On this stage of the trip we will move through the Navajo Lands in the American Southwest and we will visit three indispensable wild landmarks.
We will start on the town of Page where we can book one of the tour for the Antelope Slot Canyon as you cannot take your own car (those tours are managed by Navajo people since it is operated by the Navajo Parks and Recreation department and visitors must be transported by a licensed operator) ; beside it is not included on the Annual Pass for American National parks.
There are different companies in Page for those tours and we recommend to book in advance, the price can vary from 60$ to 80$ (2018)
There are two sections of the Antelope Canyon: “Upper Antelope Canyon” and “Lower Antelope Canyon”; the photos feature on this post are from the “Upper Antelope Canyon” section and it is where you can find the light beams of the sun entering from the top.
Then, we can drive with our car to the next impressive landmark, Horseshoe Bend, from Page drive south on Highway 89 to between mileposts 544 & 545, it is just 10 minutes from Page. Here, the Colorado River has created one of the most curious shapes in the nature. The river has eroded a natural overlook with a height of more than 300 meters that is breathtaking. You can drop your car in the car park next to the main road and then walk around 800 meters until you reach the ledge of the Canyon. As an alternative you can visit the whole Canyon from the river by raft, In our trip we did not take this option as it will take at least half day, but the views must be amazing.
After lunch, we started to head to John Ford’s Westerns mythical scenarios in Monument Valley (Utah) in the middle of the Navajo nation. It is 2 hours driving by car from Page, and you should arrive before sunset for delighting with a wonderful views (top photo of this post) . The entrance fee for Monument Valley Navajo Tribal park (link) is $10 per person or $20 per vehicle (2018) (National Park passes will not be accepted). From the visitors centre you can enjoy just the views and see the sunset, however, if you would like to spend some time on this landmark you can do some tours but keep in mind that Navajo guides are required for travel off of the valley road.
In our trip, after the sunset, from Monument Valley we drove to our next stop in Flagstaff city (northern Arizona) where we will spend the night so we can be ready for our next stage the “Grand Canyon National Park”. Keep in mind that is 3 hours driving to reach Flagstaff and you can consider to stop in a middle point. Besides, if you have extra time and you love this landscape do not doubt to spend the night there or near and visit this lands in the sunrise.
Route map: Page-Antelope Canyon – Horseshoe bend – Monument Valley – Flagstaff
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