Page, Arizona: Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon Dam and Our Honest Antelope Canyon Review

We had one afternoon and one morning in Page, Arizona, on 6–7 October 2025 – a stop between Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon on our road trip. That's not enough to see everything around Page, and this isn't a guide to all of it. It's what we did, and what we'd do again.

Short version: the landscape around Page is extraordinary. With the same limited time, we'd prioritise Glen Canyon Dam Overlook and Horseshoe Bend over Lower Antelope Canyon.

The short version

Glen Canyon Dam Overlook: a short walk, a huge view – highly recommended. Horseshoe Bend: crowded at the main viewpoint, wonderful once we walked away from it. Lower Antelope Canyon: beautiful rock, but too crowded and too managed for us – we'd skip it next time.

Glen Canyon Dam: a worthwhile stop on the road

We left the Bryce area on the morning of 6 October and reached the Glen Canyon area around 11.30am. First stop: Glen Canyon Dam, an enormous concrete arch dam across the Colorado River.

Built between 1957 and 1964, it rises 216 metres (710 ft) above bedrock and holds back the river to form Lake Powell, storing water for the dry years and producing hydroelectric power. Standing next to it, the scale is hard to take in.

The curved concrete crest of Glen Canyon Dam with the deep blue water of Lake Powell and red cliffs behind — The dam crest, with Lake Powell behind.

The steel arch of Glen Canyon Dam Bridge over red sandstone, with two jets of water shooting into the green Colorado River below the dam — Glen Canyon Dam Bridge, with water released into the Colorado River below.

Looking down the green Colorado River between sheer red canyon walls from the bridge by Glen Canyon Dam — The Colorado River heading downstream from the dam.

It was worth a short stop rather than a whole day – and it got better when we drove a few minutes on to the overlook.

Source: US Bureau of Reclamation – Glen Canyon Dam.

Glen Canyon Dam Overlook: the view we'd recommend

Glen Canyon Dam Overlook was one of our favourite stops in the whole area. From the parking area it's an easy walk of about 286 metres (940 ft), down uneven rock steps with a handrail, to a viewpoint on the canyon rim. Below you: the Colorado River, sheer red walls and the dam itself.

Leif and Kristine with arms around each other on the red sandstone rim above the Colorado River in Glen Canyon — Us on the rim above the Colorado River.

A small lizard on a sandstone ledge, with the green Colorado River winding through red Glen Canyon below — A local on the ledge.

Leif and Kristine looking out over Glen Canyon and the Colorado River under a deep blue sky — Glen Canyon from the overlook – far more dramatic than from the road.

No long hike, a memorable view and great photos. If you're passing Page, make the stop. The National Park Service asks visitors to stay behind the railings and not climb on the rocks – the drops here are sheer.

Leif lying flat on the sandstone, peering over the edge into Glen Canyon and the Colorado River — Me getting a closer look at the river.

Leif peeking up from behind a sandstone boulder, with Glen Canyon Dam and its bridge behind — Peekaboo with Glen Canyon Dam.

Source: NPS – Dam Overlook Trailhead.

An ordinary night at Motel 6 Page

We checked into Motel 6 Page, booked through Hotels.com. We weren't impressed – the service was poor and the room nothing special – but we only needed somewhere to sleep for one night, and it did that.

Horseshoe Bend: escaping the crowds

In the evening we drove to Horseshoe Bend, arriving around 6.15–6.30pm and parking in the official lot. Here the Colorado River makes an almost complete loop around a huge sandstone formation, and the main overlook is one of the most photographed spots in the Southwest.

It was busy. At the main viewpoint people were packed together for the same photo, and it felt like mass tourism. For a moment we worried it would be a letdown.

A long line of visitors crowded along the rim of the main Horseshoe Bend viewpoint at sunset, seen from further along the canyon — The main viewpoint, seen from our spot further along.

Crowds lined up along the canyon rim at the main Horseshoe Bend overlook in the evening — The crowd at the main overlook.

So we turned right and walked further along the rim, away from the crowd – and that small decision changed everything. We found a quieter place to sit and look down at the river, and the scale of the place finally hit us. We stayed about an hour, taking photos and just watching the light change. What started as a mass-tourism stop became one of our highlights in Page.

We can't promise you'll get a spot to yourself – but walking away from the main viewpoint made a big difference for us. Stay well back from the edges: they're exposed, and there are long stretches without barriers.

The Colorado River looping around the huge sandstone formation at Horseshoe Bend in soft evening light — Horseshoe Bend – the Colorado River making its loop.

Kristine sitting on the sandstone rim looking out over Horseshoe Bend at dusk — Our quieter spot along the rim.

Kristine smiling over her shoulder, sitting on the rim with Horseshoe Bend behind her — Worth walking a bit further.

The sun setting on the horizon behind Horseshoe Bend, with the river reflecting the sky — Sunset over Horseshoe Bend.

Kristine standing on the sandstone with Horseshoe Bend and a yellow sunset behind her — Kristine and the last light.

Kristine seen from behind, looking out at the canyon and the setting sun — Watching the sun go down.

Selfie of Leif, Kristine and Inge on the rim with Horseshoe Bend behind — The three of us at Horseshoe Bend.

The Colorado River curving through the canyon at sunset, seen past red rocks — The river in the last of the light.

The sun flaring low over Horseshoe Bend with the river in shadow below — Sun flare over the bend.

Kristine smiling, sitting among swirling red sandstone rocks at dusk — Kristine among the sandstone on the walk back.

Parking is run by the City of Page: we paid $10 for the car – it's per vehicle, not per person – and the America the Beautiful pass is not accepted. Check horseshoebend.com before you go.

A quick Walmart stop before our tour

On 7 October our Lower Antelope Canyon tour had been moved by about an hour, so we went to Walmart. My breakfast at home is simple – plain Greek yoghurt, frozen berries and protein powder – and on this trip finding the right yoghurt was sometimes surprisingly hard. This time it worked out.

A tub of plain Greek yoghurt with strawberries and a green plastic spork, held over legs in black trainers on a sunny car park — Breakfast of champions, Walmart car park edition.

Lower Antelope Canyon with Ken's Tours

We'd booked Lower Antelope Canyon (not Upper – they're separate sections with separate tours) with Ken's Tours. When we arrived, the tour centre was busy and extremely organised: staff checking bookings, staff explaining the bag rules, staff sorting groups, staff pointing you to the next member of staff. It almost felt absurd – there seemed to be someone for every single step.

Eventually we joined a group of around 10–12 people, with similar groups ahead of and behind us, and climbed down metal ladders into the canyon.

The sandstone really is beautiful – smooth, sculpted walls and narrow passages. But the crowds defined our visit. We moved in a continuous flow of people, groups stopping for photos, with little chance to explore at our own pace or simply stand still. At certain spots the guide placed us to take photos without other visitors in the frame, which only underlined the feeling that the whole thing is built around moving lots of people through for the expected picture.

We were glad we'd seen it. But when we came out, mostly we were relieved it was over.

A dense crowd of visitors inside Lower Antelope Canyon, many holding up phones, with Leif in a purple T-shirt in the foreground — Inside Lower Antelope Canyon – this is what the narrow passages looked like for us.

Tour groups packed into a narrow sandstone passage in Lower Antelope Canyon — Group after group in the same passage.

Inge, Kristine and Leif standing under a sandstone arch inside Lower Antelope Canyon — The three of us, placed by the guide for the photo without other people in it.

Glowing orange and red sandstone walls narrowing towards a slit of sky in Lower Antelope Canyon — The rock really is beautiful.

Swirling pink and orange sandstone layers inside Lower Antelope Canyon — Sculpted sandstone, lit from above.

Kristine smiling and looking up at the sculpted walls of Lower Antelope Canyon — Kristine looking up.

Kristine flexing a bicep while taking a photo in a narrow sandstone passage of Lower Antelope Canyon — Of course there was a flex.

Is Lower Antelope Canyon worth it?

For us: no. That's not because the canyon isn't beautiful – it is, and we understand why it's famous. It's the way you visit it: the volume of people, the steady stream of groups and the focus on photos made it too commercial and too crowded for how we like to travel. With only an afternoon and a morning in Page, those hours would have been better spent on the landscape around town. Other people love it; it just wasn't for us.

Tours and current prices: lowerantelope.com.

What we'd do differently in Page

Stop at Glen Canyon Dam – and don't skip the overlook.
Go to Horseshoe Bend, but leave time to walk away from the main viewpoint.
Think twice about Lower Antelope Canyon if you want a quieter, more independent experience.
Leave room for the wider region instead of trying to tick off every famous attraction.
Give the Grand Canyon at least a full extra day – a couple of viewpoints on the way through wasn't nearly enough.

Page itself didn't strike us as a particularly interesting town on a short visit – for us, the appeal was the landscape around it.

On to the Grand Canyon: Lipan Point and Grandview Point

After the tour we left Page with mixed impressions – the overlook and Horseshoe Bend had been well worth it, Antelope Canyon hadn't suited us – and drove south towards the Grand Canyon, where we'd booked the night.

Leif driving through the Arizona desert, sipping a Cherry Dr Pepper through a straw — Road-trip fuel on the way south.

Our first real look came at Lipan Point. You walk to the edge and the canyon just opens up – layer after layer of rock all the way to the horizon, with the Colorado River a thin line far below. It's one of those places where you actually feel how enormous the landscape is.

Panoramic view of the Grand Canyon from Lipan Point, with layered red cliffs and the Colorado River far below — Lipan Point – our first proper look at the Grand Canyon.

Kristine in a red top looking out over the vast layered landscape of the Grand Canyon at Lipan Point — Kristine taking it in at Lipan Point.

Further along we stopped at Grandview Point, another huge view across the canyon, with ridges and shadows stretching away into the distance. Here we also walked a short way down the trail below the rim, just to see the canyon from a different angle, before turning round and climbing back up. A small taste of what it would be like to explore it on foot.

View from Grandview Point down into a deep side canyon of the Grand Canyon, with green trees on the rocks below — The view from Grandview Point.

A rocky trail below the rim at Grandview Point, with two hikers on a ledge among trees — A short walk down the trail below Grandview Point.

Far too little time

As spectacular as both viewpoints were, we came away feeling we hadn't really experienced the Grand Canyon at all. We'd only set aside part of an afternoon: a night nearby, then on towards Route 66 the next morning. So we saw it from a couple of viewpoints and a short stretch of trail, and that was it.

It's one of the things we'd plan differently. In our opinion the Grand Canyon deserves more than a couple of quick stops on a busy road trip – at least one extra day, ideally more, for hiking and taking it in at a slower pace. A short visit is still worth it; the views alone made a huge impression on us. But if you can, give it time, so you don't only see it from the edge.

A night at Yavapai Lodge

We slept at Yavapai Lodge inside the national park, booked through Hotels.com. Check-in was busy, but the setting made up for it: low lodge buildings among the pines, and a deer wandering past our door in the morning.

A mule deer walking along the path between the pine trees and the lodge rooms at Yavapai Lodge — Our morning visitor at Yavapai Lodge.

The covered walkway along the lodge rooms at Yavapai Lodge at night, lit by warm lanterns — The lodge walkway at night.

The day had given us some of the most impressive landscapes of the whole trip – and a clear lesson about leaving enough time for the places you really want to see. The next morning, the road trip continued towards Route 66.

If you'd rather see it another way

We did Page and the Grand Canyon on our own, and the guided Lower Antelope Canyon tour wasn't for us. But if you'd prefer someone else to drive – or want to see Upper Antelope Canyon, a boat trip on Lake Powell, or give the Grand Canyon the extra day we wish we'd had – there are plenty of tours. We haven't tried these ourselves, so we can't vouch for them:

Practical information

When	6–7 October 2025 (afternoon + morning)
Glen Canyon Dam Overlook	Easy walk of about 286 m (940 ft) on uneven rock steps; stay behind the railings
Horseshoe Bend	City of Page parking: we paid $10 per car; no national park passes – check current fees before you go
Lower Antelope Canyon	Guided tours only – we went with Ken's Tours
Stayed	Motel 6 Page, AZ (Hotels.com) – fine for one night; then Yavapai Lodge inside Grand Canyon National Park (Hotels.com)
Grand Canyon	Lipan Point and Grandview Point on the way in – we'd allow at least one extra day