How to Visit Antelope Canyon during COVID
The Backstory…
We had plans to see Monument Valley and tour Antelope Canyon back in May and had to reschedule to October. We thought that the Park would open the 1st of October but had no such luck. We found out a week before that the parks would likely stay closed until March. Luckily, we found so much to do that we kept our trip and even found a backdoor way to check out a little piece of Antelope Canyon that was not crowded and amazingly beautiful.
The kayak and hike were not crowded at all and were some of the most beautiful scenery we have seen. It was the perfect outdoor escape to remind us that not all is lost during the pandemic.
How to get there…
We flew into Phoenix. Southwest had the best deals by far and they were not showing up on Google flights. The flight from Austin was about $200 per person. We also grabbed our rental car there. A rental car or driving, if you can, is the way to go. The bus tours are exhausting and the flights to the small airports around Page were super expensive. **Be advised, they are only putting 10 people on the bus to the rental car plaza at a time. Plan for an extra 20-30 minutes because of this. Outside of the bus debacle, everything else at the airport went super smooth. Restaurants are opening in the airports now too!
About the town…
Antelope Canyon is in Page, AZ, which is right on the Utah border. It is about a 4-hour drive from the airport. You can drive right through or stay in Sedona, which I highly recommend. (it is about halfway) Page the town is nothing special. The Comfort Inn is about the best accommodations you will find. We drove up after dinner in Sedona and woke up early to check out the sunrise at Horseshoe Bend. Then we kayaked Lake Powell and hiked up to Antelope Canyon.
How to explore Antelope Canyon…
It is about a ten-minute drive from Page to Lake Powell, where the adventure begins. The first thing you will need is an America the beautiful National Parks pass (or a military ID) to enter the lake. Then you will need a Kayak or Stand-up paddle board. There were several kayak rental companies in Page. There were not any at the lake, but several that delivered. (see links below) You can request a guide, get your kayak delivered, or place it in/ on your vehicle. You will meet you meet your kayak rental or throw your kayak in at Antelope Point Launch Ramp. (do not turn into the marina- keep driving straight) From there, it is about a 45-minute kayak through some amazing canyons. When you enter stay left. In about 15 minutes, you see an outlet that leads you too the canyon. Luckily, we followed everyone else and it led us in the right direction. If there is not anyone out there, do not worry. It is the first outlet that leads anywhere, and you cannot miss it.
You stop kayaking when the water ends. We pulled our kayaks up on the shore and started our hike. (tennis shoes and a bottle of water are recommended) It took 20-30 minutes before we started to make out the very distinct Antelope curves. It was absolutely breathtaking. We ran into a guide that told us the hike is 4 miles long and ends with the wall to the Lower Canyon. We ended up only finishing about an hour and a half of the hike because of other plans but think that everyone should try to finish it!
Horseshoe Bend….
While in Rome, I mean Page, check out Horseshoe bend! It is only a 10-minute drive from Page and a 20-minute walk down a paved trail. The view is stunning! We woke up for the sunrise and it wasn’t crowded at all! There was a $10 fee, but we thought it was worth it!
Until Next Time,
Dez
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