Road tripping is one of the absolute best ways to see a place. After spending two days at Grand Canyon we checked out a few other things in Arizona. We drove over to Page where we had booked a tour to see Upper Antelope Canyon. The land is Navajo land so you’re unable to actually tour the canyon or visit it without booking a guided tour. It cost $40 USD and took about an hour. They take you to the Canyon in a Jeep which I might add is not enclosed so be prepared for lots and lots of sand in your face, in your hair and pretty much all over everywhere else.
Once at the canyon it’s pretty much what it sounds like; a guided walk of the canyon. It took about 20 minutes from one end of the other. There’s nothing difficult about the walk unless you don’t like tight spaces or walking on sand. Our tour guide was a bit rushed but we were the first tour of the day (bright and early at 8 a.m.!) so we at least got to enjoy walking through it while it was still completely empty. Personally, I think Upper Antelope Canyon could be a hit or a miss with the lighting (which is really the highlight) depending on what time of day you go for the tour. As you can see in the pictures some parts of the canyon were completely dark while others had amazing light shining through already. I’m very thankful we booked the early tour because while walking back through towards the jeeps the entire canyon was completely packed with people. I think you have to take your chances here by either risking getting unlucky with lighting early in the day, or sharing the space with a lot (A LOT) of people later on in the day.
After being dropped back to the parking lot we decided to grab some breakfast at Jack in the Box and while there we decided to stop by Horseshoe Bend. This was something we originally thought we wouldn’t be able to fit in time wise but it’s quite literally down the road from Upper Antelope Valley and since we had such an early tour time we were doing pretty well on time.
Horseshoe Bend is this random turn off of the highway with just a few signs signalling it but wow is it worth it. There’s a pretty big parking lot right when you turn off the high way and then you see a small (but slightly steep hill) that you sincerely hope is where you’ll see the Bend from but it’s not! Once you reach the top of the hill you walk down another hill and some steps and then up part of another hill again but then you’re finally there. I’d say it’s about a 15 minute walk but definitely inclined and definitely exerting with the sun beaming down but it’s a breathtaking view when you finally reach it. After driving through and seeing nothing but deserts for hours, this small land of water looks so completely out of place but is formed so perfectly. There are a lot of edges and rocks around for brave souls to get some spectacular pictures from but even if you’re not brave (like myself!) there’s really no bad view of this place so make sure you include it in your itinerary if you’re in Arizona.
Arizona is an absolutely stunning state. There’s so many things to see and do and I absolutely can’t wait to go back. A must on my list once I go back is both the Wave and the Havasu Falls Hike! Have you guys been to Arizona? What were your highlights?