Driving across the US…

One of our favorite, if not our favorite part of traveling between assignments as physical therapists is the opportunity we have to drive across the country. We have countless trips that we plan to expand on, including our drive through Canada to Alaska, the return drive from Alaska to Louisiana, and two other country wide trips from CA to MA, however this post is going to highlight what to see in Northern Arizona. Specifically Page AZ.

What do you mean there is stuff to see in Northern AZ?

Before becoming a travel therapist I’ll be honest, most of the beautiful locations I knew about were from the old AAA magazines my parents had around the house showing where to go and visit like Monterey CA, or Crater Lake OR (which I still haven’t been too, but working on it). Having now been across the country multiple times, my wife and I are always looking at what stops we can make on our travel to new destination and this was no different. Page AZ has both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, and Horseshoe Bend. Unfortunately due to time restrictions and time of year (it was late October during our trip) we didn’t have a chance to visit Lake Powell or Upper Antelope Canyon. This post will highlight Lower Antelope Canyon including pictures and tour guides, as well as a few tips on Horseshoe Bend.

Lower Antelope Canyon

First off, we have heard Upper Antelope Canyon offers views of the “light beams”, while Lower Antelope Canyon does not. We knew this going in, but as said above, we are sometimes time restricted on our travels and will make time on another pass through the country to see the Upper Canyon. What I will say however, is that light beam or no light beam, the Antelope Canyon is absolutely gorgeous. I mean check out this picture…

Our tour was early, at 9am. It was late October with slight snow on the ground. Fortunately the snow was already melting in the early morning. We would recommend wearing…

#1 we highly recommend wearing closed toed shoes (lots of sand and stairs)

Pants (again with the sand)
T-shirt or long sleeve with a jacket if its the winter months because there is limited sun in the canyon.
Hat or beenie (primarily for the cold during winter, not needed in summer)
and gloves if you get cold hands (I don’t, but my wife loves her hand warmers and would have been miserable without them)

This trip also included my parents, who at late 50s, early 60s were able to handle this tour quite easily. That is not to say that this is for everyone though. There are quite a few stairs to enter the canyon, a short walk to both enter and exit the Canyon, and at times, narrow sections, however if you can walk a mile and a flight or two or stairs, you can likely hand this tour. It is also more adventurous because the narrow sections make you feel like you are climbing through a canyon verse just walking through a picturesque landscape.

What guide to use?

We went to navajonationparks.org and used Dixie Ellis Lower Antelope Canyon Tours. I’m sure experiences range depending on your tour guide, but we could not be happier. Our guide was patient and even continually offered to take pictures for us throughout the tour. Most of these pictures were taken on an iPhone 6 or iPhone 10 so they are definitely possible to recreate for anyone visiting.

Are there crowds?

OF COURSE! However, we searched and found that during out time in October and in the winter months, it is slow season and each group was broken into 6-8 people. Every 30 minutes a new tour began and at no time did we experience a long wait. Through our own research and asking the tour guides, it sounds like both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon get pretty busy, and while Lower Antelope was previously less crowded, it has now become quite a large attraction as well.

What about Horseshoe Bend!

I mean wow! It was gorgeous. This is a picture from my iPhone 6 and I couldn’t be happier. A beautiful memory of this iconic landmark in AZ. There is one thing they don’t tell you though when visiting. Go when there is NO WIND! This picture was taken in late afternoon after a long drive from Southern AZ including a stop at the Grand Canyon and other day attractions. When we arrived, there were fairly strong winds and the path to Horseshoe bend is relatively short, but it is surrounded by… you guessed it… desert. Very sandy and it can be quite painful taking a whip of sand to the face and it gets everywhere. Despite the mini sandstorm, we made out with a few great shots and good memories, but we returned the next morning for a second glance and few pictures. Parking each time is $10, but a small price to pay for another great view. The morning was much calmer regarding wind. You can still achieve good photos in the morning as well.

Two things to consider…

Time of day does matter. We felt the view for pictures was slightly better in the evening as the sun was setting, but we are also amateur photographers and if you are good with a camera, I’m sure you can make any time work
If you are in a large caravan with family and can squeeze into one car, you can park at your hotel, less than 1 mile down the road and carpool as this attraction is super close to several major hotels in Page AZ. Save those $10 bills when you can!

To wrap up…

There are plenty hotel options, and I can’t speak for summer, but we had no difficulty finding accommodations in October. My suggestion would be the Days Inn and Suites by Wyndham 961 US-89, Page, AZ 86040. Google rates it a 2 star hotel, but our room was super clean, pet friendly (we always travel with our Yorkie) and we felt extremely safe at the hotel. The staff was friendly and there is a small breakfast. Not to mention, it is literally the closest hotel to Horseshoe Bend.

And if you read this whole thing…hope you enjoyed!

An Adventure in Northern Arizona