Page, Arizona is a lesser-known area for those from out of state. It’s a pretty small, sleepy town in Northern Arizona, just below the border with Utah. It has some beautiful scenery, a really fun lake, and is a great spot for a weekend getaway. I’ve paired this weekend in Page with a 2-night trip to Springdale, Utah where Zion National Park is housed as well. It’s just over 2 hours from Page, so if you have an extra couple of days it just makes sense to add Zion to your itinerary. One of my top-three all-time hikes is in Zion, and it’s a completely unique experience. We did both of these trips in the summer with older kids, but this itinerary is friendly for all ages, and particularly fun for those who like to be active on vacation!
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Here is a sample itinerary for 4 days in Page and Zion, best in summer and good for anyone!
DAY 1: ANTELOPE CANYON, HORSESHOE BEND, AND GLEN CANYON DAM
Page, Arizona was originally developed to house the workers that were building the Glen Canyon Dam in the 1950’s, and is now a recreation and tourist destination just a 4-hour drive from Phoenix. The three major tourist destinations there are Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Lake Powell, and we will visit all three in this itinerary!
We drove up from Phoenix the night before, so we could start our Day 1 nice and early. I recommend staying at the Courtyard Marriott in Page. It is one of the nicer hotels in town, has all the amenities you’ll need, and bonus…if you have an electric car, they have EV chargers there!
Antelope Canyon is absolutely beautiful, and can’t be missed. There is the Upper Canyon and the Lower Canyon…both are quite similar, except that for the Lower Canyon you descend down a ladder in to the Canyon. Upper Canyon is the more popular one, so we decided to go with that. You can only visit Antelope Canyon through one of the local tour companies, and I recommend booking in advance because it is very popular. You can book through a tour company like Viator (they also offer combination tours to other destinations) or directly through the local tour company here Antelope Canyon Tours. Most tours are just about 2 hours. You meet at the starting location where you get in to the back of a truck like these pictured below, and then take a 20-minute drive through the desert (it’s fairly bumpy, but not terrible) to the entrance to the Canyon. As you walk through the Canyon, the guide will give you information about the Canyon, the rock formations, and history of the area. The guides are also great about taking pictures and helping you capture the best images of this unique area. The walk through the Canyon is about 1/4 mile, and then the walk back to the truck is about another 1/2 mile, so be sure everyone in your party is able to walk 3/4 of a mile through sandy ground. It’s really an amazing sight to see and worth a visit.
After your tour, you’ll have to drive back in to Page to find somewhere for lunch…there’s not much in this area, but nothing is too far. After lunch, head out to Horseshoe Bend, just a short drive from the city of Page. Horseshoe bend is a unique bend in the Colorado River that is iconic and has beautiful views, especially late morning to mid-day when the sun is at its highest. Currently it costs $10 cash per vehicle to enter the area. You’ll park, and then walk about 1/2 mile to the overlook, which is 1,000 feet above the water. There are beautiful red rocks all around that contrast so nicely with the blue-green water. It is possible to book a visit to Horseshoe Bend with Antelope Canyon through companies like Viator and Trip Advisor, but it’s really not necessary because it’s super easy to navigate Horseshoe Bend on your own
After checking out Horseshoe Bend, just 10 minutes up the road is the Glen Canyon Dam Overlook. There’s no fee to drive in and park here, and it’s a very short walk to the overlook where you can see a clear view of the dam. This is also a great spot to watch the sunset.
We were there a little too early for the sunset, so we got cleaned up at the hotel and then went out to the Wahweap Overlook to watch the sunset and admire the views of Lake Powell. It’s about 15 minutes from the Courtyard, but totally worth checking out before dinner. For dinner in Page, I recommend either BirdHouse for fried chicken or Bonkers for Italian!
DAY 2: BOATING ON LAKE POWELL
For Day 2, have a big breakfast early, and be sure to pack your sunscreen. The weather in Arizona in summer is pretty much always hot and sunny, so a day on the lake is a great way to beat the heat and take in some amazing views. Before heading to the lake, stop at the gas station for a cooler, ice, and drinks, and then stop at Subway (most are open by 8AM) to get some sandwiches made for lunch before heading to the Marina. I recommend booking a boat rental through Lake Powell Boat Rentals well in advance. They offer a variety of boats in all speeds and sizes, jet skis, water toys, and they even offer boat tours if you prefer that route. We rented a small speed boat with a tube, and picked it up at the Wahweap Marina.
We spent the entire day on the lake fishing, tubing, and swimming. It is one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve seen, surrounded by colorful rock formations and turquoise water. It’s nice and clean for swimming too. One of the most unique aspects of this lake are all of the fingers that it has…smaller canals branching off of the main part of the lake where you can get away to a quieter spot. We really enjoyed these areas, but getting there through the main canal was pretty rough!
DAY 3: TRAVEL TO SPRINGDALE AND GET GEARED UP FOR DAY 4 HIKE
If you’re just spending just the weekend in Page, these second two days can be skipped for another time. But please be sure to come back this way and get to Zion…it’s really worth it! You could also tack a visit to Bryce Canyon National Park during that same trip. If you’re only doing Zion and Bryce, there is an option to fly in to St. George Regional Airport (SGU), which is about an hour drive from Springdale.
If you have a couple more days though and you’re all the way to Page, it’s just a little over two hours Northwest of Page to get to Springdale, Utah where Zion National Park is. This is truly one of the most beautiful parks and hikes I’ve ever experienced. Unpopular opinion: I think it’s much better than the Grand Canyon…
If you’re up for a moderate hike (not due to elevation, but because you’re walking through flowing water in much of it) that can be between 4-10 miles, definitely plan on doing the Narrows Hike in Zion. If that’s not your speed, there are other hiking options here and here, or you can just simply explore the beauty of the park. If you do plan to do the Narrows, be sure to carve out time on this day to visit Zion Outfitter to pick up rental gear for the hike on Day 4. There are different gear packages depending on the time of year, but since we were there in summer we just rented the neoprene socks, waterproof boots, and walking sticks (about $35 each). They come in small sizes for kids as well. I also recommend getting at least one waterproof backpack for the group so you can bring snacks, phones, etc. Please rent the gear! We saw some people just wearing regular shoes and even sandals, and I would NOT recommend…having the right gear will make your experience so much better. Zion Outfitter also has a ton of information about the park, hikes, shuttles, safety information, and everything else you need to prepare for the hike.
In Springdale, we stayed at the Hampton Inn Springdale. It has all of the amenities you’ll need, and some amazing views as a bonus (all of Springdale has amazing views, really). After getting all prepped for our Narrows hike, we grabbed dinner at the Whiptail Grill just down the road, and enjoyed some margaritas and Mexican food with a view on their patio.
DAY 4: ZION NATIONAL PARK AND THE NARROWS HIKE
After having a good breakfast and gathering your gear, head to Zion National Park...all of the information you’ll need for your visit can be found here. If you’re hiking the Narrows, you’ll want to catch the shuttle near the entrance to take you to the trailhead. We chose to do the bottom-up route, which is 4-10 miles (you can turn around wherever you’d like) and considered moderate, or if you’re up for more of a challenge you can do the the top-down route which is 16 miles.
In addition to your rental gear, you’ll want to pack some snacks and water, phone or a camera to capture those amazing photos, and some socks and shoes to change in to after the hike if you plan to stay in the park. At the start of the hike you’ll have to walk along a path for a bit (a little challenging in those waterproof boots), but soon enough you’ll come to the slot canyon and views like this…
The hike is a sandy and rocky bottom as you can tell from the pictures, and the rocks can be slippery, so the waterproof boots really help. The water level can really vary, but when we were there it went from just a couple of inches to almost waist level (depending on how tall you are!). It’s really not that difficult, it just gets a little more challenging in the deeper water. In total we did about 7 miles, and it was one of THE best hikes I’ve done…just breathtaking!
It makes for a pretty long and tiring day, but definitely a bucket list adventure. Grab some dinner at one of the restaurants in Springdale to finish your stay before heading the 6.5 hours back to Phoenix or flying home the next day.
