Page Arizona might be a small sleepy town but it’s full of beautiful and gorgeous geographical wonders!! An interesting 4 hours and 30 mins drive from Las Vegas and Phoenix both, we passed some beautiful mountains while coming from Las Vegas. Before entering the town, we passed over the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge which gives a majestic view of the canyon below. Perfect Spot to take a few snaps of the Canyon!!
There are plenty of Hotels for different budgets in Page. We stayed at the newly opened Country Inn and Suites Radisson Hotel. I have to say nothing smells fresh than the sheets at a brand new hotel room!! Absolutely delightful stay and very courteous staff. They also provided to-go breakfast in the morning!! There is even a Walmart just in case you want to grab some groceries.
In the morning we headed to Horse Shoe Bend. It’s a short 5 mile drive from the hotel and is located off US Highway 89. There is a nominal Charge of $10 per vehicle for parking. Once there, get your jackets out as it is a 10-15 mins walk along open trail from the Parking. While walking, the views of the desert in the never ending horizon are mesmerizing!! Before you know it, the Horse Bend becomes slightly visible when you are around 250 meters away.
On reaching the viewing spot, I was absolutely taken away by the Grandeur of Horseshoe Bend!! I had seen pictures but being there in person totally changes your perspective!! Horseshoe Bend is a colossal meander with cliffs dropping thousand feet to the Colorado River!! The view will take your breath away!! This place was mostly frequented by Locals but after the advent of Social Media, the popularity of this place took-off and is now visited by millions of tourists every year.
It was formed around 5 million years ago when the Colorado Plateau uplifted and the meandering rivers that crossed the ancient landscape were trapped in their beds. Over time, the rivers cut through the uplifted layers of sandstone. Here at Horseshoe Bend, the Colorado River created a roughly 1,000 ft (305 m) deep, 270º horseshoe-shaped bend in Glen Canyon. Nature is so unique and Beautiful!!
The spot can get a little busy as the day progresses so its always a safe bet to reach there early during sunrise to get maximum photo ops!! There are plenty of hidden spots along the cliff presenting a perfect yet serene view of the canyon below. Always be careful while taking a peak down to the river or even trying to get boldly close to the cliff for photos. It can be dangerous!! A small hill is visible in the distance and many tourists are attracted to the idea of scaling this hill to get a better view. My advise, it’s not worth the climb. Sure you will get a elevated view of the horizon if that’s your area of interest but the canyon becomes less visible from the top of the hill.
After absorbing the beauty of this natural wonder, its was time to head to the next destination. Another 15 minutes drive from Horseshoe Bend is the Lower Antelope Canyon!! Now there are some rules laid down in Page as the land is owned by the Navajo Tribe. You can only visit the Antelope Canyons with authorized tour guide. For Lower Antelope Canyon we chose Kent Tours. The Tour operators are located right next to the entrance of the Canyon. Once we got there, we did the checkin and a few minutes later they called out our group.
The Tour guide does the brief introduction and then starts taking us down into the Lower Antelope Canyon. Its a few staircases down to get started but once their, the beautiful texture of the canyon walls just leaves you amazed!! The pathways are narrow across most of the canyon and the tour guide would stop periodically to explain the history of the place and unique features in the canyon. This is definitely one of the most amazing natural wonders I have ever seen. The Tour guides are courteous and help you capture some amazing shots all across the canyon. Once the tour is complete, we went through the gift shop to pickup some souvenirs.
I would highly recommend this tour and Kent Tours!! It was absolutely amazing. Next, we headed to Upper Antelope Canyon. There are multiple tour operators for the Upper Canyon and all are kind of scattered across. So depending on the tour operator, you might have to drive 10 to 20 mins to their pick up location. We went with Adventures Antelope Canyon which was around 15 mins drive. Once there, we were checked in with our tour operator and put in a SUV. It’s a 10 mins drive from there mostly off road. The Tour operator mentioned that only 4 wheel drive SUV(s) authorized by tour operators are allowed. The views are amazing all along the off road track. We passed Rattlesnake canyon as well. Upon reaching and entering the Upper Antelope Canyon, one can easily notice that it is much wider and has higher roof covering that Lower Antelope Canyon. The walls which are made of compressed sandstone are as gorgeous as the Lower Antelope Canyon!! It’s almost the same drill as the Lower Canyon. The tour guide knows the perfect spots for taking pics. The majestic walls and pathways make it clear how wonderfully nature carved out its way making these beautiful creations along the way!!
Once done, we were out and back in the SUV heading back to base camp. After that hopped into our car and headed to town center to get some much needed food before hitting the highway back to Vegas. There are plenty of options to chose from – Thai, American, Fast Food and Mexican cuisine! We had some Thai food and then headed to local grocery store to grab some water for the road.
It was amazing experience in Page Arizona. I would highly recommend anyone visiting Arizona to definitely plan 1-2 days for this place. If you are a Lake person then Lake Powell is perfect place to take out the Kayak or simply go fishing! With a heavy heart it was time to say good bye and keep traveling to our next destination!! Bye Bye Page Arizona!!
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