Antelope Canyon is as gorgeous as I had imagined. Visiting meant we not only had an opportunity to step foot on Navajo Nation for the first time, but we got to bask in the wispy waves of the orange canyon, shaped by hundreds (of thousands?) of years of water flows. Photos don’t do it justice, but they sure come close to capturing the magic of the Canyon without seeing it for yourself!
Of all our road trip stops, Page had the most pleasant and temperate weather during our fall visit. While there were occasional light showers, the air was warm and we hardly needed to be tucked into our sleeping bags (actually, one of our campsite neighbors actually didn’t use a tent at all!).
Read on for our top recommendations and to hear about our misadventures trying to figure out the correct time in Arizona!
We respectfully acknowledge the Native people and tribes who have been stewarding this land for thousands of years: Navajo, Hopi, Southern Paiute, Pueblos, Ute.
Trip Purpose
Visit Antelope Canyon on Navajo Nation and enjoy a “free- and/or pool-day” at the halfway point of our 13-day road trip
DESTINATION: Tse’bighanilini (aka Upper Antelope Canyon) + Page, Arizona
AGE OF THE KID: 4 years
SUGGESTED LENGTH OF STAY: 1+ days
TIME OF YEAR: Early October (the temps in Page and the surrounding areas were very mild!)
Road Trip Series
This was one of several stops on our Southwestern U.S. road trip--click the map icon for more!
BASE COST
- Campground/accommodations: $34.25/night per tent site
- Antelope Canyon tour: $90/person
- Horsehoe Bend: $10/vehicle
ADD-ONS: meals & incidentals
Before You Go
- ABSOLUTELY the first thing you do, once you’ve decided to make the trek, is to book your tour at Upper Antelope Canyon–the slots fill up quickly, especially with the limited capacity restrictions due to COVID. The Canyon can only be accessed by booking with one of the approved tour operators. We booked with Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours, not only because they had the time slots we were looking for, but also because they allow kids on the tour (AntelopeCanyon.com was the only other tour company that does, while Antelope Slot Canyon and Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours said explicitly that toddlers and young children are not allowed on their tours). Plus, we learned later, that the tour company is Navajo-owned! Lower Antelope Canyon is less popular, so typically has more availability at a fraction of the cost.
- If you prefer, book your accommodations ahead of time
- Double-check the timing of your reservations. Arizona doesn’t observe Daylight Savings–so it oscillates between being aligned with the time in California and Utah. Depending on where you’re driving in from, you may experience a time change (like we did–see below)!
- We stopped in Page on our Southwestern U.S. road trip. We recommend bundling this stop along with visits to some of the nearby national parks–either drive or fly from the Bay Area into some of the closest metropolitan airports, such as in Las Vegas, NV or Flagstaff, AZ.
What We Packed
- Standard camping essentials
- For the tour of Upper Antelope Canyon itself
- Travel carseat for our kid
- We were only allowed one bag or backpack per family
- Water
- Stroller or carrier (optional)
Recommended Activities
Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Big Lake Trading Post for Navajo frybread are all musts!
Antelope Canyon
~$90/person for a 90-minute tour
Get your cameras ready! Visiting Tse’bighanilini (Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon) was definitely one of the highlights of our road trip. After you check in at the tour office of Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours, you wait in a holding area until your tour truck is ready for you to board. Be sure to have your kid’s car seat on-hand and that everyone goes to the bathroom before your tour begins, as there aren’t any toilets at the Canyon.
Since we were a party of five we had a whole truck and tour guide to ourselves 🙂 My parents sat on the bench of the converted truck bed, while we sat in the cab where our kid’s carseat could be strapped in. Then you’re driven less than 10 minutes to the entrance of the canyon where you off-board and begin your mini-hike (less than half a mile).
Walking through the narrow canyon feels so surreal. Don’t forget to look up! I loved all the orange hues and seeing how water has shaped the sandstone to create beautiful “chambers,” shapes, and shadows. Not only that, but to be guided through this landscape by an indigenous person on Navajo Nation was such a privilege. Our guide was also a pro-photographer, teaching me how to use the Pano setting to take a vertical panorama (mind-blowing).
Also, how refreshing that masking was MANDATORY–other than to drink water, you were not allowed to have your mask off, not even for a photo. This was such a change from the scene in Page (and throughout our time in Arizona), where masking was not at all a thing. Sigh.
Bringing your small children with you into the canyon? Here’s a tip: consider talking to them about what they might see before you arrive. It didn’t actually occur to us to prep our kid about visiting a cave, but I can see now how that would’ve been a valuable exercise; one of us ended up having to carry her most of the tour because she seemed to be afraid of the dark chambers 🙁 A baby carrier would be okay, but strollers are a no-go, so make sure your kid is prepared to walk through the Canyon and also up and along the ramp/stairs that lead you back to your tour vehicle. Be sure to book with a tour operator that actually allows children on the tour–as of this writing only Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours (see above) and AntelopeCanyon.com fit the bill.
Horseshoe Bend
$10/vehicle, no in-and-out privileges
Again, this is worth the Instagram-hype. After about a 20-minute (less than a mile, but flat and paved) walk from the parking lot, through what seems like endless desert, you can catch your first glimpse of the canyon. It is magnificent. This was another of the highlights of our entire trip. If you brought your stroller along, this hike would be a good time to use it! Our kid walked, slowly but surely, and found a way to pass the time by walking on the rocks that made up the perimeter of the path.
Eat Navajo Frybread
Big Lake Trading Post serves this storied bread three ways (~$10/person)
What may at first seem like an unassuming gas station is actually home to tasty Navajo frybread: fried doughy goodness that is served up at Big Lake Trading Post with either hamburger fixins, taco fixins, or with powdered sugar and honey for those looking for something sweet. It reminds me of a thicker, doughier version of Thai roti, and is delicious. Interestingly enough, frybread has a bit of a conflicted history.
Where to Stay
The campground was affordable at $34.25/night per tent site, and had decent amenities, such as a pool (which we had all to ourselves during the weekday mornings), hot tub, and coin-operated laundry. The campground catered more to the RV/trailer type of camper–they also offer covered wagons and bungalows–and is paved over, except for the handful of tent sites, which are on dirt. Some of the tent sites had electrical plugs, and one area even had an awning, which was useful since it rained during our stay. There is also a small playground for the kiddos (my kid only played on it for a few minutes before she got bored…). Cons were the weak WiFi and so-so customer service; there was a mix-up about the campsite we booked and check-in felt like it took forever, as only one person was working the desk.
If You Have Time
While not essential, these activities were fun additions to our trip
Eat & Drink
See above, plus...
This cafe, restaurant, and taproom, all rolled into one, has an awesome and open back patio with lounge furniture, where we hid away as soon as we ordered since NO ONE WAS WEARING A MASK. Breakfast was decent, but the coffee wasn’t my favorite. I don’t recall if their bathrooms had changing tables, but they were nice and clean. I could imagine enjoying a nice beer here. ($15-20/person)
Although I couldn’t tell you for myself (pescetarians, holler!), my family enjoyed the ribs, though they also said it wasn’t anything to write home about. The cornbread was fluffy, cakey, and sweet. Be sure to check hours–they close for the winter. ($15-$25/person)
Activities
See above, plus...
This overlook is located in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and provides more than 180-degrees of views, from Monument Valley in New Mexico to the nearby canyons of Utah. Plan to spend at least 10 minutes here to soak in the view and take pictures 🙂
We stopped here at an opportune time on our way from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. See our review here!
Places You Can Skip
Glen Canyon Dam Overlook: We took a peek at the dam on our way across the bridge, but to me, visiting the dam (or the adjacent visitors center) wouldn’t be a very appealing destination. Unless, of course, you’re really into dams!
Wishlist for our Next Visit
- I would love to catch those iconic light beams while visiting Upper Antelope Canyon. Our tour guide told us that July and August are the best times of year to experience this, since that’s when the sun is highest around 10 am. It’s also the warmest time of the year to visit, though, so buyer beware.
- There were a number of groups going out for a boat trip or playing along the beach at Lake Powell Resort/Wahweap Marina. If we had more time I would’ve looked into doing a boat tour.
- Visit Lower Antelope Canyon: It would be cool to have a different view, plus one that is a little more forgiving on my wallet…
- The sunsets looked beautifully pink and orange from our campsite–hope sometime to catch them from a more scenic spot!
Mishaps
Can you really call it a road trip if you didn't run into a few mishaps along the way?
Arizona time had me so messed up! The entire state is technically on Mountain Standard Time, which, based on deduction, is one hour ahead of Pacific Standard Time. However,—and this was where I kept getting hung up—during Daylight Savings, when most states (including those on Mountain Standard Time) turn their clocks ahead, the entire state of Arizona does not adjust, because it does not observe Daylight Savings Time. This means that for part of the year, the state is aligned on Pacific Daylight Time, and for the other portion, is aligned with Mountain Standard Time. Does your head hurt yet? It didn’t help that our cell phone clocks kept changing, so when we were going from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, then from there to Page, we were SO confused. What time WAS it?
We had not yet fully understood this concept, even though we triple checked the “time in Page, AZ” online. As we made plans to visit Page, we made the decision to pack up our camp at Jacob Lake at 5 am so that we could make the two-hour (plus one hour time change) drive to make our tour before 9 am. (Ideally, we would’ve been able to drive to Page without being on a time crunch, but when I had booked our tour, the only available date for our party was during a travel day.)
The morning of, we were actually making good time, and we decided to make a pit stop at Historic Navajo Bridge. The morning golden hour there was absolutely breathtaking (look at all the pretty colors against the rocks!), and we were the only ones there, making the early-morning wake-up at least somewhat worth it.
We arrive at Antelope Canyon tours with about 15 minutes to spare. YAY! Imagine my surprise when I walk up to the tour desk and see a clock displaying…“7:00 am”! WHAAAAT
We were too early by an hour and fifteen minutes! Sigh. But as I longed for the extra hour of sleep we could’ve all enjoyed, I also was grateful that we got up when we did. Not only were we there early (a very novel concept in my book…), but we’d also had time to see the sunrise and eat a decent breakfast before going on the tour.
Road Trip Series
This was one of several stops on our Southwestern U.S. road trip--click the map icon for more!
Angelica (she/her) is of Cebuano(Pilipinx)-descent and was born and raised in Huchiun Ohlone territory (the East Bay Area--pay your Shuumi Land Tax!), where she also now resides with her partner and their toddler. She loves to spend her time sipping on boba and dirty chai lattes (sometimes together), and eating pescetarian goodies at BIPOC-owned cafes and restaurants.
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