Antelope Canyon, Zion & the Grand Canyon
Trip Snapshot
🌵 When We Went: Late April
🚗 Trip Style: Road trip • National parks • Hiking
📍 Home Base: Page, Arizona
🏞️ National Parks: Zion + Grand Canyon
Where We Stayed
Page — A convenient home base for Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Glen Canyon. We stayed in an Airbnb and grocery shopped on arrival, which helped given how much driving we had ahead of us.
Wildlife We Saw
🐏 Bighorn sheep
Highlights
🏜️ Antelope Canyon
🌅 Horseshoe Bend at sunset
🏞️ Zion National Park
🥾 Watchman Trail
🌠 Stargazing in Zion
🏜️ Grand Canyon South Rim
🌅 Grand Canyon sunset
The girls' portion of our trip was officially over, so we picked up our husbands from the Phoenix airport and headed north toward Page, Arizona. Yes, a four-hour drive. We love the scenic route.
After four days of hiking, yoga, massages, and birthday cocktails, we were switching gears. Page became our home base while we explored Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Antelope Canyon — and somehow also decided that driving to both Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon sounded perfectly reasonable.
On our way into Page, our first stop was Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to watch the sunset at Horseshoe Bend. Afterward, we checked into our Airbnb, grocery shopped, and finally slowed down for the evening — making ourselves at home and spending the night playing euchre.
Antelope Canyon → Zion National Park
We started our morning at Antelope Canyon, and this place was so dang cool. Walking through the narrow sandstone passages and seeing the curves and layers carved over time by water, wind, and sand was incredible. The colors seemed to shift depending on where the light hit the canyon walls.
Our guide was from the Navajo Nation, which made the experience even better. I loved that visiting this incredible place also meant supporting the local community. Antelope Canyon requires you to visit with an authorized Navajo tour operator, and having someone guide us through who knew the area added so much to the experience.
And then, because apparently Antelope Canyon wasn't enough adventure for one day... we drove to Utah. Have I mentioned we love a road trip? Yes — an additional two hours north, after driving four hours the day before.
Zion National Park
This was my first trip out West, and by this point I'd already seen Sedona, Cathedral Rock, Devil's Bridge, Glen Canyon, and Antelope Canyon. You'd think I'd have stopped being shocked by giant rock formations.
Absolutely not.
Zion felt completely different. The scale alone was incredible. Everyone talks about the drive in, but it's a reveal like you'd never imagine — huge red and cream-colored canyon walls towering around us, winding roads through the landscape, and another one of those places where I felt like I couldn't look around fast enough to actually take everything in.
We hiked the Watchman Trail and thoroughly enjoyed it. Once we made it to the top, we sat and journaled for a while before heading back down.
We stayed in Zion until it was pitch black. On our drive out, we pulled off at one of the scenic spots and spent some time stargazing. We saw several shooting stars, which somehow never stops being exciting. And at some point, underneath the moonlight in the middle of Zion National Park, we slow danced to a few songs.
Those are the moments I remember most from our trips — not necessarily the thing we planned or the photo we wanted to get, but the random moments in between.
Grand Canyon Day
The next morning, we got back in the car. Because clearly we'd learned nothing. This time, we were headed to the Grand Canyon — another two-and-a-half-hour drive.
We visited the South Rim, and "wow factor" doesn't even cover it. The massive split in the land is indescribable — it felt like standing at one end of the earth and looking toward the other. I remember sitting there, reaching my hand into the air, half-expecting to touch a green screen. No matter where we walked, everything in front of us genuinely looked fake. My brain couldn't quite comprehend the scale of what I was looking at.
We hiked partway down into the canyon to see how far we could get before turning around and making the climb back up. Along the way, we passed a group of bighorn sheep casually munching on whatever it is they eat — leaves, maybe?
We ate at Yavapai Cafe and ended our final day watching the sunset over the Grand Canyon. Not a bad way to finish a trip.
Vacation From Our Vacation
By the end of every night, we were fatigued. By the end of the trip, we were entirely exhausted.
We left Arizona overjoyed, with an absurd number of pictures, some very tired legs, and in desperate need of a vacation from our vacation.
Would I do it exactly the same way again? Probably not. I'd slow down. I especially wish we'd had more time in Zion — there was so much more I wanted to see, and one afternoon wasn't nearly enough.
But I don't think we're finished with Zion anyway. Next time, I'd give it several days and add Bryce Canyon to the road trip.
One day, very soon.
Worth Knowing
Page was a great home base for this portion of our trip.
Book Antelope Canyon in advance — you must visit with an authorized Navajo tour operator.
Antelope Canyon + Zion can technically be done in one day. We are living proof. Whether I'd recommend our level of ambition is another question.
Don't underestimate the driving. Page gives you access to an incredible amount of scenery, but Zion and the Grand Canyon are not quick little side trips.
Give yourself more time if you have it. We saw an incredible amount in a few days, but knowing what I know now, I'd probably slow parts of this itinerary down.