The self-described largest no-kill animal shelter in the United States occupies an enviable location amid the red rock canyons of southern Utah, where 1,600 dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, pigs, goats, and other creatures receive care while awaiting adoption.
The nonprofit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary draws a lot of human visitors, too, receiving 35,000 annual stopovers, according to Best Friends officials. Animal lovers can tour the facility, hike the trails on the grounds, volunteer in areas such as "Cat World" and "Piggy Paradise," take resident dogs on outings, and even find a pet to take home.
What's less well-known is that visitors can stay overnight on the sanctuary's property, thanks to a set of lodging options that should get the attention of road trippers exploring the region's national parks and other wonders. (Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon national parks are all within a 90-minute drive of the sanctuary.)
The most affordable place to stay at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary: an RV campground with 18 sites, each featuring a picnic table; a concrete patio; power, septic, and water hookups; and Wi-Fi. Separate facilities with restrooms and showers are nearby.
Nightly rates for RV sites are $81 from March 15 to Oct. 31 and $71 the rest of the year, with discounted rates available for Best Friends members.
In addition to getting the RV sites, overnight guests are entitled to free daily tours of the sanctuary and its animal care areas. You can also volunteer to help care for the four-legged residents or hit the property's hiking trails, which go to canyons, caves, and scenic overlooks. Naturally, leashed dogs are welcome on the pathways.
(Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah | Credit: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary)
At lunchtime, $5 gets you access to an all-you-can-eat vegan buffet served in a cafe set against a backdrop of sweeping canyon views.
If you're interested in getting a new pet, drop by the sanctuary's three adoption areas to meet dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies eligible for becoming your newest family member.
For more space (at higher nightly rates) than you'll find at the RV sites, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary also has a limited number of cottages and cabins on-site. A short drive away—i.e., not on the grounds of the animal sanctuary—there's also the Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile, an extremely pet-friendly 40-room hotel and retail complex.
Revenue from all of these lodging options—the hotel, the cottages, the cabins, and the RV sites—goes toward supporting the work and mission of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
For more information or to book a stay, go to BestFriends.org.
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