Recently, I took two weeks to go on a road trip through the state of Arizona.
Traveling, or not traveling, right now is a very personal decision and one that I did not take lightly. My friend and I agreed on some important things ahead of time - we would not be doing any indoor dining, museums, bars, etc.
Some nights, eating outside in November was more comfortable than others (plot twist: Arizona isn’t always warm). Some nights we cooked in our Airbnbs. If we encountered people without masks, even outdoors, we distanced ourselves from the situation.
I will mention things throughout these Arizona city guides in regards to how certain areas, restaurants, etc. handled coronavirus protocols.
But our overall goal for the trip was to hike, run, and generally spend time outside - alone. This was not the trip for trying all of Arizona’s restaurants and bars and museums and this guide reflects that.
You can read about our first stop, Phoenix & The Superstition Mountains here!
You can read about our second stop, Tucson & Saguaro National Park here!
You can read about our third stop, Williams & The Grand Canyon here!
Our next stop was Page, Arizona!
PAGE
WHERE WE STAYED
Page is a small city of just over 7,000 people located on the border of Norther Arizona and Southern Utah. It’s smaller than the town I grew up in, yet it’s most popular local attractions, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, have begun to attract millions of visitors per year. That’s right - MILLIONS.
We opted for an Airbnb in town, and we absolutely loved it. I’ve never had a rental kitchen with more cooking gear! We were in heaven as we drank red wine, listened to music, and cooked ourselves a salad with roasted cauliflower, eggplant, sundried tomatoes, couscous and more.
After a stay in an Airstream, a tiny home, and a motel/trail with no electricity - we really felt like we were living large in our two bedroom, two bathroom house in Page.
WHAT to eat
We were so smitten with our kitchen, that we ate dinner both nights at our Airbnb. We didn’t make it out once while we were in Page, other than to stop at the grocery store.
Each morning of the trip we made oatmeal and coffee for breakfast and packed sandwiches to eat while we were out and about during the day - it helped save us a lot of money and most importantly limited the amount of contact with other humans!
While we were on our kayaking tour, however, a few places were recommended to us which I’ll list below (keep in mind I can’t personally vouch for any of these, but our local tour guide said they were his favorites!)
STATE 48 FOR BEER & BURGERS
614 N. NAVAJO DRIVE | PAGE, AZ
BLUE BUDDHA SUSHI LOUNGE FOR THE VOLCANO ROLL
644 N. NAVAJO DRIVE | PAGE, AZ
NEW YORK TERIYAKI FOR JAPANESE
663 S. LAKE POWELL BLVD | PAGE, AZ
what to do
The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has so much more to offer than photography tours of Antelope Canyon and selfies at Horseshoe Bend. I’ll include details on those, because they’re not to be missed if you’re in Page, but I’m going to start this section with the less popular picks.
hike the Lee’s ferry and spencer trail lookout
I’ll give you a heads up - this hike isn’t a walk in the park. But if you’re looking for a challenge or looking to work up a sweat, with the promise of some incredibly rewarding views - this trail is a must-do! We were feeling a little cocky post Grand Canyon hike, but the Spencer Trail’s 1500+ feet of elevation over a short 1.5 miles had my legs and lungs SCREAMING!
The switchbacks are bountiful and the space between you and the side of the sizable drop-off isn’t immense - I don’t know that anyone with a fear of heights would be a big fan of this hike.
When we reached the summit (after a lot of whining from me including, “WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?”) we had the entire place to ourselves and the view was stunning. A private Horseshoe Bend, totally work the sore legs. We took a good long break at the top to sit out in the sun and take in the views.
You’ll want to bring poles - it made the descent much more enjoyable. When we made it back to the parking lot, we found ourselves a patch of sand down by the Colorado River and enjoyed (another) turkey sandwich with a view.
go adventuring in cathedral wash
I’m so glad our tour guide recommended checking out Cathedral Wash, a slot canyon blissfully free of Antelope Canyon’s crowds and though very different, stunning in it’s own right!
This 3.3 mile “hike” is more of a rock climbing/scrambling puzzle for your body and brain - but it was so different and so much fun.
There were parts where we were pretty scared and our adrenaline was definitely pumping, but looking back it was all fairly doable if you pick the right spots to go down further into the canyon.
Unfortunately, we didn’t start early enough and had to turn around before we made it to the end for fear of finding ourselves in the clot canyon after sunset. But if you make it to the end - you’ll find yourself at the Colorado River.
sunset over marble canyon on navajo bridge
This was my favorite sunset of the entire trip, there I said it! (We had a LOT of sunset stops). My only wish is that we’d had a beer.
Again, the Navajo Bridge was recommended to us by our kayaking tour guide, who mentioned it as a place we might find some condors. While we didn’t see any massive birds (which was actually perfectly fine by me!) we did have the entire bridge to ourselves.
Looking out into the Colorado River and Marble Canyon, seeing red rocks and the horizon stretching out as far as I could see, just absolutely and entirely surrounded by nature…I get chills just thinking about how amazing it was. We really felt like something must be wrong, had everyone else in the world disappeared and we were the only ones left? Surely that’s the only reason we could be completely alone with such an epic view while hundreds of people with selfie sticks stood at Horseshoe Bend.
I can’t promise you an entirely similar experience when you visit, but I can tell you that a sunset on the Navajo Bridge is breathtakingly beautiful and absolutely worth a stop.
Oh, and there a Glen Canyon National Recreation Area gift shop!
RUN THE PAGE RIMVIEW TRAIL
This 9.8 mile trail, let’s just call it 10, winds it way around Page with views of Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon area. The elevation wasn’t bad at all (just 433 feet) but we had some tired legs and this was a struggggle. Even though it wasn’t a great run, it was an awesome, well marked, well-maintained trail for a sunrise run!
VISIT ANTELOPE CANYON
Due to COVID-19, the typical Antelope Canyon tours, which explore the upper canyons, were all shut down. Navajo Nation is closed to tourism, and you need to entre Navajo lands in order to get to the upper canyons.
Luckily, the lower portion of Antelope Canyon was still accessible, and we were able to book a tour through Lake Powell Adventure Co. - we got to kayak to the entrance to the lower canyons and then hike a mile or so in.
We started at 10 am, and by the time we came out of the canyon, there were a LOT of kayaks and jet skis pulled up to shore. But while we explored, it was fairly uncrowded. There were a few girls clearly getting their Instagram on, and they were a little sassy with our tour guide, but nothing too annoying.
My favorite part of this excursion was getting to meet some new people - I didn’t realize how much I missed talking with strangers! Leave it to a global pandemic to make you realize maybe you don’t hate small talk as much as you thought you did.
Our tour guide was full of interesting information and stories and we happily chatted and paddled the whole trip. He also knew all the best spots for pictures.
The canyon itself was really beautiful - the rock is so smooth, I couldn’t stop touching it! At one point, it was a straight up zig zag of rock formations that we had to navigate through. Very cool.
While I enjoyed the tour experience, and I’m really glad we did it, it’s also possible to kayak, jet ski or rent a boat and go to the lower canyon on your own.
HORSESHOE BEND
We opted to head to Horseshoe Bend at sunset - and were confused by the crowds leaving 10 minutes before sunset.
Anyway - entry fee is $10 - which I’m happy to support the local area - but it’s also slightly annoying that they don’t accept National Parks passes or Glen Canyon parking passes.
If you’re someone who isn’t into the touristy spots, and likes hiking- you can really skip this stop, in my opinion. It’s a boring 1 mile walk to a lookout with tons of people taking pictures. The fact that they give you a brochure about the “hike” and packing water is…ugh.
BUT I’m not here to judge - if you want a $10 Instagram picture for minimal physical effort (hey, it’s vacation, after all) then by all means make sure this is on your itinerary.
We scoped out a rock and sat and drank a prickly pear sour beer which made the experience much more enjoyable! And the sunset WAS really beautiful.
MORE TIME?
There’s SO much to do from Page. I definitely think people underestimate the area. Here are a few more ideas in case you decide to stay long (a decision I support!)
BUCKSKIN GULCH
The only reason we ultimately decided against this hike is that it requires driving down a fairly long dirt road - and with our rental, we didn’t want to risk it. It probably would have been fine, but 4-wheel drive would be ideal.
The trailhead of Wire Pass is in Kanab, Utah and meets up with the Buckskin Gulch Slot Canyon within Paria Canyon - Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness.
VISIT “THE WAVE” - IF YOU’RE LUCKY & PLAN FAR IN ADVANCE!
The Wire Pass trailhead is actually the way you would navigate to the insta-famous “The Wave” rock formation that’s part of the Coyotte Buttes (North). But in order to do so, you’ll need a permit (awarded via lottery) as only 20 people are permitted to hike the Coyote Buttes (North and South) each day.
Ultimately, I’m really glad we found out about Cathedral Wash!
COYOTE GULCH HIKE
An arch rock and a waterfall are the draws to this 10.6 mile hike!
SPEND A DAY ON LAKE POWELL
Whether you choose to rent a houseboat, a motorboat, a jet ski, a kayak or a standup paddle board - if I were here in the summer I would 100% spend more time on the water! There are SO many local tour companies. It’s a big party, from what I hear!
DAY TRIP TO UTAH
The Glen Canyon area has plenty to offer - but if you’re in Page for a longer amount of time and feel like crossing the border into Utah - there are a ton of options there as well. Within driving distance are some of Utah’s Greatest Hits including Bryce Canyon National Park (2.5 hours), Zion National Park (1 hour 45 minutes) and parts of Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument (varying distances).
