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Glen Canyon Dam Overlook

4.8 (39 reviews)

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Dean S.

Legit 5 location for us. The view and terrain are just beautiful. Not one thing bad to say about this.

Glen Canyon Visitor Center
Travis T.

Most people usually like to head over to the nearby Horseshoe Bend overlook when visiting Page. But this overlook is just as cool to check out. You get a nice view of the Glen Canyon Dam and the natural scenery in front and behind it. You can access this overlook from the Dam Overlook Trailhead. There is a bit of a decent as you are walking on this short trail. They do have guard rails to help as you head down the uneven parts of the trail. Once at the overlook, there will be a covered viewing area that faces north toward the dam. To get to the trailhead, turn off of US Highway 89 onto Scenic View Road. There is a small parking lot that is free to park in. If you have some extra time, check out the visitor center and learn some history about the Glen Canyon Dam and Bridge and how they were constructed.

(09/02/2024)
Gwen W.

About a 5 minute drive out from the actual dam, you can get a great full frontal view of the dam head looking up river from this overlook. Look 180 degrees the other way from this spot (downstream) and you get gorgeous views of the blues and greens of the Colorado River and rock walls. To get to these views, you park at the top of the gorge (road level) and walk the path down to the cliff overview. Beware, the path is a mix of steps, large smooth groovy rocks in the ground, and sand, so make sure you have sneakers on - flip flops would not be ideal at all; the huge smooth rock surfaces get super hot in the blazing sun too, so keep that in mind. There's pipe railing along the path, but again, nothing shading it, so be very cautious when gripping so you don't burn your hands. Once you get down to the paved deck to look out tho, it's worth it. Pay attention to where you step so you don't slip and twist an ankle. Go out as far as you dare for great pictures; a wonderful spot to document your travels.

The entrance sign
Seth A.

During my first visit to Page, I found this Glen Canyon Dam Overlook to be a hidden gem and worthwhile alternative to standing on top of the pedestrian bridge beside the Carl Hayden Visitor Center. Fast forward years later and returning to here at the overlook, I had an unfortunate 180 degree experience. Back when, no one knew about this under the radar viewpoint situated just outside downtown Page. You could come and go as you please and appreciate Glen Canyon Dam in the background. You could climb the rocks and take pictures however you preferred, pretty much...it was choose your own adventure. Now in this present day, they've built a small awning for tourists to stand under (which is irrelevant), but disappointingly, they've also installed a safeguard railing to act as a precautionary measure to discourage visitors from climbing and roaming freely for optimal photo opportunities. I felt sort of boxed in by the viewpoint railing. I believe your best moment for capturing yourself and Glen Canyon Dam within one frame is to snap a dreaded selfie, lol. But, selfie pictures can be a last resort option, hehehe. Reflecting back on my prior pictures (which is under..."Glen Canyon Dam"), being here at the overlook was better before Page started making unnecessary upgrades to its landmark attractions. In essence, the same goes for Horseshoe Bend. They've recently installed safety guard railings there as well to disallow opportunistic photographers to snap their most memorable instances. The most popular viewing sections along the rim's edge of Horseshoe Bend are blocked off. And yes I understand it works as a precaution, but Horseshoe Bend receives an eternity of more risk takers compared to here at Glen Canyon Dam Overlook. In total, this new railing blocking people from getting that perfect panoramic perspective of the dam put a damper on my return visit. Ultimately now, my new and improved suggestion for taking quality pictures is actually going back to the Carl Hayden Visitor Center!! Because...it too is newly refurbished and it's the one location where the experience has been enhanced in comparison to back when. If you walk behind the building at Carl Hayden, the surroundings can be special. Also, if you check out the sights from inside the VC, there are large viewing windows situated right above the dam. You could even take pics through the glass with Lake Powell's waters set in the distance. That's how clear the surroundings are now. Anyhow, here are extra Glen Canyon Dam Overlook notes... - I recommend coming in morning time. Late afternoon had shadows and the sun to contend with. - The left hand side of the observation point offers cool glances at the sweeping canyon walls high above the Colorado River. - It's a quick 5 minute walk from the parking lot to the vista point. - You need 20 or so minutes to hang out. It a quick roadside stop. In total, Glen Canyon Dam Overlook is not as fulfilling as it once was. Grrrr! Guard Railings = Frustrating, lol. Still, overall, it's not hard to come here for the views. It's free. And in general, it works for those folks exploring around the Page area.

Dam overlook
Judit C.

Both directions, on the side of the road, you can pull over just before or after crossing the bridge. There is no stopping on the bridge! You can park your vehicle and walk over the bridge. The view of the Dam is beautiful! I never got tired of seeing the Glen Canyon Dam!

Isaac R.

This stop has a great view of the Glen Canyon Dam and the canyon below! You can hike in this area for free. Coming down to the picnic table, there is a narrow, steep walk down that has railings, but the rocks are slippery. Proper shoes are a must!

dam
Shwe N.

super scenic and a beautiful sight; better to see in person! nice bridge and parking all around hehe

Elvin D.

Nice views of the dam, good spot to watch a sunset too! Free parking, the walk down the stairs are a little slippery from the sand so wear some shoes with good grip. There are some rocks you can climb up to get a better view.

Monica H.

This was our second visit to Page, and I just can't believe we didn't find out about this overlook until now. It just goes to show how much there is to see and do around Page that is still hasn't received the recognition it deserves. Located at the end of Overlook Drive, you'll find a parking lot with limited parking. You can view the Dam from this area, but in order to get the best views, I'd suggest you head down the staircase to the right. Now, this staircase is not an option for everyone. There is a railing to hold on to, however, for the first leg of the descent, there are no stairs, the rock is very smooth and slippery, even when it's dry. I suggest you wear athletic closed toe shoes. My spouse thought he'd try to make the descent with flip flops, and he was embarrassed as he slipped down about two feet of the slope. He had to go back to the car and put on his sneakers before trying to go back down again. Lucky he wasn't hurt besides some minor scrapes, and a bruised ego. Once you reach the last leg of the descent, you will actually find some proper stairs. At the bottom, you will find a smooth rock surface and sand to walk on. Please watch your step as you walk around, as we witnessed an older man holding a camera slip on the rocks and fall straight on his face. He did get up, but he looked in pretty bad shape after his fall. Anyhow, the views of the dam are incredible. You can also peek over the edge to see the River below you. I was absolutely amazed at the sheer beauty surrounding us. You can only get these amazing views in Arizona. I love it! Best of all... the Glen Canyon Overlook is completely free. Yep, FREE! If you find yourself in Page, I highly recommend you check this out. Just remember, the descent to the bottom of the overlook is not for everyone due to the steep, smooth, slippery surface of the rocks. Highly Recommended!

Christopher J.

A great place to awe at the natural and the man-made beauty that is the Dam. We went during November, so the crowds weren't a hassle; the summer might be a different story. Act accordingly!

Ji O.

Great view and rest spot. All of my family enjoyed spending time there. They have small gift shop too

Nick F.

This is a great view atop the bridge and fun walking to the middle to get an amazing view (Pictured). The 4th biggest dam in the United States if I remember correctly, it is vertigo inducing just looking around the sides of it, seeing the piers that come out of the rock, and imagining yourself standing atop one of them.

The river
Kelly S.

So this is a well marked quickie turn off right as you are entering the downtown area. It is located close to the dam. It does have some fairly steep stairs to traverse but there is a handrail. I would say it's not handicap accessible. Once you are down there, the view is pretty awesome. There is a wall to sit on or look over. There are also some benches so it's feasible to bring a picnic and enjoy the view. It's definitely worth a stop if the dam interests you.

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Very interesting and great views! We wish we had allowed more time there. We could easily have spent 2-3 more hours!

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4 years ago

Beautiful view! got some great info, and got beautiful photos! Cannot wait to back and see some more history!

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4 years ago

Beautiful and a must to visit when in the Page area! A short hike to fantastic views!

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Short hike down to overlook. Nice views of both the dam & rim and river. There's a table for those who want to picnic.

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Review Highlights - Glen Canyon Dam Overlook

Horseshoe Bend is definitely a bucket list-worthy destination, it's just unfortunately been ruined by its fame.

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Street Of The Little Motels - Street sign with name

Street Of The Little Motels

4.0(1 review)
1.1 mi

Found the history of this Old Quarter online. A little bit of fun history to start your day…read more Walk along 8th Avenue in the Old Quarter of Page, Arizona, and you'll stroll down a street lined with motels. When compared to the newer accommodations that have popped up throughout the city, they don't look like much. But spend the night in one of these motels, and you'll be sleeping in one of the apartments once used by construction workers who built the nearby Glen Canyon Dam. Page is a relatively new city. It was founded in 1957, after starting out as a government camp for the construction of the massive Glen Canyon Dam. For seven years (1956 through 1963) large numbers of construction workers were housed temporarily in Page as construction on the dam, Rainbow Arch Bridge, and associated projects progressed. Since the construction's completion, Page has steadily grown from a town into a city and is now major tourist  destination for the area's stunning visual landscapes and vistas, such as Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Lower and Upper Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and a variety of other beautiful natural features in the region. As a result, many new hotels and lodging establishments have been built in and around Page in recent years. However, the first motels that were constructed date back to the original development boom of the mid-to-late-1950s when construction of the dam and related projects were taking place. These quaint mid-century motels are in many ways the historical foundation for Page. Today, several of them remain in operation and they are recognized with historical signage, street banners, and a special street name and designation: "Street of the Little Motels."

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Street Of The Little Motels

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Monument Valley - Monument Valley:

Monument Valley

5.0(4 reviews)
50.1 mi

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!

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Monument Valley - Monument Valley: Northern Window

Monument Valley: Northern Window

Monument Valley - Photo by Alex Fiore

Photo by Alex Fiore

Monument Valley - Monument Valley: The Thumb

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Monument Valley: The Thumb

Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument - Willis Creek Narrows

Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument

4.8(31 reviews)
35.0 mi

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 didn't have a ton of time to explore here but simply driving by left quite an impression on me!…read moreWOW. I'm not exaggerating when I say I pulled off the road maybe every 50 feet because every new angle provided a new exciting view of this vast and beautiful stone monument. In general this is a HUGE monument to explore and I'm not sure you could even scratch the surface on a simple vacation, let alone during a road trip. I've since come to learn that this area was the last part of the lower 48 states to be cartographed and, according to the Bureau of Land Management, it spans five life-zones - from low-lying desert to coniferous forest, and paleontologists have unearthed countless dinosaur bones and fossils from within its canyons and deserts. Truly incredible stuff, here! But don't let the size and scope intimidate you. As I said, even driving by or taking a day or afternoon to explore is worth the journey. It's an incredible resource that we're lucky to have here in the US.

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Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument
Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument
Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument

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The Wave - 4/9/2022 (top) compared to 4/20/2025 (bottom).  Not much has changed, including where the shrubs grow.

The Wave

5.0(14 reviews)
29.8 mi

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.

How the heck did I get so lucky to be selected in the monthly lottery?!!?…read more You want to do as much research as you can prior to your visit that way you can feel comfortable prior to your hike. There is a 4 mile dirt path to get to the parking lot. In the parking lot there are bathrooms, but no trash throughout the park. Please bring a plastic bag to put your garbage in and toss it when you get to your destination outside of the park. There are wild animals as you get to the parking so please be cautious when driving on the dirt road. Read the weather forecast for the day of your hike and prepare accordingly. Since I went in the spring my hike started out with the sun shining and ended with the sand hitting my face because it started to get windy. Again, there are wild animals so please be cautious and be prepared. Do take breaks along the way, hydrate and most importantly enjoy it all!!

Photos
The Wave
The Wave - Beautiful scenery

Beautiful scenery

The Wave

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Dinosaur Tracks

Dinosaur Tracks

4.2(97 reviews)
57.3 mi

This is a quick and quirky roadside stop where there are real dinosaur tracks! We looked it up!…read moreIt's pretty amazing and there are Navajo men and women willing to walk you around to see specific fossils and tracks for donation/tip. We enjoyed the conversation and were happy to tip 20$ which felt fair--worth the stop

DANGER! WARNING! DO NOT GO HERE! If you do not pay for a tour (which is not mandatory), you may be…read moreassaulted. We stopped here & politely turned down the optional "tour" that we were immediately pressured to take (since we just wanted to just walk around on our own). I told them we were simply going to spend a few minutes there. After about 15 minutes, as we were leaving, we were suddenly, from out of nowhere, verbally assaulted when one man began pounding on our car window and screaming at us. Then, two other Navajo guides (see photo 1)--a man and woman--began yelling at us & threatening us, telling us to "Get the F---- out of here" and "You're not welcome!" THEN IT GOT VIOLENT when one large man (see photo 2) said "You better get the F--- out of here RIGHT NOW," picked up a large rock, and actually threw it at our windshield. It cracked (see photo 3). If it had shattered, my wife would've been covered with glass. We were in shock! It had escalated from nothing at all happening to extreme violence and us being in danger in literally seconds! He then began to walk toward the car and I realized both my wife and I were in serious danger. The guy was like 6'4, 240-275 lbs and in his twenties. I am 65 years old!!! These people are not just pushy, they are extremely violent. We immediately called the police when a safe distance down the road (see photo 4) and are pressing charges. We absolutely in danger. These people practically force you to pay up (when there is no fee, supposedly)--and if you don't pay, then you will be threatened (see other 1-star reviews on YELP detailing violence & aggression & assault) and, as in our case, actually attacked -- they are very violent.

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Dinosaur Tracks
Dinosaur Tracks
Dinosaur Tracks - A claw

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A claw

Horseshoe Bend - Walking Trail

Horseshoe Bend

4.7(865 reviews)
3.4 mi

One of the most breathtaking views we saw during our Arizona road trip! Horseshoe Bend is…read moredefinitely worth visiting if you're already going to Antelope Canyon since it's only about a 14-minute drive away. The attraction itself is free, but parking costs $10 per vehicle. After parking, there's a short walk to the overlook. The walk is pretty easy, but it can get hot and windy depending on the weather, so bring water and wear comfortable shoes. Once you reach the viewpoint, the scenery is absolutely unreal. Seeing the Colorado River curve around the canyon in person is so much more impressive than photos online. The overlook is very high, which makes the views even more dramatic. If you're planning to take photos or videos, try walking around a bit because some areas get crowded. We found one of the higher spots for better views and it was totally worth it for pictures. Also, don't forget to stop by the "Page, Arizona" sign nearby before leaving! Overall, such a beautiful and easy stop to add to any Arizona or Southwest road trip itinerary.

Absolutely worth the stop when visiting Horseshoe Bend! This place is such an incredible photo spot…read moreand truly one of those must-see locations when you're in the area. The views are unreal in person, and we took so many amazing pictures here. I came with a group of about 15-20 girls and we all had such a fun experience. The walk over was manageable, and once you get to the overlook, it's definitely one of those "wow" moments. It was $10 per car to enter, and unfortunately the America the Beautiful pass doesn't work here since it's separate from the national park system. Still, totally worth the fee for the experience and views. The only thing I wasn't too crazy about were the bathrooms -- definitely different from what I'm used to at California national parks. I was very glad I brought my own flushable wipes just in case. But honestly, that didn't take away from the experience at all. If you're anywhere near Page or the Grand Canyon area, this is absolutely a must-stop destination!

Photos
Horseshoe Bend - Sand storm!

Sand storm!

Horseshoe Bend - My babe and the feral horses

My babe and the feral horses

Horseshoe Bend - Watching

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Watching

Glen Canyon Dam Overlook - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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