*Short hike to a beautiful overlook where you can see the other side of the dam and the nightly…read moreColorado River slicing through history *Surrounded by beautiful hues of red stone and gorgeous rock formations * Trail does include some steep stairs/ climbing- but there is a rail for support. But if you have health conditions- know your body limits. *Trail is sandy and rocky- wear supporting shoes because it's easy to slip or biff it * Hydrate and recreate safely and responsibly

This spot was a pleasant surprise when I came to Page, AZ on a road trip. I'd wanted to visit the…read moreHoover dam near Las Vegas but it was too far off the path I was taking so I was glad I ended up at a big dam somewhere else anyway! There is a lookout point that is easy to reach in Page, about a 10-15 min drive away from the main shopping areas (like where the big Safeway is). There's plenty of free parking, and you can take a short (couple minutes) walk to the little overlook. There are some big rocks you can climb over to get a more direct view, or a little pagoda shaded area that directly faces the dam. I liked the view from the rocks because you can see the whole river too facing the dam and the bridge. It certainly does make you feel small, and is a testament to the best work of civil engineering!

First off, I love how large the parking lot is. It's rare that I comment on the parking situation,…read morebut given how many visitors this place sees (with a bunch of tour busses too!) I like how they split up the lots with overflow parking. The visitor center is pretty big. As you enter you can see a big area of exhibits that talk about the geology of the dam as well as how Glen Canyon Dam compares to other dams in the world. Quite ominously, there was a exhibit about the water levels and it hadn't been updated in years...the overall trend was that there isn't a lot of water now. You can also watch a movie in back, shop at the gift shop, and get more information about the dam and surrounding areas at the information desk. Don't forget to walk on the bridge nearby, although it can be a bit unnerving to have traffic whizz by with not a lot of distance between you and them. It's unfortunate you can't actually enter the dam, but it makes sense due to the visitor volume and security concerns.

Perfect picnic lunch spot!! Breathtaking views, wonderful…read moremuseum and if you want some panoramic shots, this is a good place to get them. There is shady trees along the left side where there's a wall where you can overlook the canyon. A great gift shop and museum to look through as well.

The historic bridge is right next to the parking lot, so it's only a short stroll away. It's well…read moremaintained and fun to see the traffic on the modern bridge zoom by. I also saw a California condor soaring on the thermals, which I didn't expect! If you're nervous about heights, I wouldn't recommend looking over the side of the bridge since the droop is quite impressive... The interpretive center nearby has displays about the historic and modern bridges, as well as a gift shop and toilets. The washrooms are vault toilets so there's no running water, although hand sanitizer is provided. The center is single story building that has the usual NPS gift shop offerings. There's also more information about the history of the bridge, as it replaced a dangerous ferry crossing between Utah and Arizona. This bridge then had to be replaced as automobiles and trucks became larger, wider, and heavier. A new bridge was constructed and the historic bridge is now used as a pedestrian bridge.

You have to stop at Navajo Bridge if you're close to Page. Breathtaking scenery and vivid colors…read more I was so excited to be able to see California condors in the wild!!!

This place is so beautiful. I stopped by Navajo Bridge and saw a condor soaring on the thermals. I…read morethen went to Lonely Dell Ranch Historic Site. The fruits in the orchard weren't ripe yet, but it was fun to walk around the ranch and really feel the pull of history by settlers eking out a living. It's a beautiful place, but you can't fill your stomach with views. It must have been very hard work to survive. Head down the road to Lees Ferry where you can do some camping or even boat the Colorado River. I saw a grazing wild horse on the other side of the Colorado, as well as a bunch of birds. It's on my bucket list to go on a commercial river trip down the Colorado river since I heard that the view is amazing and a unique experience. This place is unimaginably beautiful.

Driving by and decided to see what was here. It's a pricey place if you don't have a yearly pass…read more $25 a car. There's lots of hiking trails and they launch the river rafts from here. You can go down by the Colorado river and put your toes in the cold water. There wasn't a lot of people here today which was great! We stopped at the Navajo bridge and walked on the old 1927 bridge that is now for pedestrians only. Got some great pics and saw a Condor was hanging out under one side! Check out the pics! Lots to do here. Great fun for all ages. The Condor we saw and posted picture of is a wild Male born of wild parents. Was so cool to see him from about 20 feet away.

Monument Valley is absolutely incredible. This is a Navajo Tribal Park, meaning it's on Navajo…read moreland, tribal land, so there is a fee to enter and explore the park that's independent of any tour fees you may have. It's $20 for 1-4 people in one car and additional people will be $5 (not 100% sure if that's per person or just anything over 4, I'm guessing it's per person though). If you come during the day (between 8 am and 2 pm), you could drive around about 50% of the park by yourself on a self guided tour. Be careful though because the roads are all dirt roads and your car will be covered in a layer of red dust by the time you leave the park. We could easily tell just from the cars parked in the parking lot who had just come from the park and who hadn't gone yet. For my family and I, we booked a guided tour, which I would HIGHLY recommend if you're interested in learning about the meaning behind all the mesas, buttes, and spires you'll see throughout the park and especially if you're interested in learning about Navajo history and get a small glimpse into their way of life. If you're here just for the photos of the cool rock formations though, then I'd say you probably wouldn't enjoy the tour as much and would recommend that you just get here early enough (probably 12 pm at the latest because the park closes to self guided tours by 2 pm) to drive through the park yourself. I love learning about the meaning behind everything though, how Monument Valley even came to be, why each rock formation is named what they're named, how the Navajo people live in this area, etc., so the guided tour was very worth it to me. PLUS, on the Navajo-guided tours, they can bring you into the park after 2 pm, so you can do sunset tours with them and ALSO have full access to the park, which is 50% more than what is accessible on a self-guided tour. Part of the reason is because a lot of these roads go through land upon which Navajo currently reside, so they only want guided tours have access to these roads and the other reason is because a lot of these pathways are much more difficult to drive through and require the skills of those who are used to driving them day in and day out. All in all, Monument Valley is 100% worth a visit. We were coming from Page, and it is really close by from there and was definitely worth the 2 hour drive over. Monument Valley is located right on the border between Arizona and Utah, so if you're anywhere within that vicinity, stop by and check it out! You will not be disappointed! :)

It's a huge area with giant rocks that have cultural ties to the indigenous people in the area…read more It's worth it to stop and see!

The interpretive center has displays about the historic and modern bridges, as well as a gift shop…read moreand toilets. The washrooms are vault toilets so there's no running water, although hand sanitizer is provided. The center is single story building that has the usual NPS gift shop offerings. There's also more information about the history of the bridge, as it replaced a dangerous ferry crossing between Utah and Arizona. This bridge then had to be replaced as automobiles and trucks became larger, wider, and heavier. A new bridge was constructed and the historic bridge is now used as a pedestrian bridge. There are also displays about the California condors which are often spotted here, a loom displaying a partially woven Navajo rug, and dinosaur footprints. Quite eclectic. The historic bridge is right next to the parking lot, so it's only a short stroll away.

We visited the Navajo Bridge and stopped by the Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center to pick up some…read moresouvenirs. As with most souvenir shops, they have clothing, magnets, keychains, shot glasses, mugs, postcards, snacks, and all other kinds of stuff.

The Toadstool Hoodoos are cool rock formations formed by differential erosion. They look like…read moremushrooms, as the harder rock caps and protects the softer rock underneath. The hike is an easy 1.5 miles. The views at the end are worth it, and you can get close to the rock formations as you like (although don't topple the rocks!). It's suitable for families with small children. If you don't mind driving on an unpaved road (I did it in a 2WD sedan), check out House Rock Valley Road for unparalleled views of the landscape with swirling sandstone, painted hills, and other cool rock formations. Check out the Wire Pass Trail for amazing slot canyons, although check the weather. If there's any chance for rain, do not enter the slot canyons since the formations channel water and form deadly floods in the canyon. The visitor center in Kanab is huge, with lots of good pamphlets and displays about the geology and archaeology of the area.

This feels like a review in progress because the area is so large - but was pleasantly surprised by…read morehow much more I want to explore this region. We did Willis Creek Narrows and Lower Calf Creek Falls - both incredible. Now adding to the wish list for return trips. The drive along US 12 is just spectacular. Definitely recommend a high clearance vehicle with 4WD to access some of the more remote locations. Be prepared to adventure and bring what you need as this is not a manicured national park, but more a haven for those looking for an off-grid escape.

I've heard the lottery permit for The Wave is one of the hardest to win. I had previously missed…read moreout on the advanced lottery for 3 dates I submitted for mid-May and sorta planned out my 9-day roadtrip in AZ without visiting here. I really only had 1 day to fit in a trip to The Wave while I was staying in Page for 4 days and took a shot with the daily lottery permit and won! I was super pumped when I got the email notification! The 2-day advance daily lottery permit can only be applied for while you are in a nearby geofenced area and you have to pick up the permit and go through orientation/training at either Page, AZ or Kanab, UT. One tricky thing about the permit application hours is that it is based on UT and Navajo time, not AZ time. If you are in Page, you'll have to ignore the local time and make sure you are 1 hour ahead of the daily application closing time. Anyways, this was one of the most jaw-dropping other-worldy places I've hiked. The journey to reach The Wave features some of the most unique terrains and landscapes I've seen. There are geologic features all around, everywhere you look. Once you reach The Wave area, you almost can't believe what you are seeing. Some areas look like the rings of Saturn. Some areas look like huge ocean waves. I was in awe the entire time I was there. I can't even explain everything I saw, as words can't describe the scenery. Just look at the pictures. I didn't really explore past the main area because I was on a tight schedule and needed to head back. I would have to say this hike may be too challenging if you only rely on the paper map provided during orientation. I would highly recommend GPS tracking app, I used AllTrails to track my hike and even then I went off trail a few times, as this is definitely not a straight forward hike. Not a long hike at about 3.3 mile each way, but I would start early as it can get quite hot in this area. Also, there was a gentleman from BLM that was checking for permits at The Wave, if you were curious about enforcement.

Everyone raves about this place, we hike a lot have done Angels and Half dome so gotta "Wave" right…read more? Took us 3 tries and scored hit early summer, bummer as you do need to plan your hydration carefully as it is dangerous out there when in the 90s We live close enough about a 4 hour drive to Page and overnight and early start to the trail head. Get a rental, you don't want to put your car thru the 9 rough miles and don't even think of doing it if it rains! Higher ground clearance is nice but not necessary but saw mostly SUV, drive your sedan at your own risk, we rented a compact SUV. Watch the weather carefully as for the two days we were there saw afternoon thunderstorms come in and the area did get a little rain the past day, saw some mud and standing water. As to the hike - summer is brutal! Start early, we did at 6am and did 8 miles but not all the attractions as we had to get back to Phoenix. Would it be worth the exhausting 13 miles to see it all, personal decision and gotta have the time. We've done 13 miles but wouldn't consider it here in summer or winter unless you are an Ironman Of course The Wave and Second Wave are amazing as does the arches and others look. We climbed past the second wave and ran outta time Must do, AllTrails or other offline map, the provided map and pictures are not enough. Consider a guide if you are a novice, but the guided tours were grouped and held back by what looked like the older crowd, YMMV. Four stars as between the difficulty with weather the slog the beauty not like Delicate Arch, Half Dome or Angels IMHO

It was AMAZING. MoMo gave my Wife and I a complimentary tour of the tracks. He usually will be out…read morethere with his personal jewelry he and his wife make. When I tell you the story telling abilities of MoMo IS the best part. His ability to paint a story of the scene, a way of life and heart is unmatched. You feel as if you are apart of the story too. We will never forget this stop. Yes the physical evidence is compelling alone but the conversation and sense of presence witb MoMo is what we will remember

We randomly saw this on Google Maps and we're going to go to Tuba, AZ and decided to go for it…read more Most Navajo outlooks and stands close at 5 pm so we didn't know if we'd get in but we saw other families still there. We parked and were approached by a Navajo man named Joe who explained we would offer a donation and they'd show us around. We gave him cash and he showed us lots of fossils and dinosaur tracks that had solidified by the limestone. Also saw some fossilized eggs and plants. I asked who had discovered the dinosaurs here and he explained it was a British paleontologist named John West Wells who is one of the major dinosaur hunters in history. After about 20 minutes, we took photos, gave an extra tip and drove off. Most of the sales carts that were selling jewelry and other craft items had closed for the day, but no one was anything which was nice. Worth it just for views and a fun different experience. Also happy to support the nova nation.