Page Arizona, Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

The town of Page Arizona may not be too exciting in itself, but the surrounding area has some of the most amazing and most photographed, sights imaginable. We set up camp at Wahweap RV Park and Campground on the shores of Lake Powell for two glorious weeks.

Page was established in 1957 as the construction on the Carl Hayden Dam began which ultimately turned a portion of the Colorado River into what is known today as Lake Powell. This occurred years after the more well known Hoover Dam was constructed for similar reasons approximately 200 miles to the west to form Lake Mead. Beyond the purposes of a valuable water and a hydro-electric source for the region, the dam has created a magnificent recreation mecca.

Lake Powell is a popular destination for summertime lake dwellers, and we were fortunate enough to be there a couple of weeks before Memorial Day, so the crowds weren’t bad. The best way to experience the lake is to take a boat tour or simply rent a boat as we did. To give you an idea of just how large this lake is, we spent an entire day and 25 gallons of gas and only saw a small portion of the lake. There are multiple canyon fingers to explore. The canyons start out wide but continually narrow until you can’t get any further. As the water calms, it turns a beautiful turquois color. Even at 150 feet down, the lake is amazing but more of a challenge to get further up the lake to places like Rainbow Bridge since there is currently no open marinas for gas as you venture further up the lake.

When you’re in the area you are certain to cross the Carl Hayden Dam several times. Do yourself a favor and stop at the visitors center to get a bit more history of the area and then stretch your legs and walk the bridge. There are some great photo opportunities along the pedestrian walkway.

Although Page is the main starting point, the landscape is defined by the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the United States. Since many of the natural attractions are part of the reservation, certain restrictions apply. One such popular site that people flock from all over the world to see is Antelope Canyon.

Antelope Canyon can only be visited by a guided tour through select Navajo tour companies. There are two sections of the canyon to tour, Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon. Can’t decide which one to tour? Do both like we did.

TIP: plan your visit well ahead of time and make your Antelope Canyon reservations because they fill up quickly.

We started with Lower Antelope Canyon through Dixie’s Tours. Dixie’s and Ken’s tours are the only ones that go to the lower canyon. Both are located just a short hike from the canyon entrance. One of the things that makes Lower Antelope Canyon unique from other slot canyons we’ve been to is that it is beneath the surface. We actually walked past it to get to the entrance and didn’t even know what we were walking past. Once you get to the entrance you must traverse down a series of short ladders. Once you reach the canyon floor it’s like stepping into a fantasy land. I’m not sure how something can be so bland on the surface and look so incredible underneath. Although they have a steady stream of tours daily, you don’t feel rushed at all. The tour guide does a phenomenal job of giving some history and pointing out many of the key features. They also help out with the picture taking and will make sure you get that perfect shot.

You have many more choices for touring Upper Antelope Canyon which required a short drive down a bumpy and sandy trail to reach. Our Antelope Slot Canyon Tours guide got us there safely. The upper canyon is more traditional in that you walk right into it like you’re entering through a castle door – albeit a very narrow castle. Upper Antelope Canyon is just as beautiful as the lower but in its own unique way. Again, the guide was great with pointing out many of the features and helping with photographs. Both the upper and lower canyon tours were amazing, and we were glad we did both.

TIP: Plan your Upper Antelope Canyon tour sometime from late morning to early afternoon when the sun is higher in the sky. This will improve your chances of getting some of the “spotlight” effects in the canyon.

Another extremely popular site to see just on the northern outskirts of Page is Horseshoe Bend. This amazing spectacle is formed as the Colorado River makes a (horseshoe) bend through the canyon. It’s simply an awe-inspiring sight to see but you should also go back at sunset for an even better experience. There is a 1.5 mile up and back hike down an improved gravel pathway to get to Horseshoe Bend and the city run park charges $10 a car to enter the parking lot.

We took some time to explore the area both on and off the road. A great “on the pavement” trip was to the small town called Marble Canyon. To get there you take the scenic road 89A which traverses over the hills and back down into the valley – really gorgeous. As you get to Marble Canyon you cross the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River, this is a treat in itself. There’s not much in the town, but right there is Lees Ferry, an old Mormon settlement on the Colorado River that is now a recreation area popular with fishermen. It’s well worth a drive through the park to check it out and do a little exploring. Interesting fact, this is where the Glen Canyon Recreation area ends and the Grand Canyon Recreation area begins. If you were to continue further down 89A you traverse through the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and ultimately to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

As far as off-road experiences go, there are plenty and we did two great trips that we can highly recommend. First was Alstrom Point, a 7 mile easy trail to get to an amazing overlook of Lake Powell. However, it should be noted that you have to take a couple other dirt roads to get to the main trail, making it a 26 mile trip (point-to-point) from Big Water. This is a spectacular viewpoint that should not be missed.

Our second off-road experience was to Skylight Arch, via Stud Horse Point. The trail is in BLM land south of 89 between Big Water and Page. Stud Horse Point is simply an overlook along the way. Continuing to Skylight Arch will take you to a small parking area and a trailhead. From there, you take a 2 mile out and back hike to the arch. In some respects this is reminiscent of Upper Antelope Canyon in that the arch is below you, meaning that the trail actually takes you to the “top” of the arch. Be careful, because it unexpectedly drops off. This was very cool and unique, allowing for some great photos.

We didn’t do a lot of other hiking but there were two areas on particular vey close by that were very enjoyable. The first being The New Wave. This is a rock formation just south of the dam that has a lot of the same swirling rock colors and formations as the other “Wave”, It’s only about a 1.5 mile trail but you should also take the spur to the Radio Tower peak and explore there as well. Both rock peaks allow the opportunity to climb and explore, it was a blast for all – two and four legged.

Another enjoyable light hike is Hanging Garden Trail located just on the other side of the dam. There’s nothing overly spectacular about this hike, but it was enjoyable and comes to a cool little cave with moss and ferns growing in it.

By Saturday of Memorial Day weekend the crowds were starting to gather so it was time for wheels on the ground and for us to move on down the road a piece.

Be sure to check out our pictures of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.