17 Things to do in Page, Arizona (not just the Instagram spots)
Scribbled by Claire ◊ 30 May 2025
Are you considering a trip to the awesome little town of Page, Arizona, and don’t know how much stuff there is to do there (but do know you want to avoid the tourists)? Read on for the coolest spots, activities and sites that are usually missed off most typical itineraries, plus food, accommodation suggestions, and more.
Page, Arizona, is a small town straddling the border of Utah and Arizona, smack-bang in the middle of some of the American southwest’s most scenic landscapes. It’s a location that has been made tremendously famous by a few, very Instagrammable places, meaning most tourists nip in and out to take their photos and selfies, not really giving this city the time it deserves.
On every drive in, the first thing we always get buzzed about is the view of Glen Canyon Dam. Its surrounding scenery is unique in southern Utah – the open, expansive views of the man-made lakes really emphasise to me how important (and rare) water is in this region.
The abundance of water shapes the city of Page, with Lake Powell and the Colorado River just on its peripheral. There are a plethora of watersport options like kayaking and boating, allowing you to visit Antelope Canyon and even kayak along Horseshoe Bend! Surprisingly, the city has beaches, like the dramatic Lone Rock Beach. You can also hike to the banks of the Colorado River at Lees Ferry and visit historic Navajo bridges where endangered condors live.
It’s a really distinctive, scenic town with a different vibe to everywhere else and there is just so much more to do than most people realise!
Beyond the water, Page is also surrounded by my favourite dramatic canyon country, with unique hikes and incredible terrain in every direction. It’s also a magical place to catch a sunset at any of the many accessible viewpoints, like Wahweap and Glen Canyon.
Personally, we’ve stayed in Page more times than I can count and always find something new and exhilarating to do. This is a list of what we consider to be the best things to do in Page, Arizona, beyond Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon!
IN THIS GUIDE //
Avoiding the Tourists in Page, Arizona
Things to Know About a Trip to Page
1. Horseshoe Bend
2. Lake Powell
3. Take a Casual Hike
4. Glen Canyon Dam and Carl Hayden
5. Tour a Slot Canyon
6. Visit the Marinas
7. Panoramas
8. Go to the Beach
9. Explore Lees Ferry
10. Drive Cottonwood Canyon
11. Hike Buckskin Gulch
12. Historic Navajo Bridge and Condors
13. Explore Kanab
14. Monument Valley
15. Rainbow Bridge
16. The Wave
17. White Pocket
Map of Page
Where to Stay in Page
Where to Next?
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Things to Know About a Trip to Page, Arizona
Page is a smallish town in Arizona (not Utah, like a lot of people assume!). It sits on the border of the two states, right on the edge of Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Colorado River.
The city is in a prime location for inclusion on a southern Utah road trip, sandwiched between goliaths such as Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon and Escalante, plus Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Other useful things to know:
⬩ Almost everything on this list requires a car for access. We always rent ours through Discover Cars because their insurance is top-notch.
⬩ Several of the recommended stops are on National Park Service land – this means it makes sense to get an America the Beautiful national park pass.
⬩ The weather is extremely hot in summer. Avoid any kind of strenuous hiking mentioned on this list, especially between 10am – 4pm. I find anytime hiking past May to be intolerable!
⬩ This list is split into two, (kind of). The first eight are within Page and the last nine are outside the city.
⬩ We would recommend at least three days in Page, if you can spare it.
⬩ Some of the most expensive things to do in Page are motorised watersports and canyon tours. If you’re travelling on a budget, avoid these and look for alternatives (there are amazing unguided slot canyon alternatives and swimming > SUP > boats!).
⬩ Page is great for groceries, with several large supermarkets. If budget travel is your style, make your own dinner. We found restaurants to be reasonably expensive there (which is pretty typical of southern Utah/northern Arizona).
1. Visit Horseshoe Bend
Let’s get the most famous (and notoriously busy) attraction in Page out of the way first.
Horseshoe Bend is a blockbuster panorama overlooking the Colorado River, reached by an easy 0.75-mile hike across some open desert.
The view is screensaver-famous, but with that fame comes insane crowds and inexplicably (and uncharacteristically) expensive parking. I first visited when there were no parking restrictions or barriers and very few people – it was incredible and I loved it. Now, I’d recommend skipping this unless it’s on your lifelong bucket list. There’s no way I’d go back now!
So, if you want to avoid all that, consider boating or kayaking around Horseshoe Bend instead – it’s a beautiful, alternative way to experience the canyon with few other people, and remains one of my most memorable days.
Distance from Page – 4.6 miles
Fees – $10 for parking
Roads – paved
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2. Go Watersporting on Lake Powell!
I’m not much of a watery person, but even I went kayaking in Page!
Lake Powell is manmade by the nearby Glen Canyon Dam, and beautifully juxtaposes with the golden cliffs surrounding it. Its 2000 miles of shoreline contain secret coves, hidden gorges and concealed gullies, all explorable by water.
There are many activities you can do around adjacent Lake Powell, including kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, jetskiing (I desperately want to give this a go – not sure why because I usually hate motorised water things), or boating.
It is even possible to explore the famous Antelope Canyon by water from the opposite end, without having to pay for a crazy expensive tour! Another option is to camp on Antelope Island and travel over by paddleboard.
We recommend Lake Powell Paddleboards and Kayaks.
Tip | if you just want to swim, consider a hiking route called ‘The Chains’, which has easy parking and is reasonably straightforward scramble down to the water for access.
Distance from Page – 3 miles
Fees – $30 per vehicle for access to lake, free with America the Beautiful pass
Roads – paved
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3. Take a Casual Hike
Now, ‘take a casual hike’ may sound vague, but there are a lot of easy wanders you can do in this region and none of the ones we have listed below have entry/parking fees. For all your easy-hiking needs, below is a description of the best/easiest in and around Page:
⬩ Toadstool Hoodoos | an easy trek through a collection of colourful hoodoos. 29 miles from Page, 1.6 mile round trip
⬩ Nautilus | hike to a dramatic swirling rock formation reminiscent of a mollusk. 32 miles from Page, 1-mile round trip
⬩ New Wave/Beehives | a no-permit needed, less impressive alternative to ‘The Wave’ in Arizona. 3.3 miles from Page, 1.4 mile round trip
⬩ Page Shores Amphitheater (behind the Shell Gas station) | sand-heavy exploration area with interesting rock formations and a cave. 1 mile from Page, <1-mile round trip
⬩ Skylight Arch | non-strenuous trek over slick rock to an inverted arch, dirt road access (high clearance recommended but possible to walk final mile to trailhead). 14.5 miles from Page, 2 miles round trip
⬩ Hanging Gardens | easy hike along slickrock to a small cove with plants. 2 miles from Page, 1-mile round trip
All of the above hikes around Page are family friendly and dog friendly, however pets should be kept on a lead. Our favourites are Skylight Arch, Toadstools and Nautilus (although none of them are take-your-breath-away exciting, they are perfect for families and short trips).
Distance from Page – 1-32 miles
Fees – 0
Roads – paved, dirt roads
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4. Glen Canyon Dam and Carl Hayden Visitor Centre
The entire landscape of Page is dictated by the water surrounding it, making the 710-foot-tall Glen Canyon Dam an incredibly important feature of the backdrop. Built in 1963, the actual dam is now closed to the public, but you can check out the exhibits in the Carl Hayden Visitor Center instead.
If you are only passing through, it is possible to pull up on the right side of the road when leaving Page (there’s space to park) and take a short walk across the bridge adjacent to the dam. The views of the Colorado River, Lake Powell and the dam itself are pretty cool.
Distance from Page – 2 miles
Fees – 0
Roads – paved
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5. Tour a Famous Slot Canyon
Page is home to the most famous slot canyon in the world, Antelope Canyon. The canyon is on Navajo Tribal land, and as such, means you cannot visit without a tour.
There are quite a few canyon choices in the area – the most well-known being Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon. Other alternatives include Canyon X, Waterholes, Cardiac Canyon and Secret Canyon. There are loads of slot canyons on Navajo land near Page, but all come with a pretty steep price tag (like 60-80 dollars for an hour or so, per person).
In my opinion, these tours are not worth the money that you pay – they are rushed, cramped, crowded and you can’t really take decent photos. However, this place is a must-see destination for many visitors, so if you are considering visiting a slot canyon during your visit to Page and are on a budget, Canyon X was really pretty and a little less pricey (we quite enjoyed it).
Make sure to book ahead for Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon for the best time slots (middle of the day for the best light).
For a list of approved Antelope Canyon operators and tours, check the official Navajo Nation website.
Distance from Page – Canyon X – 12.5 miles, Lower Antelope Canyon – 5 miles, Upper Antelope Canyon – 4.3 miles
Fees – varies, but around $60-$80+, which includes hiking permit for Navajo lands
Roads – paved, dirt parking lots
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6. Visit the Marinas
There are two marinas just outside Page: the Wahweap Marina and Antelope Point Marina.
Both give easy access to Lake Powell for watersports, or for simply exploring along the shoreline and swimming. A great, easy place to reach the water with a bit of fun scrambling is around Antelope Point Marina, near the giant car park at its west end.
Be aware that access to either Marina necessitates a Glen Canyon National Recreation Area fee or an America the Beautiful pass.
Distance from Page – Antelope Point Marina – 9.5 miles, Wahweep Marina – 8 miles
Fees – $30 per vehicle, free with America the Beautiful pass
Roads – paved
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7. View the Panoramas
Page’s surrounding area is home to some magical, mega-panoramic views. Here are a handful of the best ones that you don’t need to hike (much) to:
Wahweap Overlook | a great place for sunrise, sunset, or just a picnic spot (there’s a shelter and tables), with 360-degree panoramic views from high above Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area.
Antelope Pass Vista | 6151 feet above sea level, this pull-out on a high mountain pass south of Page gives expansive, never-ending views of the plains and canyons far below (you can, kind of, see the beginning of the Grand Canyon!).
Alstrom Point | if you’re up for a challenge (and around 80 miles of driving round trip), this is one of the most impressive Lake Powell overlooks around Page. Sunset, in particular, is an incredible time, but be prepared to drive back in partial darkness. If trail finding over slickrock in a four-wheel drive isn’t your thing, the last few miles can be walked instead.
Glen Canyon Dam Overlook | just a few miles west of Page, a steep handrail-lined path guides you down to a cliffside area with a unique view of the Glen Canyon Dam and Colorado River.
Historic Navajo Bridge | 39 miles south-west of Page lies the original bridge where, if you’re lucky, you can see some of the rare California Condors along with views of the Colorado River hundreds of feet below.
Distance from Page – various, from 2-40 miles
Fees – 0
Roads – paved, apart from Alstrom Point (4WD necessary)
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8. Go to the Beach
Page, Arizona has a beach!
Lone Rock Beach is an attractive lakeside beach only a short drive outside the town, right on the edge of Lake Powell. The name comes from the colossal, monolithic ‘Lone Rock’ on the opposite shore, which looms over the shoreline. It’s very striking and easy to explore via kayak.
This beach is primarily used for wild camping (although in recent years lots more facilities have been added, like quality bathrooms). It’s also great for swimming and other watersports (and one of the few places in Lake Powell that you can drive right down to the shore). Camping costs $14 a night on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Lone Rock Beach is backed by wild, grassy dunes – be aware that the roads to the shoreline are sandy – sometimes quite deep, soft sand. We nearly got stuck here in an AWD vehicle.
Distance from Page – 12 miles
Fees – $30 per vehicle, free with America the Beautiful pass
Roads – paved, sand beach areas
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9. Explore Lees Ferry
Lees Ferry is an area just west of Page, in Marble Canyon, with access to the banks of the Colorado River (it’s where lots of Grand Canyon rafting expeditions begin!). This historic area was one of the earlier Colorado River ferry crossings, named after the first ferry operator, John D. Lee. The region has river access, some excellent hikes, access to the Paria River Trail which leads north to Buckskin Gulch, and some beautiful rock formations too.
Hikes | the area is super scenic and has several routes that are worth considering – our favourite in the area is Cathedral Wash. This incredible little adventure follows a complex route down a wash to the shore of the Colorado River. It’s just a very unusual, active hike that involves some easy scrambling and route finding.
Another wonderful hike in the area is the Spencer Trail, which heads up the cliffs adjacent to the Lees Ferry car park, providing panoramic views of the Colorado River, accompanied by zero of the crowds crammed together at Horseshoe Bend! It’s hot, exposed and steep, so take water.
Distance from Page – 45 miles
Fees – $30 per vehicle, free with America the Beautiful pass
Roads – paved
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10. Drive Cottonwood Canyon Road
About half an hour north-west of Page is Cottonwood Canyon Road, a Utah scenic backway that leads north towards Bryce Canyon and Kodachrome Basin State Park.
The route is an easy-to-navigate dirt road, suitable for low clearance vehicles, although I’d definitely avoid it when wet as it turns to clay.
There are some awesome landscapes, especially at the northern end, in addition to the Cottonwood Narrows (a very cool slot canyon) and Grosvenor Arch (one of the prettiest arches in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument), which we highly recommend visiting.
For more information, check out our post on things to do in Escalante and also our best slot canyons in Utah.
Distance from Page – Cottonwood Canyon Road south entrance – 27.5 miles
Fees – 0
Roads – paved, dirt track once off the 89
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CAR HIRE FOR YOUR AMERICAN SOUTHWEST TRIP
We always rent our vehicles all over the world, including our recent trip in the United States, with Discover Cars. They’re often the most affordable, plus they paid out immediately on an insurance claim we made when our car took some heavy damage in Sicily. We fully recommend them.
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TAKE A LOOK BELOW OR CHECK CAR RENTAL
11. Hike Buckskin Gulch
If you are looking for one, iconic, bucket list hike in the American southwest, then this should be it.
Buckskin Gulch is said to be the world’s longest slot canyon. It has the stereotype perfect, sculpted, rippling sandstone walls that encircle you and obscure the sunlight, all extending for many miles. It’s a seemingly unbounded trail that never stops giving.
The hike itself is moderate – not overly difficult and you can choose how far in you would like to walk. The surface is quite sandy in places, but other than that, it’s a great return on your energy investment. The hike can extend for as long as 20 miles if you want to exit via a separate trailhead at White House, on Highway 89. We hiked about 12-14 miles, round trip, and felt we saw a decent amount of it.
Check out out post on why we think it’s the perfect photographer’s alternative to Antelope Canyon.
For more hikes like this, check out our post on the best slot canyons in Utah.
Distance from Page – 44 miles
Fees – $6 per person
Roads – paved, dirt road access
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12. Spot Endangered Condors at Historic Navajo Bridge
Just a few miles upriver from Lees Ferry (mentioned above) is the 834-foot-high Historic Navajo Bridge. This was built when automobiles became more popular, and it was necessary to build a bridge rather than ferry them across the Colorado River. At one point, after the ferry sank, people had to travel 800 miles around the canyon to get to the other side of the river to travel from Arizona to Utah!
The Historic Navajo Bridge is currently open to foot traffic and runs parallel with a newer, safer bridge built for cars in 1995. Nearby is also the Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center with various exhibits and guides.
This is a great place to spot the heavily endangered California Condor – they like to hang out here. On our most recent visit, we spotted a young one just chilling on the bridge!
Distance from Page – 39 miles
Fees – 0
Roads – paved
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13. Explore Kanab
Kanab is probably my favourite small town in the American southwest. It was made famous as a film location, but is also incredibly well equipped for tourists, despite only having one main street. It’s such a friendly, welcoming place – I have an enormous soft spot for Kanab, which feels stuck in time somehow. It has a completely different vibe to Page, which is much larger and feels a little characterless in comparison.
We generally stay in Kanab over Page when we are choosing a destination to spend a few nights. The accommodation is less expensive, there are some lovely restaurants (my favourite is Peekaboo Canyon Wood Fired Kitchen) and it’s right in the middle of many state and national parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon, the North Rim Grand Canyon, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Grand Staircase Escalante, Vermillion Cliffs are all drivable). For a little more detail, check out our dedicated post on Kanab.
There are quite a few lovely things to do on a day trip (some are harder to access) in the nearby area, including:
⬩ Belly of the Dragon – a quick easy hike in a man-made cave (free)
⬩ Kanab Sand Caves – another quick, easy hike to some other photogenic man-made caves on a cliff (free)
⬩ Moqui Cave – a museum and gift shop inside a sand stone cave ($7 per person)
⬩ Best Friends Animal Sanctuary – a very popular animal rescue centre (reservations required)
⬩ Red Pueblo Museum and Heritage Centre – highly recommended little Native American museum with lovely staff (donation)
⬩ Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park – a cool park where you can go sandboarding on bright red sand dunes ($15 per vehicle)
⬩ Red Canyon (a.k.a. Peekaboo Canyon – a different one to the canyon near Escalante) – four-wheel drive, sandy access to a very nice slot canyon (free)
⬩ Great Chamber – an Instagram-popular sand cave, four-wheel drive essential (free)
⬩ Pipe Spring National Monument – Native American and Mormon historic site ($10 without an American the Beautiful pass). Grab an excellent burrito at Barazza’s Mexican Food while you’re there.
Distance from Page – 74 miles
Fees – 0
Roads – paved
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14. Visit Monument Valley
The towering sandstone buttes of Monument Valley, casting long shadows across the burnt orange desert, are an iconic image of the wild west, conjuring images of adventurous cowboys on horseback. The region was actually made famous by film – in 1939 John Ford made his first movie there – catapulting the captivating landscape into the public eye.
Monument Valley is an absolute must on any southern Utah road trip, but it’s kind of out of the way, unless you’re heading to Moab, New Mexico or Colorado after your visit to Page.
Now, we’d recommend you take (at least) an overnight trip out to Monument Valley. However, a lot of people visit from Page because it’s around a two hour drive each way and the accommodation options are minimal, generally more expensive and often less appealing.
We think the area around Monument Valley is exquisite, with lots of lesser-known things to do and see. To find out more, check out our things to do around Monument Valley guide or the ultimate showdown between Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods!
Distance from Page – 125 miles
Fees – $8 per person
Roads – paved, dirt track on the scenic loop
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Some Bonus Places Around Page (that we haven’t visited yet)
15. Tour Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Rainbow Bridge is one of the world’s largest natural bridges and easily among the most spectacular.
I have never visited here because there’s no road access and it’s just very pricey for a boat trip (or it’s a 16-mile backpacking trip through Navajo country which, one day, I want to do).
It is possible to get there using private, rental or tour boats, all of which have a bit of a price tag attached. The journey is around 1.5-2 hours each way, and then it is a one-mile hike at the end. This looks awesome and one day, when I’m a millionaire, you’ll find me on that boat.
16. Win the Lottery at the Wave
Starting at the same trailhead as Buckskin Gulch is possibly the hardest place to visit in the American Southwest. The Wave (made famous by Windows screensavers across the world) is a permit-only hike, with 64 given out per day. The iconic, swirling, stripey rocks are world-renowned, and also highly protected.
It’s incredibly competitive to get a permit, and you have to enter a lottery, months in advance online, or two days before if you are in the local area (they do some kind of geo-fence thing so they know where you are). If you plan to hike The Wave, have a backup plan – we’ve entered the lottery probably 100 times now and never been successful.
17. Tour White Pocket
This is a fantastic alternative to hiking The Wave, in a similar area with (kind of) similar scenery. White Pocket looks more otherworldly though, with swirling pink, Navajo sandstone twisting between orange, yellows and whites. We’ve never been because it’s a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive situation along sandy tracks that I’m never going to take a rental vehicle on!
There are also tours to White Pocket, but they have always been too pricey for us (although we wish we could have gone and fully recommend doing one). It might just be your highlight attraction in Page!
Page – Map
Below is a savable Google Map of the best things to do in Page, including any hotel recommendations.
⬩ Yellow are things to do in Page.
⬩ Purple are hotel recommendations.
⬩ Green are a few things to do around Kanab.
To view these sections, select the icon in the top left corner of the map.
To save the map, click the star next to the title.
WHERE TO STAY IN PAGE
We find nearby Kanab to be a more affordable option than Page, with nicer, more unique choices. So, here are the places we’ve stayed in Page (and a number we wish we could), and also a few suggestions for Kanab (we’ve stayed in almost every hotel there!). For more detailed information, check out our dedicated post with everything to know about Kanab.
Page:
Motel 6 – I wouldn’t routinely recommend a Motel 6, but it was *easily* the cheapest place we stayed in Page on our most recent 2024 trip. It wasn’t too bad and if you intend to be out of your room the entire time, it’s tolerable.
Other central motels – we’ve stopped over in many motels in central Page, our favourites being the Holiday Inn Express, Country Inn and Suites and the Baymont by Wyndham. Honestly, we wouldn’t usually choose pricier chain motels but Page has so many (mostly bad) budget options. Check the reviews carefully if they’re rated below an 8!
Under Canvas Lake Powell – for a proper glamping experience, look no further than Under Canvas. This outrageously pretty place has luxury tents with private bathrooms, but it might be worth skipping in the hot months – there’s no aircon. There is even a slot canyon, on site, if that helps persuade you!
Amangiri – ok, straight up, we can’t afford this one, but if you take a look at it, you’ll know why it’s on our bucket list. For a once-in-a-lifetime stay, check this out.
Kanab:
Red Canyon Cabins – quality, mid-range budget accommodation, with cute, individual little huts, laundry and parking right outside your cabin.
Best Friends Mercantile – just a totally amazing place to stay. Beautiful rooms, enormously pet friendly, lovely vegan breakfast. We recommend this one over and over.
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Where to Next?
Perched on the cliffs at sunset under glowing purple and orange skies, drinking a beer and eating take-out Mexican food. This will forever remain a core memory for me of Page (far beyond Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon). Just existing in Page is a privilege, even if I do nothing exciting – it’s got a magical light.
The surrounding region is truly beautiful, one that I look forward to coming back to, over and over again. I’ve never made a southern Utah itinerary that didn’t include it!
We hope this list gives you some inspiration for your trip.
Have a fantastic time!
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