Hikes, Tours, Kayaking, Horseshoe Bend and so much more to see and do in Page Arizona
There is much to love about Page Arizona and the amazing sights nearby
Details, Details…….
Page Arizona is located in the Northeastern part of the state and there is tons to do in this town of 7375 residents. It makes the perfect hub for a trip to lots of sights in the surrounding area and we have now visited 4 times in 2 years. We will keep coming back for all it has to offer.
Interestingly, Page Arizona is a fairly new town. You will notice fairly quickly that there is a large river (the Colorado), lake (Lake Powell), and dam (Glen Canyon Dam). The river has been there forever. The lake and the dam are new like the town. When I say new, I mean 1957 new. At that time the city was founded as a housing community for the workers and the families who were building the nearby Glen Canyon dam on the Colorado. The Page Arizona area is surrounded by Navajo Nation land and that offers lots of opportunities for things to see and do around the area as well.
I also enjoy Page Arizona for its laid-back feel and friendly people. I find most of Arizona to have that feel but Page especially because it has that small town vibe. People seem genuinely glad to have you there visiting.
Why Page Arizona?
I encourage you to visit Page, Arizona because it has something for everyone and all the things you need for a great week. Water activities, outdoor exploring adventures, in the air adventures and more. I’m going to share the ones we did and enjoyed. There are so many more, but this will help you start. (I’m not being sponsored by any of these companies, although maybe someday I will be). These are just things we loved while in Page, Arizona.
Water Adventures
Lake Powell Kayak & slot canyon
We love slot canyons, and we will take any opportunity to see them. We read about a tour to see Antelope Canyon from Lake Powell and we were all in. Almost the whole Antelope Canyon area around Page Arizona is on Navajo Nation land and therefore you can only access through a tour. This small section of Antelope Canyon where it enters Lake Powell is accessible without a tour, but you need a kayak.
We did this awesome kayaking paddle on Lake Powell, in Page Arizona for about 2 miles to get into Antelope Canyon to reach the part of the canyon where you can start hiking. It’s the only way to see this part of Antelope Canyon. You can rent your own kayaks (we saw paddle boards too) or you can go on a group tour through Lake Powell Paddle boards and Kayak tours. They offered private tours, so we opted for one of those. It was FANTASTIC.
Our guide, Kenna, was awesome. We paddled the two miles on the lake and into the canyon and pulled our kayaks out while we hiked. We got to hike about 1 1/2 miles into the slot which was really cool. One of the neat things this year is that the huge snowmelt they had last spring has really raised the level of the lake (it is much needed) and so we got to kayak much further into the canyon before hiking. Kenna pointed out how low the lake was just a year ago. It was a huge difference. That’s great for the health of Lake Powell and the surrounding Page Arizona area.
Lake Powell is amazing to explore and offers tons of water opportunities. You can also raft to Horseshoe Bend on a half day adventure which is on our list for our next visit.
Grand Canyon Rafting
Page Arizona is also a great starting point for those who will be taking Grand Canyon rafting trips. They start in Lee’s Ferry which is about 40 minutes from Page. We did a rafting trip this summer and we spent several days in Page before and after hitting the river. To read more about our trip check out my 2 blogs on the river trip. First is the details of our river rafting adventures. Second is about the 10 things I learned rafting the Grand Canyon.
Lone rock Beach
One last water activity we did was taking our 4-wheel drive vehicle to Lone Rock Beach. It’s a VERY sandy area so you really need 4-wheel drive but if you can make it, it’s a beautiful beach to check out. I mentioned the lakes rising water levels earlier. This is another place you can see that. Last year there was no water around the rock. This year it is back to being an island. It’s a lovely spot to put your toes in the lake and relax.
Outdoor Adventure Activities in Page Arizona
There is a lot of outdoor exploring to be done outside in Page Arizona. We love to hike and explore and there are some amazing slot canyons in this area. They are mostly all on Navajo Nation land, so you need to explore with a tour. We are NOT fans of big tours, but you can find small group tours to explore Antelope Canyon in Page. We have done 2 different slot canyon tours during our visits, and they are both EXCELLENT.
Little Antelope Canyon
The first was a small tour group (we had 10 people and 2 guides) in Little Antelope Canyon. It’s not part of the big canyon so the crowds are nonexistent. We didn’t see anyone outside of our group. A huge bonus to this tour is that after the canyon tour, they took us on a side tour to a secret overlook for Horseshoe Bend that is on native land. We were the only ones there as well. Fantastic. I highly recommend this tour. There is about a 30-minute drive to get there in one of their trucks which was fun, and the guides give lots of information and stories and are super great about helping you get fantastic pictures.
Cardiac Canyon
Even more exciting was the amazing Taadidiin tour of Cardiac Canyon which is part of Antelope canyon as well. This was a photography tour but was also great for just exploring. The best part was that it was just a group of 5 people with 2 tour guides. SO MUCH FUN. It lasted 5 hours, the guides were amazing, and they offered lots of history and fun stories.
You need to be in good physical condition for this hike. There is a big, steep, sandy canyon to climb down into and out of. Do not underestimate it. One of our group had to be evacuated because he was not able to climb back out. There are also a few ladders and steps with ropes to help you up into various parts of the canyon.
Horseshoe Bend
You may have done the Little Antelope Canyon tour and gotten to see Horseshoe Bend from the private overlook. It’s gorgeous. Even if you did, you should see the “main” Horseshoe Bend overlook. Mainly it’s just beautiful and it’s fun to see. It’s a tad bit of a different view and it’s just nice to check out again. This is truly one of my favorite natural features out west and definitely in Page Arizona. It’s open from sunrise to sunset and the busiest times are 9-11 a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m. Sunset is particularly busy.
The cost to enter and park here is $10 per vehicle. It’s about 1/2-mile hike to the overlook on a good path paved most of the way. Most of the crowd stays right there in the overlook area. We ventured off to the left a ways and rock hopped a bit for some more secluded views. Please just be cautious! The parking lot for Horseshoe Bend is right at MM 544 just outside of Page Arizona on Highway 89.
While in Page Arizona you have to go hike Buckskin Gulch in Utah. It’s less than an hour away and worth the drive. This is another great slot canyon, and you don’t need a tour to do it. Make sure you check the weather before because the slot canyons are so narrow, and you could be in danger if you are caught there in a flash flood. We were there in the summer and there was some water from a recent flood. You will get wet so make sure you are wearing things you don’t mind getting muddy and wet.
The road from route 89 to the trail head is rough at times so 4-wheel drive is handy. It all depends on the rain recently and the time of year. We drove it several times in our Ford F150 with no issues.
You will love this hike. Make sure you use a GPS downloaded navigation if you have one because there are a few turns on the trail you could mistake. I love AllTrails. Download before you leave Page Arizona. Service out there is not great. Here are the AllTrails stats for this hike.
Keep in mind that this is also the trail head for the Wave Hike if you happen to have or get a permit. More on that next.
The Wave
If you haven’t heard of The Wave, it’s an amazingly beautiful hike on the border of Arizona and Utah that requires a permit. They give permits in advance by lottery and a few the day before that make up the 60 permits they give out for each day. Check out my blogs linked below on how to get permits and how to hike to the Wave.
I’ve done two blogs on The Wave Hike. Check the first blog to find more info on how to get advance permits.
This blog will fill you in on all the details of our Wave hike:
Glen Canyon Dam
Don’t miss the Glen Canyon Dam which is the second-highest concrete-arch dam in the United States after the Hoover Dam. Take the time to walk over it to see the views from both sides. It’s especially nice in the evening during sunset. They also offer tours of the dam if you are interested. The dam is on Highway 89 about 2 miles north of Page Arizona. See more info below.
Navajo Bridge
About 40 miles outside of Page Arizona is the very cool Navajo Bridge. The Navajo Bridge is the old and new bridges across the Colorado River just down from Page Arizona before the beginning of the Grand Canyon. You can drive across the new bridge and walk across the old one. The views of the river are beautiful and there is a small visitor center with a gift shop on the opposite side from where we parked coming from Page. Several Navajo women set up tables with their local crafts to sell. Before you get here you will drive through a large section of Navajo land.
Here are views of the bridge we took from the top and from our raft at the beginning of our Grand Canyon rafting trip.
Air Adventures in Page Arizona
Helicopter Tour of Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell & landing on Tower Butte
I used to be so afraid to fly. But if you want to travel and see the world you need to fly. I’ve gotten bolder and bolder and started taking helicopter flights. They are amazing for views and photography. In researching about Horseshoe Bend I quickly found that there was a helicopter tour in Page Arizona that would take you over Horseshoe Bend, around Lake Powell for some amazing views and end by landing on top of Tower Butte near Lake Powell. Tower Butte is a 5287-foot sandstone butte that really stands out in the desert area around Page.
Check out some of the stunning views we saw on our helicopter tour with Papillion helicopter tours. It was truly stunning.
The tour company we used flew right out of the Page Arizona airport was Papillion Tours and they were really fantastic. I highly recommend them.
There is so much more to do and see in this area but this will give you a taste of what we enjoyed over the 7 days we have visited Page Arizona. If you like this blog post please like, comment, subscribe or even better do all three. And please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and X.
Keep exploring!
Stephanie
seymoreoftheworldwithme
Great idea