2 Hours East of the South Rim: Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Slot Canyon & Lake Powell (Page, AZ)

Look at a map of northern Arizona and you will see why exiting (or entering) the Grand Canyon via Desert View Drive (East Entrance) is the ultimate road-trip move: from the Desert View Watchtower, it is just a 175-kilometre (109-mile / 1 hour 55 minute) scenic drive up US-89 North to Page, Arizona—home to two of the most photographed natural wonders on the planet: Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon!

1. Horseshoe Bend (5 Mins South of Page on US-89 — No Advance Booking Needed!)

Nine miles downstream from Glen Canyon Dam—just before the Colorado River enters Marble Canyon and the Grand Canyon—the river carves a dramatic, symmetrical 270-degree horseshoe loop around a 305-metre-tall (1,000-foot) red Navajo sandstone escarpment:

• How to Visit: turn directly off Highway 89 into the City of Page's official paid parking lot (open sunrise to sunset, no reservation required; note that National Park passes do not apply here as it is a municipal park). Follow the wide, compacted-sand accessible path for 1.2 kilometres each way (15–20 minutes, 2.4 km round-trip) to the cliff-edge viewing platform (with a sturdy safety railing!)—bring a wide-angle lens (or use your smartphone's 0.5x ultra-wide camera!) to capture the entire emerald loop in a single frame!

2. Antelope Slot Canyon (Navajo Nation — You MUST Pre-Book a Guided Tour!)

Located 10 minutes east of Page on sovereign Navajo Nation land, Antelope Canyon (Tsé bighánílíní — 'The Place Where Water Runs Through Rocks') is accessible ONLY on a pre-booked 60-to-90-minute guided tour with an authorized Navajo operator (a Navajo Nation permit fee is added; bags, backpacks and tripods are strictly banned inside the canyon!). Choose between these three sections:

1. Upper Antelope Canyon (Flat Ground-Level Walk — Famous for Midday Light Beams!): you ride in an open-air 4x4 truck up a dry sandy wash and walk straight into the canyon on flat sand with zero stairs or ladders! Because the canyon is A-shaped (wider at the bottom, narrow at the top), visiting between 10:30 AM and 13:00 PM from April to September lets you see vertical shafts of sunlight pierce the dusty air!
2. Lower Antelope Canyon (Ken's Tours or Dixie's — V-Shaped, Cheaper & More Sculpted Walls!): you descend a series of sturdy metal staircases into a bright, V-shaped slot canyon where sunlight illuminates the swirling orange walls all day long.
3. Canyon X (Or Secret / Cardiac Canyon): usually less crowded, and worth checking if Upper and Lower are sold out.