Page is a small grid of a town on a mesa above Glen Canyon Dam, and almost nothing worth seeing sits inside it, because the attractions string out along four separate roads running toward the lake, the Navajo Nation, the Colorado River and the Utah line. The fact that shapes every itinerary is that Antelope Canyon lies on Navajo Nation land and can be entered only with an authorized Navajo guide, so the canyon tour gets booked first and the rest of the trip is arranged around whatever time slot it lands on.
The top 14, ranked
Ranked by how consistently each pick appears across official Page sources, the local destination marketing organization, and recent independent roundups.
- Top pick
1Best for Slot canyon light · #1 of 14
Antelope Canyon, Upper and Lower
TourHighway 98 and the Navajo Nation canyonsOpen year round on scheduled guided departures only, with no independent entry at any hour and slot times set by the operatorsTicketedTwo corridors of wind carved Navajo sandstone sit within a few miles of each other east of town, Upper Antelope running wide and level under shafts of midday light and Lower Antelope dropping into a narrow V reached by steel staircases. Both lie inside the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park, and both can be entered only in the company of an authorized Navajo guide, which makes booking the first decision of any trip here.
Local tipReserve the guided tour before anything else on the itinerary, because slots sell out weeks ahead in spring and fall and every other plan has to fit around the time you are given.
- Top pick
2Best for The classic view · #2 of 14
Horseshoe Bend
ParkGlen Canyon Dam and the Colorado RiverOpen daily from sunrise to sunset, with the parking gate shutting before dark and no overnight accessTicketedFive miles south of town the Colorado River swings through a full horseshoe around a sandstone butte, with the rim standing roughly a thousand feet above the water. A graded sand path of a little over half a mile each way crosses open desert to a small railed platform, and the rest of the rim is left bare, so the drop is genuinely unprotected the moment you step away from the viewing deck.
Local tipParking is charged by the vehicle at a lot run by the City of Page and national park passes are not accepted there, so carry a card and expect the lot to be full through the middle of the day.
- Top pick
3Best for Understanding the lake · #3 of 14
Glen Canyon Dam and the Carl Hayden Visitor Center
Historic SiteGlen Canyon Dam and the Colorado RiverVisitor center open daily through the middle of the day, with a shorter pattern in winter and closures on some federal holidaysFreeThe concrete arch that created Lake Powell rises more than seven hundred feet from the river bed, and the town of Page exists at all because of the crews who built it around the turn of the 1960s. The visitor center on the rim above holds exhibits on the Colorado River system, a theater and a bookstore, and its windows look straight down onto the crest and the steel bridge beside it.
Local tipGuided walks down inside the dam run on a schedule that shifts with staffing and security, so ask at the desk when you arrive rather than assuming a tour will be available that day.
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4Best for Getting on the water · #4 of 14
Lake Powell and Wahweap Marina
ParkWahweap and the Lake Powell shoreMarina and lodge open year round, with the widest choice of cruises and rentals from spring through early fallTicketedThe reservoir behind the dam floods close to two thousand miles of side canyon shoreline, and Wahweap is the marina nearest town, with the concession lodge, restaurants, rentals and the scheduled cruises that leave from its docks. A run down to the dam wall and a longer trip into Navajo Canyon are the usual choices for anyone who has not brought a boat of their own.
Local tipFalling water has taken some launch ramps out of service and shortened others, so confirm which ramp is usable and which cruises are running before you tow a boat or commit a day to the water.
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5Best for The canyon from the water · #5 of 14
Glen Canyon Float Trip to Lees Ferry
TourGlen Canyon Dam and the Colorado RiverRuns in the warmer months on morning and afternoon departures, with the season trimmed at both ends by weather and river conditionsTicketedMotorized rafts put in at the foot of Glen Canyon Dam and drift the flatwater stretch of the Colorado down to Lees Ferry, running beneath sheer sandstone walls and rounding Horseshoe Bend from river level. There are no rapids anywhere on this section, and the half day trip pulls in at a beach where a panel of petroglyphs sits above the sand.
Local tipThis is the only way to see Horseshoe Bend from below, and because water leaving the dam stays cold all year a warm layer is worth carrying even in high summer.
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6Best for A quieter slot canyon · #6 of 14
Antelope Canyon X
TourHighway 98 and the Navajo Nation canyonsGuided departures through the day year round, with the middle hours the brightest inside the canyon and the busiest outside itTicketedA third section of the same drainage, opened to visitors more recently than its two famous neighbors and run by a Navajo family whose ancestors sheltered in these canyons. Groups are smaller and the walk in is longer, so the corridors feel less like a queue, and the same operator guides a much harder full day route into Cardiac Canyon further up the wash.
Local tipPick this one if the Upper and Lower slots are already sold out for your dates, or if crowding is the thing you most want to avoid.
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7Best for River history · #7 of 14
Lees Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch
Historic SiteGlen Canyon Dam and the Colorado RiverOpen daily year round as part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, with a fee collected on the access roadTicketedAbout forty miles south of Page this is the only spot for hundreds of river miles where a road reaches the Colorado, which is why Mormon settlers ran a ferry here from the 1870s and why Grand Canyon raft trips still launch off the same beach. Nearby stand a rusting steam boiler and the wreck of a paddlewheel steamer from a failed gold scheme, plus the orchards and log cabins of Lonely Dell Ranch.
Local tipThe cold tailwater below the dam is a well known trout fishery, and the Spencer Trail switchbacks a long way up the cliff behind the ferry site for anyone who wants the view down on it.
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8Best for The lake panorama · #8 of 14
Wahweap Overlook
ParkWahweap and the Lake Powell shoreReachable by car at any hour with no gate on the access road, and shaded seating waiting at the viewpointFreeA signed pull off on the highway a few miles north of the dam climbs to a wide bench above Wahweap Bay, with shade shelters, benches and parking long enough for trailers and buses. The panorama takes in the marina below, Lone Rock standing out in the bay, Tower Butte on the skyline and the dark bulk of Navajo Mountain far to the east.
Local tipIt looks broadly east and north across the water, which makes it a better sunrise stop than a sunset one and an easy addition to a morning at the dam.
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9Best for An easy desert walk · #9 of 14
Hanging Garden Trail
ParkGlen Canyon Dam and the Colorado RiverOpen daily year round with no gate, and best walked early in the warm months when the bare slickrock heats up fastFreeA mile and a half round trip over slickrock from a small lot just east of the Glen Canyon bridge, following cairns to an alcove where water seeping out of the Navajo sandstone keeps a curtain of maidenhair fern alive. It is the one short walk near town that ends somewhere genuinely green, and the shaded overhang runs noticeably cooler than the rock outside it.
Local tipThe route is marked by cairns rather than a worn tread, so keep the next pile of stones in sight and return the way you came instead of improvising a loop.
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10Best for A canyon crossing · #10 of 14
Navajo Bridge and Interpretive Center
Historic SiteGlen Canyon Dam and the Colorado RiverBridge walkway open at all hours, with the interpretive center and its bookstore open through the day in the main seasonFreeTwo steel arches span Marble Canyon side by side, the 1929 original now given over to walkers and the 1995 replacement carrying the highway traffic. Standing at midspan puts well over four hundred feet of air between you and the Colorado River, and California condors released on the Vermilion Cliffs nearby often perch on the girders directly beneath the walkway.
Local tipPair it with Lees Ferry, which is only a few minutes further along the same road, and look under the old bridge deck before deciding the condors are elsewhere.
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11Best for Swimming and sand · #11 of 14
Lone Rock Beach
ParkWahweap and the Lake Powell shoreOpen year round with entrance and camping fees collected at the gate, and the width of usable beach changing as the lake rises and fallsTicketedA broad sand shoreline just over the Utah line where a single sandstone monolith stands out in the bay, and one of the few places at this end of the lake where a car can be driven right down toward the water. Primitive camping is allowed across the sand, vault toilets are spread along it, and a shower and flush toilet sit on the paved section in summer.
Local tipThe track grows softer the closer it runs to the water, so leave two wheel drive vehicles up on the firm sand rather than testing how far down they will go.
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12Best for Odd rock formations · #12 of 14
Toadstool Hoodoos
ParkUS 89 north into UtahOpen year round with no gate or fee, and the low sun of early morning or late afternoon giving the formations the most shapeFreeA short walk up a wash off the highway northwest of town leads into a pocket of Grand Staircase Escalante where caps of hard brown rock balance on soft white pedestals, left standing as the cliff behind them eroded away. The formations are small enough to walk among rather than admire from a distance, which makes this an unusually forgiving stop for young children.
Local tipThere is a dirt lot and a gate on the north side of the highway but no water and almost no shade, so treat even this easy walk as a desert hike.
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13Best for A cool indoor hour · #13 of 14
Big Water Visitor Center
MuseumUS 89 north into UtahOpen daily through the middle of the day with no admission charge, and thinner staffing in the coldest monthsFreeThe southern gateway station for Grand Staircase Escalante sits under twenty miles from Page and is built around paleontology, with fossils lifted from the Kaiparowits Plateau and a full length mural of the Late Cretaceous coastline that once ran through here. Rangers behind the desk also handle road conditions and permits for the backcountry north of the highway.
Local tipStop here before driving any unpaved road toward the monument, because staff track the washouts and soft sand that no map or navigation app will show you.
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14Best for A big remote view · #14 of 14
Alstrom Point
ParkUS 89 north into UtahReachable at any hour in dry weather, with the final miles impassable after rain and no facilities of any kind at the pointFreeA promontory on the north rim of Padre Bay looking straight down the widest reach of Lake Powell toward Gunsight Butte and Navajo Mountain, widely rated the finest land based view of the whole reservoir. Reaching it means a long run on graded and then rough dirt out of Big Water, well beyond anything a rental sedan should be asked to attempt.
Local tipGo with high clearance and four wheel drive, carry recovery gear and more water than you expect to need, and turn back entirely if rain has fallen on the clay sections.
Where things cluster
Page itself is a compact grid on a mesa top, so the useful way to plan a visit is by which road out of town each attraction sits on.
- Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado RiverThe ground immediately around town where US 89 crosses the gorge, holding the dam, its visitor center, the Hanging Garden trailhead and the Horseshoe Bend lot five miles south. The same water carries on downstream to Lees Ferry and Navajo Bridge, which is why the float trips and the old river crossings belong with this group rather than with the lake.
- Wahweap and the Lake Powell shoreThe bays and beaches a few miles north of town on both sides of the state line, centered on Wahweap Marina and its lodge, with the highway overlook above them and the open sand of Lone Rock beyond. What is reachable here shifts with the water, so ramps, docks and the shape of each beach are worth checking rather than assuming.
- Highway 98 and the Navajo Nation canyonsThe road east out of town onto the Navajo Nation, where slot canyons cut back from the lake through Navajo sandstone. Everything in this cluster is entered on a guided tour arranged in advance, and the tribal park charges its own fee on top of whatever the operator asks.
- US 89 north into UtahThe short run northwest across the state line to Big Water and the southern edge of Grand Staircase Escalante, where the visitor center, the toadstool formations and the dirt road to Alstrom Point all sit. Distances look modest on a map, but surfaces range from smooth highway to deep sand, so it pays to know which one you are on.
Make it a day
Slot canyon first, rim view last
Take whatever Antelope Canyon slot you managed to book and build the rest of the day around it, filling the hours either side with the dam and its visitor center. Give the afternoon to Wahweap Overlook or a cruise off the marina, then walk out to Horseshoe Bend in the last hour of light, when the crowd thins and the heat finally drops.
Canyon country, then the river
Spend day one close to town on the canyon tour, the dam and Horseshoe Bend, leaving the evening for the lake shore north of the marina. Point day two down Highway 89A instead, either floating the flatwater from the dam to Lees Ferry or driving there, and stopping to walk the old Navajo Bridge along the way.
Sand, water and fossils
Start on the sand at Lone Rock Beach while the day is still cool, since it is the one place children can swim and dig without a boat or a booking. Move indoors to the fossils at the Big Water visitor center through the hottest hours, then finish on the short walk among the toadstools, where nothing has a drop off beside it.
Map
Best time to visit
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April into May and September into October hold daytime highs in the seventies and eighties, which is the range that makes the exposed walk to Horseshoe Bend or a long dirt drive comfortable rather than punishing. Midsummer regularly passes a hundred degrees and is also the only season when light beams reach the floor of Upper Antelope Canyon, so early starts, a midday slot inside the canyon and an afternoon on the lake become the sensible shape of a day. Winter is cold, quiet and often beautifully clear, with shorter tour schedules, thinner marina service and water far too cold for swimming.
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Page things to do FAQ
Parking, timing, cost, and weather answers for a smoother visit.
Do you need a guided tour to visit Antelope Canyon?
Yes. Both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon lie inside the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park on Navajo Nation land, and there is no legal way to walk in on your own. Visitors book with an operator authorized by Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation, and a tribal park fee is charged on top of the tour price, though a receipt from one canyon covers the fee if you visit the other on the same day. Tripods and dedicated photography permits are not currently issued for either canyon.
Should you choose Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon?
Upper Antelope is wide at the floor and level underfoot, which suits anyone with limited mobility or a fear of ladders, and it is where the shafts of light drop through in the middle of the day during the warmer months. Lower Antelope is narrower and deeper, entered and left by steel staircases, and it involves more scrambling and stooping in tight spaces. If crowding matters more than either of those, Antelope Canyon X is a third option in the same drainage with smaller groups.
How many days do you need in Page?
Two full days is the sensible target. One day is enough for a canyon tour, the dam and Horseshoe Bend if the tour time cooperates, but it leaves nothing for the lake or the river. A second day opens up the float trip to Lees Ferry, the drive out to Navajo Bridge, or the Utah side around Big Water, and gives you a spare slot if a tour or a road turns out to be unavailable.
Is Horseshoe Bend free to visit?
The overlook itself is on public land, but the only parking is a lot operated by the City of Page that charges by the vehicle, and national park passes are not accepted there. The walk from the lot is a little over half a mile each way on hard packed sand, with two shade shelters along it and almost no other shelter. The lot opens around sunrise and closes at sunset, and it commonly fills through the middle of the day.
Has the low water at Lake Powell changed what you can do?
It has. Several launch ramps around Wahweap and Antelope Point have gone out of service or been reduced to limited use as the reservoir has dropped, so which ramp works depends on where the water is standing when you arrive. Some boat tours have been suspended as well, including the long run out to Rainbow Bridge, because the courtesy dock there no longer reaches dry land. Check ramp and tour status with the park and the marina before towing a boat or building a day around being on the water.
How do most visitors get to Page?
By car, and usually as one leg of a longer loop. Phoenix and Las Vegas are each roughly four and a half to five hours away, Flagstaff is about two hours south, and the Utah national parks lie a few hours north and west, which is why Page functions as a natural overnight between them. The municipal airport has only limited commuter service that comes and goes, and there is no useful public transport once you arrive, so a vehicle is effectively required.
Keep planning
Use these nearby guides to extend your Page trip with a different pace and a clear next stop.
Hero image: Horseshoe Bend, photograph by Christian Mehlfuehrer, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.