Hi travel fam!
Welcome to my first blog post😊 I have had a ton of you guys asking me questions about Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and The Wave, so I figured I would include a quick guide here on how I did it. My email is at the bottom of this post and on the main page, so feel free to reach out with any questions you have!
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is on Native American land, so you will need to book a tour to gain access to the canyon. There are both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon, so definitely look into which you want to do, or if you want to do both! Upper is where you will take the famous pictures you see all over the internet, and it’s the one I decided to do. Upper is about a .25 mile flat walk through the canyon each way. From my understanding, Lower is just as beautiful as Upper. Lower is longer and a little bit harder to trek through including some ladders to get from room to room in the canyon. I loved Upper, but I have heard wonderful things about Lower too, so I doubt you can really go wrong either way! Upper will most likely be busier as it is more famous, but I went in December when the crowds weren’t too bad regardless.
I booked my tour through https://www.antelopecanyon.com/ I did the basic sightseer’s tour which was an hour and a half total. It leaves from downtown Page, Arizona. I absolutely loved the tour! Our guide was so helpful, and as I was traveling by myself she even helped me take some of the amazing pictures you can see on my Instagram page. They have a variety of tours at a variety of prices. (Also, I’m getting no kick back from the company, I just genuinely liked the tour!) Be prepared for a bumpy 20 minute drive to and from the canyon and hang on tight!
Pro tip for taking pictures in the canyon: if you have an iPhone, use the vibrant or vibrant warm filter on your camera for amazing colors on your pictures! Flash photography isn’t allowed in the canyon, and some of the rooms get a little dark. I found my phone took better pictures than my regular camera in the really dark rooms, so don’t be afraid to bring multiple devices in. Also, no tripods are allowed unless you are specifically on a photographer’s tour, so be ready to snap those pictures fast! No backpacks are allowed in the canyon either. You can bring water and leave it on the tour bus, but I found that I really didn’t need any since the tour was so short and it wasn’t too hot when I went. There are pictures around every turn, so snap a few then just look up and enjoy the scenery, the tour goes by quickly!
Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe bend is super easy to get to! From downtown Page, Arizona, it's less than a 10 minute drive. Right off of Highway 89 there will be a turn off for it where you will see a parking lot and some signs for the bend. I punched in “Horseshoe Bend” into my GPS and it led me right to the parking lot. The hike to the canyon is about .75 miles each way on sand with a few hills to navigate. They were remodeling the trail when I was there to make it completely handicap accessible, so I’m not sure when they will be done but the hike is relatively easy either way!
Once you arrive at the bend, you will see the main section which has safety rails, but most of the area does not so if you are traveling with kids be careful! There will most likely be a ton of people, but there are so many areas around the canyon away from the main section that you can walk around to get other pictures or have a little more peace and quiet. It was completely free to park and walk to it, but the parking lot was fairly small, so I would recommend going earlier in the day if possible before it gets too busy.
The Wave
The Wave is definitely the trickiest thing to get to out of these three. As it is part of the Coyote Buttes North Wilderness area, you need a specific permit to hike to it. They only award 20 permits per day, 10 via an online lottery and 10 via an in-person lottery. If you are granted a permit they give you the instructions to drive to the trail head and how to hike to The Wave.
Before you read on about the permit process there’s a few things to know before you decide if The Wave is right for you!
1. There is no actual trail to The Wave. It’s all navigation based on landmarks and it includes hiking over rocks and a few steep hills. It was a little intimidating, but don’t let that scare you! I am awful with directions/navigation and I made it just fine😊
2. If you have a small car, make sure you find out road conditions before you drive. The road to get to The Wave is called House Rock Valley Road. It’s a dirt road, and when the signs say impassable when wet, they aren’t lying! I had my small Kia and I barely made it out because the road was super muddy when I was driving home! Legit, pedal to the floor and I was barely moving through the mud so be extra careful, and maybe rent a Jeep or other 4WD car just to be safe.
3. The trail head itself is about an hour drive from either Kanab, Utah or Page, Arizona so plan accordingly. The hike itself was a more moderate to difficult 4ish mile roundtrip hike from the Wire Pass Trailhead. You will be bouldering over rocks so make sure you have good hiking shoes and plenty of water. There are no resources and very few signs past the trail head, so once you start out you are on your own!
So now, more about how the permits work. This website has all the information you will need:
To enter the online lottery, you need to enter at the above link a few months in advance, so make sure you plan ahead! It costs $5 each time you enter the lottery, even if you don’t win the permit, then it costs $7 to get the permit if you win the lottery.
I did the online lottery and was lucky enough to be granted a permit. It took me two tries to get it so be patient! When you enter the lottery, you enter three dates that would work for you in that month, and if you are granted a permit, they tell you what date you were awarded.
Pro tip: If you can enter for weekdays rather than weekends and if you go in the less busy winter months, your chances of getting a permit are a lot higher.
If you aren’t lucky enough to win the lottery online, there is an in-person lottery for the other 10 permits held at an office in Kanab, Utah. The day of the actual in-person lottery varies based on what day of the week you want to hike, so check the website for what day you need to show up for the lottery. My biggest advice is to just be patient. There are so many people who want to get into The Wave, so it will most likely take a lot of tries to be lucky enough to get a permit, especially if you are going with a big group or during the busy season. But if you get one, it is all completely worth it!
The Wave was one of the most incredible sights I have been lucky enough to experience, so I would definitely advise you to at least give it a try! The Wave gets VERY windy, so bring layers and be ready for any kind of weather you may encounter. It is in a desert area, but it can get very cold in southern Utah, so just be prepared. The hike itself has so many beautiful things along the way, so plan to make this adventure your entire day and just enjoy it! And good luck getting those permits!
I hope this post was helpful! Email me at alloveradventure@gmail.com with any other questions you have and be sure to check out my Instagram @alloveradventure if you haven’t already! Happy travels, fam!
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