Page Travel Guide

Why Visit Page?

Page is the gateway to Lake Powell, a vast reservoir threading through red sandstone canyons on the Arizona-Utah border, and home of Horseshoe Bend, one of the most photographed river overlooks in the world. It's also the primary access point for Antelope Canyon, the glowing slot canyon whose swirling walls have become shorthand for the American Southwest itself.

Beyond its three headline attractions, Page sits within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, putting Colorado River adventures, incredible photography, and genuine outdoor recreation within minutes of downtown. Founded in the late 1950s to house workers building Glen Canyon Dam, Page has grown into a small but well-equipped town built almost entirely around the landscape surrounding it.

That combination of iconic scenery and practical infrastructure makes Page an excellent base for exploring not just its own attractions, but a much wider stretch of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, from Monument Valley to Zion National Park, all within a comfortable day's drive.

Few towns Page's size punch above their weight quite this dramatically. With a population of well under 10,000, Page sits at the center of a landscape that draws millions of visitors each year, its small-town infrastructure quietly supporting some of the most photographed square miles anywhere in the American Southwest.

Top Things to Do in Page

Antelope Canyon

Time needed: 1.5–2 hours (guided tour). Split into Upper and Lower sections, this Navajo sandstone slot canyon is famous for its swirling walls and, in Upper Antelope, the shafts of light that pour through its narrow opening around midday in summer. Access is only possible via guided Navajo-led tours, booked well in advance.

Horseshoe Bend

Time needed: 1–1.5 hours. A short but increasingly popular paved trail leads to an overlook 1,000 feet above a dramatic horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River, one of the most recognizable views in the Southwest, especially striking at sunrise.

Lake Powell

Time needed: Half day to multiple days. The second-largest reservoir in the country, Lake Powell's nearly 2,000 miles of red rock shoreline support boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, and houseboat vacations across a genuinely vast stretch of canyon country.

Glen Canyon Dam

Time needed: 1–1.5 hours. This massive concrete dam created Lake Powell when it was completed in 1966, and the adjacent visitor center offers guided tours down into the dam itself along with sweeping views of Glen Canyon below.

Wahweap Marina

Time needed: 1–2 hours, or longer with a boat rental. Lake Powell's largest marina offers boat rentals, guided tours, and a lakeside restaurant, making it the easiest entry point onto the water for visitors without their own boat.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Time needed: Half to full day (boat trip required). One of the largest natural bridges in the world, sacred to several Native American tribes, reachable only by boat across Lake Powell or a considerably longer overland hike.

Hanging Garden Trail

Time needed: 1–1.5 hours. An easy trail near Wahweap leading to a lush, spring-fed alcove of hanging vegetation tucked into the sandstone, a surprising contrast to the surrounding desert.

Waterholes Canyon

Time needed: 2–3 hours (guided tour). A less-visited slot canyon south of Page, offering a genuine slot canyon experience with noticeably smaller crowds than Antelope Canyon.

Navajo Village Heritage Center

Time needed: 1.5–2 hours. A cultural center offering guided programs on Navajo history, traditions, and daily life, including hogan tours and traditional dance performances.

Scenic Colorado River Overlooks

Time needed: Varies. Beyond Horseshoe Bend, numerous pullouts and viewpoints around Page offer sweeping views of the Colorado River and surrounding canyon country, many with far fewer crowds.

Best Restaurants in Page

Page's dining scene is compact but genuinely solid, with several standout spots for a small desert town.

Fine Dining

Local Favorites

Southwestern Cuisine

Breakfast & Coffee

Where to Stay in Page

Lakefront Resorts

Lake Powell Resort at Wahweap offers the area's most complete lakefront resort experience, with direct marina access, multiple dining options, and sweeping water views from many rooms.

Boutique Hotels

A handful of smaller, independently run hotels in downtown Page offer a more personal stay within easy reach of restaurants and the highway out to Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon.

Family-Friendly Hotels

Chain hotels along Lake Powell Boulevard offer straightforward, kid-friendly options with pools, generally within a short drive of both the marina and downtown.

Budget-Friendly Hotels

Page has a solid selection of budget chain motels, particularly useful for visitors prioritizing an early start on an Antelope Canyon tour or a Horseshoe Bend sunrise over resort amenities.

Outdoor Adventures

Page's setting on Lake Powell and the Colorado River supports a genuinely wide range of water and land-based recreation.

Lake Powell Boating & Water Sports

Lake Powell boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, and fishing are all easily arranged through Wahweap Marina, with rentals available for visitors without their own equipment. Houseboat vacations remain one of the defining ways to experience the lake's nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline.

Hiking & Slot Canyon Tours

Hiking trails around Page range from the easy Hanging Garden Trail to longer routes through the surrounding canyon country, while guided slot canyon tours at Antelope Canyon and Waterholes Canyon remain among the most sought-after experiences in the region.

Off-Road, Helicopter & River Adventures

Off-road adventures explore the sandstone backcountry surrounding Page, scenic helicopter flights offer an aerial perspective on Lake Powell and Horseshoe Bend alike, and Colorado River rafting trips depart from nearby Lees Ferry for multi-day journeys through Glen and Grand Canyon.

Lake Powell & Glen Canyon

Lake Powell was created between 1963 and 1980, as Glen Canyon Dam gradually backed up the Colorado River to fill what had been a remote, little-visited sandstone canyon system. At full capacity, the reservoir stretches roughly 186 miles upstream, with a shoreline longer than the entire West Coast of the continental United States once every side canyon is included.

Glen Canyon Dam itself, completed in 1966, remains one of the largest concrete dams in the country, generating hydroelectric power for a wide swath of the Southwest while creating the recreational lake that now defines the region's economy. The Glen Canyon Dam Visitor Center offers guided tours into the dam's interior, along with exhibits on its construction and ongoing operation.

Recreation opportunities across Lake Powell range from short marina rentals to weeklong houseboat trips deep into the lake's canyon arms, with scenic viewpoints like Horseshoe Bend and Alstrom Point offering some of the most dramatic vantage points anywhere on the Colorado Plateau. Wahweap Marina remains the primary hub for boat rentals, tours, and lake access.

Lake Powell's creation remains genuinely contested among conservationists, since the flooding of the original Glen Canyon submerged a landscape many consider to have rivaled the Grand Canyon itself in beauty. Ongoing conservation efforts and periodic droughts have significantly lowered the lake's water levels in recent years, a visible and closely watched reminder of the Colorado River's broader water challenges across the Southwest.

Visitors arriving today generally encounter a lake somewhat smaller than the one shown on older maps and postcards, with a visible "bathtub ring" marking previous high-water levels along much of the shoreline. That doesn't diminish the scale of what remains; Lake Powell is still an enormous reservoir, and its lower water levels have in some cases exposed additional side canyons and rock formations that had been submerged for decades.

Best Time to Visit Page

Spring

Spring brings comfortable temperatures and the start of boating season, along with good photography light, though visitors should stay aware of flash flood risk in slot canyons following any regional rainfall.

Summer

Summer is Page's busiest season, with genuinely hot temperatures, peak boating activity on Lake Powell, and the best chance of Antelope Canyon's famous midday light beams, though monsoon storms also bring real flash flood danger to area slot canyons.

Fall

Fall offers some of the most comfortable temperatures of the year, stable weather, and noticeably thinner crowds than summer, making it a favorite season among photographers.

Winter

Winter is Page's quietest season, with cooler temperatures and reduced boating activity on Lake Powell, though Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend both remain open and considerably less crowded.

Flash flood awareness matters year-round in slot canyons like Antelope Canyon and Waterholes Canyon, since storms many miles away can send sudden walls of water through narrow canyon corridors with little warning; guided tours account for this risk, but it's worth understanding before visiting on your own.

Family-Friendly Things to Do

Page works well for families, especially those drawn to water-based activities. Boat rentals at Wahweap Marina let families explore Lake Powell's coves and beaches at their own pace, and Lake Powell's beaches offer an easy, low-effort way to spend an afternoon swimming and relaxing. Easy hiking routes like the Hanging Garden Trail suit younger visitors, while the Glen Canyon Visitor Center's exhibits and Junior Ranger activities give kids a hands-on introduction to the dam and surrounding landscape. Family-friendly rafting trips on the calmer stretches of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam offer a gentler alternative to the multi-day whitewater trips further downstream.

Luxury Experiences

Page supports a genuinely different kind of luxury travel than Arizona's desert resort towns, one built around water, canyon scenery, and access rather than spa culture. Private Lake Powell charters let visitors explore the lake's most remote coves and canyon arms without the crowds of a public tour, while scenic helicopter tours offer a genuinely different perspective on Horseshoe Bend and the surrounding sandstone terrain. Luxury houseboat vacations remain one of the most distinctive ways to experience Lake Powell, combining full living accommodations with direct access to some of the lake's most scenic anchorages.

Guided photography tours, timed around Antelope Canyon's midday light or Horseshoe Bend's sunrise glow, are increasingly popular among visitors chasing a specific shot, and private slot canyon experiences offer smaller group sizes and more flexible timing than standard tours. Grand Canyon Journeys' own Secret Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend Tour offers a private, guided way to experience both landmarks with a knowledgeable local guide.

Best Day Trips from Page

Page's position on the Arizona-Utah border makes it an exceptional base for exploring some of the Southwest's most iconic landscapes, from Navajo Nation monuments to Utah's national parks. The destinations below are ordered roughly by distance, from a short afternoon excursion to a full day's drive best paired with an overnight stay.

Suggested Page Itineraries

One Day in Page

Start early at Horseshoe Bend before the crowds and heat build, then take a guided Antelope Canyon tour late morning. Spend the afternoon relaxing at a Lake Powell beach, then return to Horseshoe Bend or a nearby overlook for sunset.

Two Days in Page

Follow the one-day plan above, then dedicate a second day to Glen Canyon Dam, a boat tour on Lake Powell, and the easy Hanging Garden Trail in the afternoon.

Three-Day Northern Arizona Adventure

Use the two-day plan above as your base, then add a third day exploring Monument Valley's iconic buttes, or head west to Vermilion Cliffs and, season permitting, the Grand Canyon's North Rim for a genuinely different perspective on the canyon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Page worth visiting?

Yes. Page is home to Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Lake Powell, three of the most photographed landscapes in the American Southwest, all within a few miles of downtown.

How many days should I spend in Page?

Two to three days is enough to see Horseshoe Bend, tour Antelope Canyon, and spend time on Lake Powell, though a longer stay allows for day trips to Monument Valley or Vermilion Cliffs.

What is Page famous for?

Page is famous for Antelope Canyon's glowing slot canyon walls, Horseshoe Bend's dramatic overlook of the Colorado River, and Lake Powell's red rock shoreline.

When is the best time to visit Antelope Canyon?

Late spring through early fall, roughly April through September, offers the best chance of direct sunbeams inside Upper Antelope Canyon, generally around midday.

Can you swim in Lake Powell?

Yes. Lake Powell is popular for swimming, boating, and paddling, with numerous beach areas and coves accessible by boat or from developed access points.

Is Horseshoe Bend free?

There is a parking and entry fee to access the Horseshoe Bend overlook trail, managed by the City of Page, though it remains one of the more affordable iconic viewpoints in the region.

Is Page family-friendly?

Yes. Lake Powell's beaches and boat rentals, the Glen Canyon Visitor Center, and Junior Ranger activities all make Page workable for travelers with kids.

What should I book in advance?

Antelope Canyon tours should be booked well ahead, especially in summer, since access is limited to guided Navajo-led tours with capped group sizes.

Experience Northern Arizona's Most Spectacular Landscapes

Page is only the beginning. Grand Canyon Journeys offers private, customizable tours to the Grand Canyon, Secret Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Monument Valley, and many of Arizona's most unforgettable destinations.

Continue Exploring Arizona

Page connects directly to some of Northern Arizona's most remarkable destinations. Here's where to go next:

Grand Canyon Travel Planner

Planning a wider Northern Arizona trip from Page? These in-depth guides cover the details.

Explore Northern Arizona with Grand Canyon Journeys

From Page, our private tours make it easy to explore the wider Grand Canyon region, with door-to-door hotel pick-up and a knowledgeable local guide.

Related Guides

• ← Lake Powell
• ← Antelope Canyon
• ← Horseshoe Bend
• ← Navajo Nation
• ← Monument Valley

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