There’s a lot of state and national parks near Sedona. Grand Canyon, Montezuma Castle, Petrified Forest, Sunset Crater, Tonto are all around 1.5 -2 hours away, I believe. If you’re living in Phoenix add another ~1.5 hours or so, and you have a lot of day-trip or overnight options. Some nice state parks in the area as well, like Slide Rock and Red Rock.
Thanks for posting the link @somemom. It brought back a wonderful memory of stopping in Kanab and looking in the phone book to see if I could locate any surviving relatives of a dear uncle who’d passed years earlier. Long story short, it was a very nice day in a beautiful historic town with great people who welcomed DW and me with open arms.
My neighbor likes the animal sanctuary in Kabab and contributes handsomely.
There’s one peculiar behavior in southern Utah that some might see as a “pro”. I assume it’s due to a combination of the servers’ general unfamiliarity with alcohol and their desire to be hospitable to their guests, but at many restaurants in southern Utah it’s cheaper to buy wine by the glass than by the bottle. Not that it’s cheap by the glass, it’s just that they fill the wine glasses too full. As in within a 1/4 inch of the brim. We call it “the southern Utah pour”.
What are the utilities are like in Southern Utah? Do they have municipal water and sewer? Or are you on your own? Dig a well and install septic tanks? What about heating? Do they rely on electricity for heating? I assume there are no gas lines that comes into the house as in city.
Where in Southern Utah, it’s going to vary by community. How about Big Water, Utah? Right in the middle of the Grand Circle
If polygamy is your thing, Big Water would be perfect.
Re: utilities - You definitely won’t be digging your own well, as this is desert land. Water will be supplied by municipalities from reservoirs. I’m not certain, but I’d assume that most people heat with gas and that natural gas lines are common throughout most communities but if you go out further you might use propane.
Moab has municipal water and sewer and Questar provides natural gas.
We live 1.5 hours from Moab. While I love visiting it and the Arches NP, living there is not appealing. Just not enough to do, no major regional airport, no major medical centers, religion (although Moab is very different than the rest of Utah), etc. Shopping until a few years ago would have been an issue but with Amazon and online shopping that has gone away. One would feel very restricted if you did not love outdoor activities and that lifestyle.
However, Arizona is just as uninviting due to politics. There really is no perfect place. Perhaps visiting a place with Airbnb living in an apartment for several weeks would help to get a feel.
How do you use propane? Do you mean you have a huge propane tank in your property and get it filled when you run out? That would be pain not to mention unsightly.
Exactly. The funny thing is, for many years our family lived in a Utah town where we had all the modern utilities, but when we recently relocated away from flyover country to the Seattle area, we ended up on an island with no natural gas or sewer service, so we have those big propane tanks and a septic system.
Park City advantages
low property taxes
world class skiing
Camano Island advantages
no snow shoveling
no income tax
growing our own vegetables and berries
not Utah
my Parents moved to AZ a few years ago but at their previous home on acreage near San Diego had a propane tank for heating and cooking. Not that uncommon in the western half of the US. It was a ten min drive to the nearest Target Store, so not that rural.
Folks on the street next to us chose to keep their wells and propane tanks rather than go with the utility companies. The nearest Costco is like within a 5-min drive for them. 
Actually filling the propane tanks isn’t a pain at all. The supplier monitors it, fills it, and sends you a bill. The only pain is the cost, which is much higher than natural gas.
“How do you use propane? Do you mean you have a huge propane tank in your property and get it filled when you run out? That would be pain not to mention unsightly.”
I live way on the other side of the country but I use propane for heating and I would assume it isn’t any different. The tank is buried underground in my yard so you don’t see it. All you see is one of these:
https://www.kauffmangas.com/images/uploads/Installed_Underground_Tank.JPG
They come fill it up every month or so on an automatic schedule.
Our tank is above ground but way away from the house near the gravel road and then it pipes into the house. Only the furnace is propane. Not a big deal. We prepay at a discount every year and are on a keep full schedule. The well pump is electric and the water is as pure as can be. I am not at all afraid of rural areas. We are considering Utah this year but closer to skiing and only for winters in retirement for as long as we are physically capable. The religious aspects of Utah doesn’t phase me as I grew up in a super conservative, religious area. My BFF in high school went to church 2x on Sunday, had to stay in her dress all day and put herself through college because her dad didn’t believe in educating women. I can handle the Mormon thing around me.
We have a propane insert for our fireplace. It’s a tank outside the house, gets filled monthly during the winter. No biggie.
Does having a propane tank next to your house put you at greater risk of losing your home in a fire?. I remember in one of the fires last year in Ca the fire officials said the neighborhood went so quick and with such devastation due to the houses all having propane tanks that exploded.