Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Page sits on a mesa above the Colorado River in northern Arizona, a small town surrounded by some of the most photographed landscapes in the American Southwest.
Page was founded in the late 1950s as a camp for workers building the dam, and it still has the feel of a practical, friendly base town. This guide explains how to see its highlights, including how to book Antelope Canyon properly with Navajo-authorized tour operators, when to go, where to stay and how to plan two or three days in the area.
The landscape around Page is built from Navajo Sandstone, ancient dunes turned to stone and then sculpted by water. The Colorado River cut down through this rock as the region was uplifted over millions of years, creating Glen Canyon, the tight meanders of Horseshoe Bend and, farther downstream, the Grand Canyon itself.
Page also sits at a cultural crossroads. The town borders the Navajo Nation, and Antelope Canyon lies on Navajo land as part of Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park, so visiting is an opportunity to learn from Navajo guides about the canyon and the land around it.
The two sights that put Page on the map are a few miles apart, and many visitors see both on the same day. Antelope Canyon requires advance planning; Horseshoe Bend simply requires good timing.
Just south of town off U.S. Route 89, a trail of about one and a half miles round trip leads from a parking area to an overlook above a dramatic loop of the Colorado River. The river lies roughly a thousand feet below the rim, wrapping around a sandstone butte in a near-perfect horseshoe.
Known in Navajo by a name often translated as the place where water runs through rocks, Upper Antelope Canyon is the most visited slot. Its entrance is at ground level and the walk is fairly flat and sandy, making it the easier option for most people.
Beams of sunlight reach the floor of Upper Antelope Canyon around midday in the warmer months. Photo: Mferbfriske, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Lower Antelope Canyon, sometimes called the Corkscrew, is longer and narrower, with a series of steep metal staircases bolted into the rock to help you descend and climb out. The walls twist and fold in deep oranges, reds and purples, and the light is good through much of the day.
Lower Antelope Canyon is a narrow slot carved into Navajo Sandstone by flash floods. Photo: Uploaded by Meckimac, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Antelope Canyon can only be visited on a guided tour with an operator authorized by the Navajo Nation; you cannot enter on your own. Guided access became standard after a flash flood in August 1997 killed eleven visitors in Lower Antelope Canyon, triggered by a storm miles upstream while very little rain fell at the canyon itself.
Where Antelope Canyon reaches Lake Powell, the canyon floor slips under the water. From Antelope Point you can paddle a kayak or paddleboard into the flooded canyon between tall walls, then, depending on water levels, beach your craft and continue on foot.
The lower end of Antelope Canyon meets Lake Powell and can be explored by kayak. Photo: NPS, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Completed in the 1960s, Glen Canyon Dam rises in a smooth concrete curve between sandstone walls just outside town. The Carl Hayden Visitor Center beside the dam has exhibits on the dam's construction, the river and the region's geology, along with big windows facing the structure.
Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River created Lake Powell, one of the largest reservoirs in the United States. Photo: Christian Mehlführer, User:Chmehl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5
For a free view of the dam from below, drive to the Glen Canyon Dam Overlook at the end of a short road off Scenic View Drive, where a brief walk leads to a ledge looking up at the dam and down at the river.
Glen Canyon Bridge carries U.S. Route 89 high above the Colorado River just below the dam. Photo: Adbar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The dam holds back Lake Powell, which stretches far into Utah through flooded side canyons. Near Page, Wahweap Marina and Antelope Point offer boat rentals, tours and swimming.
Lone Rock stands in Wahweap Bay on the Utah side of Lake Powell. Photo: NPS Photo/Peter Krocek, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
One of the largest natural bridges in the world, Rainbow Bridge is a sacred place for several Native American peoples and lies in a remote side canyon of Lake Powell.
Rainbow Bridge is one of the largest known natural bridges in the world. Photo: Jason Hickey, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
For an easy walk without crowds, the Rimview Trail loops around the edge of the mesa on which Page sits, with views of Lake Powell, the Navajo Mountain skyline and the desert below. Short sections make a good sunset stroll.
Page's dining scene is casual and road-trip friendly, with most restaurants along Lake Powell Boulevard and in the small downtown blocks around it.
Look out for Navajo fry bread, a puffy fried dough served with honey and powdered sugar or topped with beans, meat, lettuce and cheese as a Navajo taco.
Popular dishes to try in Page (Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon)
Most visitors stay in Page itself, where motels and hotels line Lake Powell Boulevard and the streets near it.
For a lakeside stay, Wahweap and Lake Powell's marinas offer resort lodging and campgrounds near the water, and some travelers rent houseboats for several days on the lake. Campers can also choose Lone Rock Beach for primitive shoreline camping.
Where to stay in Page (Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon)
Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to October, bring the most comfortable temperatures for walking to Horseshoe Bend and exploring around town.
Winter is quiet and crisp, with cold nights and occasional snow, but it is a peaceful time to see Horseshoe Bend and the slot canyons with fewer people, and the softer light inside the canyons suits photography.
Page is a driving destination. It lies about four and a half hours north of Phoenix and a similar distance east of Las Vegas, making it a natural stop on loops that include the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon and Monument Valley.
You need a car to get around, since public transport is minimal. Distances between sights are short, and most tour companies collect you at their offices in town or near the canyon entrances.
Walk to Horseshoe Bend at sunrise, then take a late-morning or midday tour of Upper Antelope Canyon.
Tour Lower Antelope Canyon or Canyon X in the morning, then spend the afternoon on Lake Powell, swimming at Lone Rock Beach or joining a boat tour from Wahweap.
Paddle into the flooded end of Antelope Canyon from Antelope Point, then drive south to Marble Canyon.
At Lees Ferry, explore the historic buildings and the riverbank, where the cold, clear Colorado flows beneath tall red cliffs.
The Navajo Bridges cross Marble Canyon near Lees Ferry, south of Page. Photo: Ray Redstone, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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