Parry Lodge
89 East Center Street
Kanab, UT
The 1931 lodge that made Kanab Little Hollywood, with rooms named for the stars who slept in them.
This property is an Honorable Mention. It has been vetted and approved for our highest standards of cleanliness, safety, and operational excellence. While it is still evolving toward our full design-led designation, it is a proven, reliable anchor for any road trip. We recommend it with confidence.
About Parry Lodge
Parry Lodge opened in 1931 when the three Parry brothers began housing, feeding, and driving the film crews that came to shoot Westerns in the red-rock country around Kanab. Over the next half century the lodge fed and slept the casts of more than a hundred pictures, and it is the reason the town earned the nickname Little Hollywood. Much of that history is still legible on the property: most of the rooms are named for the stars who actually stayed in them, from John Wayne to Ronald Reagan to Barbara Stanwyck, and the kidney-shaped pool exists because John Wayne asked for it and helped pay for it. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the lodge spans several buildings a block off the main highway in the center of town, walkable to Kanab's restaurants and museums.
What Parry Lodge Is Known For
No other property in Utah can claim what Parry Lodge can: it is the reason an entire town became known as Little Hollywood. For fifty years it was the base camp for the Westerns that shaped how America pictured its own frontier, and it wears that history openly, in the names on the doors, the pool a movie star commissioned, and the barn that still screens the films. That continuity, unbroken since 1931 and preserved on the National Register, is something no newer property can manufacture.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- Breakfast Included
- Historic rooms named for the stars who stayed in them
- Heated pool commissioned by John Wayne
- Barn screening vintage Western films
- Rose gardens
- Full hot breakfast buffet included
- On-site dining room
- National Register of Historic Places property
What Guests Love
- Most rooms are named for the film stars who actually stayed in them, from John Wayne to Ronald Reagan, a piece of Little Hollywood history you sleep inside.
- A full hot breakfast buffet is included, with eggs, bacon, pancakes, and biscuits and gravy that guests repeatedly call excellent value.
- The old barn on the property still screens vintage Westerns filmed in the surrounding canyons, most evenings and free to guests.
- The heated pool was commissioned by John Wayne during a shoot, a genuine artifact of the town's film era.
- The lodge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and sits a walkable block from downtown Kanab's restaurants and museums.
Worth Knowing
- Parry Lodge is a 1931 historic property, valued for its film history and character rather than modern resort polish. Travelers who prize the story will get the most out of a stay.
- Rooms are spread across several buildings a block off the main highway. Ask about location when booking if you prefer to be near the pool or the dining room.
- The Western film screenings in the barn run on a seasonal, evening schedule. Check with the front desk for the current showtimes during your stay.
- The John Wayne room is the largest and most requested, with its own jetted tub. Reserve well ahead if you want it.
- Kanab fills up in spring and fall as a base for Zion and the Grand Staircase. Book several weeks ahead for peak-season weekends.
The Room
Rooms are spread across a low-rise campus of historic buildings, and most carry a small plaque with the name of the actor who once stayed there. The most requested is the John Wayne room, larger than the rest with its own jetted tub. The character is genuinely old-Hollywood roadside: this is a 1931 lodge that has kept its bones rather than gutting them, so the appeal is the history and the names on the doors more than contemporary polish. Beds, a desk, and the sense that a Western star checked in here eighty years ago are the point.
The Grounds
The grounds are part of the story. A heated, kidney-shaped pool sits at the center, the one John Wayne commissioned during a shoot, and rose gardens bloom around the buildings through the warm months. Out back stands the old barn, still used to screen vintage Western films shot in the surrounding canyons, a free bit of local cinema on many evenings. The buildings sit a block off Center Street in downtown Kanab, with free parking and an easy walk to the town's restaurants, the Heritage House, and the film history museums.
The Experience
Staying at Parry Lodge is a walk through the history of the American Western. You sleep in a room named for a star, swim in the pool John Wayne built, and can wander to the barn after dark to watch a film that was shot in the canyons a few miles away. Mornings bring a full hot breakfast buffet in the dining room, a genuine spread of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and biscuits and gravy that guests single out as strong value. It is less a polished resort than a living piece of Kanab's film era, best appreciated by travelers who come for the story.
Details
Kanab, UT 84741
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Parry Lodge have EV charging?
No, Parry Lodge does not have on-site EV charging. The Road Trip Planner map shows public chargers near the property.
What is there to do near Parry Lodge?
Kanab Heritage House Museum: 0.3 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary: 5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there. Zion National Park: 40 miles, about a 1 hour 20 minute drive.
How far is Parry Lodge from Kanab Heritage House Museum?
Kanab Heritage House Museum is about 0.3 miles from Parry Lodge, close enough to walk (roughly a 5 minute drive).
How far is Parry Lodge from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary?
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is about 5 miles from Parry Lodge, roughly a 10 minute drive or a short bike ride.
How far is Parry Lodge from Zion National Park?
Zion National Park is about 40 miles from Parry Lodge, roughly a 1 hour 20 minute drive.
Why are the rooms at Parry Lodge named after movie stars?
Parry Lodge opened in 1931 and became the base camp for the film crews shooting Westerns around Kanab, which is how the town earned the nickname Little Hollywood. Most rooms are named for the stars who actually stayed in them, including John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and Barbara Stanwyck.
Does Parry Lodge serve breakfast?
Yes. Parry Lodge includes a full hot breakfast buffet in its dining room, with eggs, bacon, pancakes, and biscuits and gravy.
Is Parry Lodge pet friendly?
Yes. Parry Lodge offers designated pet-friendly rooms. Contact the property to confirm current details before booking.
Can you watch movies in the barn at Parry Lodge?
Yes. The barn on the property screens vintage Western films shot in the surrounding canyons, on a seasonal evening schedule. Check with the front desk for current showtimes.
Does Parry Lodge have a pool?
Yes. Parry Lodge has a heated, kidney-shaped outdoor pool that was commissioned by John Wayne during a film shoot.
How far is Parry Lodge from Zion National Park?
Zion's east entrance is about 40 miles from Parry Lodge, roughly a 50-minute drive through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel.
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Things to Do Near Kanab and the canyon country
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Tour
4.6 miles away
Founded in 1984, Best Friends is the largest no-kill companion-animal sanctuary in the country, caring for around 1,600 dogs, cats, horses, pigs, birds, and rabbits across the red-rock canyon.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
12 miles away
Coral Pink Sand Dunes is a small state park with pink sand dunes formed from eroded Navajo sandstone. The color - a warm pink-coral - is unusual; most sand dunes are tan or white. The dunes are actively migrating.
Zion National Park
27 miles away
Towering sandstone cliffs and the Virgin River carving the Narrows, one of the great slot-canyon hikes.
Angels Landing Trail
28 miles away
Angels Landing is a sandstone monolith with a 1,488-foot drop on each side that hikers reach via a chain-assisted ridge scramble. The final half-mile follows a narrow fin with chains bolted into the rock.
UT-12 Scenic Byway
44 miles away
Utah Highway 12 runs 124 miles from US-89 near Panguitch to Torrey near Capitol Reef, crossing five distinct geological formations and three national park corridors.
Bryce Canyon National Park
45 miles away
The largest concentration of hoodoos on Earth, a natural amphitheater of orange and pink stone spires.
Kanab Heritage House Museum
0.3 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
0.3 miles, a short walk from the lodge. A restored 1894 pioneer home and museum in downtown Kanab that documents the town's settlement and its Little Hollywood film era, the same history Parry Lodge helped create.