Kayaking to Antelope Canyon was my favorite stop on my road trip between Utah and Texas. I had initially planned to stop in Arizona and see Horseshoe Bend, but we had heard such wonderful things about kayaking on Lake Powell we decided to extend our time in Arizona. And it was so worth it! Here’s a recap of how we spent our time in Page, Arizona.
Hiking Horseshoe Bend
We left Zion early in the morning in order to stop by Horseshoe Bend and then drive onto Moab for the evening. Once you leave the Zion area the drive is rather flat and boring. That is, until you get close to the Arizona border! As you approach, the landscape starts to get a bit more interesting. Orange rock formations start to sprout up and you can see stretches of water in the distance.
We drove over the Glen Canyon Dam on our way into the small town of Page, Arizona which forms Lake Powell from the Colorado River and a deep gorge leading to Horseshoe Bend a few miles down.
Arriving at Horseshoe Bend, we paid $10 for our car to enter the park and started the hike. The path is well maintained with a few covered benches along the way in case you want a break. It’s easily accessible for strollers and even wheelchairs. At 11am in August, temperatures were nearing 100 degrees and there was little shade. Luckily the walk is only .7 miles from the car park and pretty quickly you can see the massive rock formation carved into a horseshoe shape by the river for 270 degrees.
We climbed on the rocks, snapped a few photos (stayed socially distant!) before heading back into town. Standing on a 1000 ft cliff was pretty nerve wracking. Horseshoe Bend was a cool detour, but we were more excited about the kayaking that lie ahead. We grabbed a quick lunch at Canyon Crepes (vegan options!) and headed over to our next stop.
Kayaking Lake Powell
Lake Powell is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona. Lake Powell is managed by the Glen Canyon National Park. The park encompasses the entire lake. All activities in the National Park are subject to the National Park entrance fee (we paid $30). Payment is made at any Park entrance station and is good for 7 days.
We rented a double kayak from Lake Powell Paddleboards and Kayaks for $50 for the day. They hooked the kayak up to my car with some straps and pool noodles and then we drove 20 minutes to the Antelope Point launch ramp in Glen Canyon National Park.
We (always!) rent a double kayak so we can stick together and go faster. Although, I did see some cars with two kayaks strapped to the top!
We pushed our kayak into the turquoise blue water and began our journey towards Antelope Canyon. It took us about 30 minutes to paddle to the entrance and then another hour or so to get to the end. We kayaked about 3 miles one way. Along the way we passed other kayakers and some motorboats. People would occasionally pull off to the side and find a place to lodge their boat and take a dip. The motorboats had to go under 5mph so there was no wake. Overall, it was rather peaceful and we had much of Antelope Canyon to ourselves.
The water color was spectacular and bright blue when set against the pink and orange rocks. It was the perfect temperature to cool off in for a swim mid-kayak as well. Mother Nature is truly amazing.
Hiking Antelope Canyon
At the end of the Lake Powell Canyon, the water dries up and you can drag your kayak onto the shore and go for a hike. Once home to herds of pronghorn antelope, the canyon now lies within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation, and draws nature-lovers to its mysterious beauty. After about a half a mile, we entered the super narrow slot canyon. The walls were only a few feet wide and 10x that in height. The mid-afternoon light filtered in as bright orange, pink and purple. The canyon walls were carved in smooth wave patterns and we hiked through pink sand. We went about 2 miles in before heading back.
We were super lucky to kayak to where you could hike the canyon because the hiking entrance was closed. The Navajo Nation encompasses much of the Four Corners area, which includes the famous Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, and Antelope Canyon. When we visited in August, the Navajo Nation was seeing a spike in COVID cases and were under a strict lockdown.
In total, kayaking Antelope Canyon was 1.5 hours there, hiked 1 hour, and paddled 1.5 hours back. We dropped our kayak off at 5pm before heading on our drive to Moab. Kyle and I (okay, mostly Kyle) are pretty strong kayakers so keep that in mind when planning your trip. The kayak desk person said it would take us 2 hours one way.
Arizona Time Zone
FYI the kayaking rental place runs on Arizona Time. It’s a bit confusing because Arizona doesn’t do daylight savings and because the Utah State Line is less than 7 miles away, cell phone towers from Utah and surrounding Navajo Nation can cause your phone to be on the wrong time. Do yourself a favor and do like the locals do: Manually set your cell phone to PHOENIX, AZ time to make sure you return the kayak on time!
What to Pack for Kayaking
When it’s 100 degrees outside and there’s a chance that everything you own can flip into the water at any moment, you want to be strategic about how you pack and what you bring onto your kayak. This is what I brought for kayaking Antelope Canyon:
- Reusable storage bags—to store phone and car keys, all other valuables I leave in the car
- 2L dry bag—I make sure everything I am bringing fits inside; it’s great because it clips to the boat so if you do flip it’ll stay attached
- Baseball hat—I bring my HOU Hat everywhere
- Sunglasses croaky
- Hand sanitizer –bathrooms are nonexistent or gross. I like this natural option!
- Tissues – again lack of bathrooms.
- Sunscreen – Coola White Tea Face Sunscreen is my favorite.
- Lipbalm with SPF
- Water bottle — I love my Swell that insulates! Bring 1 water bottle for each hour you’re outside
- Snacks – we packed nuts, granola bars and fruit
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COVID Considerations
Here’s what it was like with COVID when we visited northern Arizona in August:
- Navajo Nation was under strict lockdown and curfew. Gas stations and stores closed before 7pm which was a real issue trying to use the restroom on our drive to Moab.
- The staff working Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell Paddleboards and Kayaks were not wearing masks. Neither were many tourists.
- Kayaking and hiking was fairly easy to stay socially distant. We brought a tripod to Horseshoe Bend and didn’t have anyone take our pictures
- We packed a cooler wherever we went so we had cold water and snacks on after hikes, so there was no need to stop unnecessarily. Our Yeti Tundra 35 Cooler was a real game changer to keep things cool throughout the day.
Always check the latest recommendations from the local and state government before you visit to understand how best to prepare for your trip to Arizona. Be respectful of Navajo Nation lands as well.
