4 Days in Page, Arizona: Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend & Monument Valley

Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Page is a small town at the Arizona/Utah border, most famous as the location of Glen Canyon Dam and Antelope Canyon. It’s the perfect base for 4 days of slot canyons, desert overlooks, and buttes — here’s how we’d spend them.

Getting There

We drove up from Phoenix via Oak Creek Canyon Road — the scenic route through Sedona’s red rocks. Worth the detour if you’re coming from the south.

Where to Stay: Book a Vacation Rental with a Pool

First up: book one of the rim-view Airbnbs with a pool. Page gets hot, and having your own pool to come back to makes the trip. We chose @upvacationhome and had a lovely time.

Day 1: Horseshoe Bend at Sunrise + Monument Valley

Day 1: head to Horseshoe Bend at sunrise — the light is soft, the crowds are thin, and the overlook is spectacular.

Go deeper: Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona

One caution: the walk to the overlook is not for the elderly or if you have mobility issues — it’s an exposed sandy trail with no shade.

Then buckle up for a long drive: approx 2 hrs east to Monument Valley, with its stunning buttes in Navajo Nation.

Go deeper: Monument Valley — majestic sandstone towers

It’s absolutely worth the day-trip from Page — an iconic American landscape.

Day 2: Upper Antelope Canyon

Day 2: late start with Upper Antelope. A few things to know:

Tours cost at least ~$120 per head
Best visited between 11am–12pm, when the light beams shine into the canyon
Book early — these tours get sold out!

Go deeper: Lower & Upper Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona

Grab some lunch at Fiesta Mexicana in town, then head over to the Wahweap Overlook after a break — a scenic overlook across the lake and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

Stop by at the dam visitor center to see Glen Canyon Dam up close, and if you have the energy, Horseshoe Bend again for sunset — it’s a completely different scene in evening light.

Day 3: Buckskin Gulch / Wire Pass

Day 3: head over to Buckskin Gulch / Wire Pass — a lovely hike through an uncrowded slot canyon. After Antelope’s tour groups, the solitude here is the appeal.

Go deeper: Wire Pass & Buckskin Gulch — Grand Staircase-Escalante

It lies within Grand Staircase-Escalante, with many options that will take you 2–4 hrs depending on how far in you go.

Day 4 (Optional): Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon is only 2 hrs away too! If you have a fourth full day, the South Rim makes an easy add-on.

Go deeper: Grand Canyon South Rim day trip

Verdict

Four days in Page gives you the best of the desert Southwest without rushing: two world-class slot canyons, the most photographed bend in the Colorado River, Monument Valley’s buttes, and an optional Grand Canyon finale. Book the Antelope tours early, chase the sunrise at Horseshoe Bend, and get the rental with a pool.

Utah on Visit Karma