another added benefit is that you can walk to restaurants from Best Friends Roadhouse. You can read about our Top 5 Restaurants in Kanab by clicking HERE. This time we checked out Jakey Leigh’s Coffee Shop and the fresh-baked bagels lived up to the hype.

Our February 2020 stay was unexpected. Our dog, Utah, passed away while we were traveling in Arizona. We brought her back to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to lay her to rest at Angels Rest within the sanctuary.

The staff at the Roadhouse went above and beyond to help us through this hard time. I can’t say enough about their warmth and hospitality. We are incredibly thankful for them and everyone at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Sunset view from our room…

Please message me with any questions about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Roadhouse, or Kanab. It’s a magical place!

©What Stirs Your Soul Media

May 2, 2021
Black Rock Mountain Resort – Park City, Utah

New dog-friendly resort in Park City, Utah

Black Rock Mountain Resort is a brand new four-season (dog-friendly) resort in Park City, Utah. I highly recommend driving up U.S. Route 189 from Provo, Utah when you visit. The towering mountain and deep canyon views are striking! A few miles before arriving at the resort, you pass Jordanelle State Park and Reservoir, the vast deep blue water resting under the Wasatch Mountain Range is breathtaking. Then, as you come around a corner, Black Rock Mountain Resort is standing tall on the edge of the Uintas Wilderness with the best views of the whole region.

We love this location because it is so close (literally minutes) to Park City but not right in the middle of town. Park City is really busy so I appreciate the easy access to the resort, parking, and use of the resort’s shuttle service. Because the resort is so new, we wondered if they had worked out the kinks and they definitely have. We were impressed and appreciated all the help we received from check-in to check-out. We were greeted at the door and asked if we needed assistance with our bags. Every staff member went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and answered questions about the area. One team member even gave a welcome treat to our dog, Allen. That’s all it took for him, he gives Black Rock five stars.

The best mountain views

The entrance to the resort is beautiful with wide-open space, plenty of seating, a fireplace, and The Market with locally sourced coffee. You can also pick up a quick breakfast, sandwiches, smoothies, tea, and whole fruit at the market.

The On The Rocks bar is gorgeous with more incredible views of the mountains. I could have relaxed here all day. There is also a full-service restaurant. The Overlook Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Chef is passionate about buying locally and is inspired by Utah’s unique environments from the mountains to the desert. The restaurant wasn’t quite open when we stayed but is open now and the food looks delicious (click the restaurant name to see all the mouth-watering pictures – I can’t wait to go back).

Another reason this is an awesome travel destination is all the adventuring. It’s easy to only think of skiing. The area offers hiking, fly-fishing, golfing, mountain biking, kayaking, paddle-boarding, Utah’s Olympic Park, and so much more. It’s nice because there really is something for everyone and something for all skill levels.

The resort offers so many activities, you might not even want to adventure out. 😉 You can relax in the outdoor heated pool or hot tubs, take a temperature-controlled sauna or unwind in the steam room. There are the cutest outdoor fire-pits to cozy up and stargaze at that big beautiful Utah sky. They also have a huge lounge with big-screen TVs, pool tables, foosball, ping-pong, and gaming.

Because we always need more Allen…

Here’s a view from the other direction.

Cheers to traveling and experiencing new places!

Learn more about Black Rock Mountain Resort: www.blackrockmountainresort.com

Another very cool pet-friendly hotel in Utah is Best Friends Roadhouse in Kanab, Utah.

Find more amazing places to explore in Utah by using my search feature on the home page.

©What Stirs Your Soul Media

April 29, 2021
Lake Powell Southern Utah

What an incredible find while traveling in Southern Utah! Our home base was Kanab, Utah because it’s perfectly situated for exploring Southern Utah and while volunteering at Best Friends Animal Society. We wanted to take a short trip to Lake Powell. I did some research but wasn’t finding an ideal location for our dog and to make it a quick trip.

I visited the Kane County Office of Tourism. It’s my go-to information spot in Kanab. They are always so helpful, friendly and have the best advice for your unique situation. They told me about Lone Rock Beach. It was so worth stopping in and asking questions, we would have never come across this spot and it was amazing!

Kane County Office of Tourism

Here are photos from our incredible morning at Lone Rock Beach.

Beach RVing and Camping

I added camping here to my bucket list! I mean…how perfect does that look?

Utah LOVED cooling off in Lake Powell. It was so fun to cruise down to the beach in our car. The fee for a 7-day pass is $30.

Goodbye Lone Rock Beach. Can’t wait to see you again!

Don’t forget…

Take only pictures and leave only footprints. ❤️

©What Stirs Your Soul Media

March 1, 2021
Horseshoe Bend Arizona

Horseshoe Bend Arizona

This is what you see as you walk the 3/4 mile from the parking lot to the overlook of Horseshoe Bend. It’s so flat that it’s hard to believe you will see an awe-inspiring deep canyon. I kept imagining what the first people must have thought as they traveled this flat land and then to come to the edge of this incredible site.

Horseshoe Bend has been on my bucket list for awhile. We’ve driven by many times but haven’t stopped due to overcrowding. This site has become quite the social media sensation. It’s best to go early morning or evening. We didn’t have that opportunity so there were a lot of tour buses and people (see video below). Luckily because we visited in February, we were still able to park in the lot and walk to the overlook to capture this beautiful view.

Horseshoe Bend is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The Colorado River carves its way through the sandstone on its way to the sea. The Glen Canyon area covers 1.25 million acres. There is so much to see and do that I don’t think we could do it all in a lifetime (Goals!). The nearby Lake Powell offers tons of water activities including houseboat rentals. Plus there is endless hiking, camping, and backcountry recreation.

Even though it is a relatively easy hike to the overlook, make sure to be prepared with plenty of water and hiking shoes. One of the girls playing on the rock in the video almost slid off. Her friends were quick enough to catch her but it was terrifying. Please respect the land, Mother Nature and the rules.

Horseshoe Bend and this whole area is pet-friendly. They even gave Allen a dog treat as we entered. He loved stretching his legs and the view. 🙂

Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile is an amazing pet-friendly hotel in the area, and while exploring this area, make sure to check out Lone Rock Beach!

© What Stirs Your Soul Media

February 19, 2021
Southwest Utah

Exploring Southwest Utah – Monument Valley

Navajo Nation’s Monument Valley Park is located on the Arizona/Utah border. These grand, mysterious, sandstone monuments formed over millions of years and show us what happens when Mother Nature is left alone to do her thing. It’s always an honor to explore Southwest Utah and Monument Valley.

Our first stop as we headed towards Monument Valley from Durango, Colorado was Goosenecks State Park in Mexican Hat, Utah. It was mesmerizing looking at 300 million years of history in the layers and watching the San Juan River flow through the gooseneck on its way to Lake Powell. We highly recommend stopping here! It’s just as incredible as Horseshoe Bend with WAY fewer people. You can read more about Horseshoe Bend, HERE.

We didn’t stop due to time restrictions but traveling this way, you will pass the Four Corners Monument. Stop in and stand in four states at once…Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Plus you can learn more about the Native Americans way of life at the Visitor Center.

Don’t Miss Mexican Hat, Utah

Mexican Hat, Utah is a very small village named after this 60 ft rock that resembles an overturned sombrero. This area is remote so make sure you’re prepared before traveling with water, food, gas, etc.

Explore Southwest Utah and Monument Valley Backcountry

Side note: If you want to hike and explore some of the scenic backcountry without having to get a permit, check out Valley of the Gods in Bluff, Utah right by Mexican Hat before arriving in Monument Valley. This area is on BLM land and the entrance is free. It might not be quite as grand as Monument Valley but it’s still gorgeous and wild. There is a 17-mile unpaved loop that you can drive to enjoy the scenery.

Forrest Gump Point at Monument Valley

As you near Monument Valley, you will pass Forrest Gump Point. (Remember when Forrest stopped running in the movie) Tons of people stop here to take the same photo from the movie. You’ll know when you arrive by all the cars that are pulled over.

The monuments stand 400-1000 feet. Mother Nature’s art.

See rates and hours for Monument Valley here: Navajo Nations Parks & Recreation.

We also found a great beach at Lake Powell while we explored Southwest Utah.

Enjoy the road!

A reminder, some of this information may have changed due to COVID. Make sure you know before you go.

© What Stirs Your Soul Media

March 8, 2020
Goodbye My Girl – This One Is For You

When the new year started, I had big plans to write and all my blog posts planned for the month of January but then life happened. We lost our sweet girl, Utah. She was only 3 years old, almost 4 (her birthday would have been in February). We found out that she had chronic kidney disease on her 1st birthday. We knew that she wouldn’t live a long life so we made sure she lived a full life.

The older I get the less I care when life disrupts my plans. I would rather live these moments than stress about writing about them or getting everything done. Utah taught us balance. She would not allow us to go a day without some playtime or exercise. She made us laugh every day and showed us that being your unique, crazy self is the only way to live.

She loved road trips and adventures.

We walked and traveled thousands of miles with her in just a few short years.

If there was something she could get on top of and hold court, she took every advantage.

She was an awesome big sister to Allen and taught him the ropes before she left us.

She made us a family.

In her last few days, she still tried to make us laugh and make everything okay for US.

We fed her all of her favorite things by hand because it was too hard for her to get up. She would only drink water from a bottle which was always one of our favorite things about her. I think she thought, if that’s how they drink water then I will too.

Keep facing the sun, lady-bird (her nickname) and we’ll see you there.

Forever in our hearts. We miss you so much. ❤️

January 22, 2020

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