The Maze is a sandstone bouldering field on BLM benches north of Kanab, reached by a short drive on dirt roads that wind off the highway and dump into a scatter of orange and ivory sandstone blocks. The name describes the experience: the boulders are clustered tightly enough that walking between problems feels like working through a small canyon system. It is one of the few dedicated bouldering venues in Kane County and the closest one to Kanab proper.
Sandstone bouldering, Kanab style
The rock is the same Navajo sandstone that defines most of Kane County climbing — soft enough that wet conditions ruin holds, friendly enough that footwork on rough texture rewards beginners. Established problems run from V0 through V8, with most traffic in the V2 through V5 range. The field is small relative to bigger bouldering destinations like Joe's Valley, but it has enough density to fill a half-day session and enough variety in problem styles — slab, vertical, gentle overhang — to give a session real shape.
A Kanab-base climbing day
The Maze is most often climbed by visitors who base out of Kanab for canyoneering or hiking and want a half-day climbing session. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary draws a different kind of visitor through Kanab; the climbing draws a sportier crew that tends to combine the Maze with a Buckskin Gulch hike or a Coyote Buttes lottery attempt at Wave-permit headquarters in Kanab. Locals also use it as the after-work bouldering option when driving up Cedar Canyon or down to the VRG isn't on the table.
A dry-rock culture
Kanab sandstone is no different from Snow Canyon sandstone in its weakness to water — wet rock fractures, holds break, established lines get permanently damaged. The local ethic is to wait at least 24–48 hours after rain before climbing here, longer if the storm was heavy. The boulders sit in open desert that drains fast in dry weather but holds moisture in shaded sections after wetter spells. Climbers who respect that wait keep the area healthy. It is one of two Kane County climbing venues that locals reference seriously — alongside the short scrambles at Coral Pink Sand Dunes — and the only one with established bouldering at scale.