How to Visit Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon in 3 Days
Traveled in March 2018
Prior to this trip, I always thought of the Grand Canyon as the typical boring family vacation destination – a place kids were reluctantly hauled to by their parents. But as you get older, you start to develop a deeper appreciation for nature, and suddenly, vacations to national parks start to sound a lot more appealing. When we got the America the Beautiful Pass for our Utah National Parks vacation, I knew that we had to visit the iconic Grand Canyon as well during our “year of National Parks”. We paired this trip to the Grand Canyon with a visit to the Antelope Canyon slot canyons so that we could experience these natural phenomena from different perspectives. The views were breathtaking and so unique. Read on for everything you need to know to visit these incredible canyons for yourself – and discover just how far from boring they really are!
Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon Itinerary
When to Go
We did this trip in March and the weather was pretty perfect. We had sunny days that were not too cold. Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon are in the desert, where summers can be sweltering hot and winter rains can bring the risk of flash flooding. The shoulder seasons of late spring and early fall may have the best chance of good weather. However, I would avoid spring break week, Memorial Day weekend, and Labor Day weekend because it can get extremely crowded.
How to Get There
The closest airports to fly into for this Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon trip are either Las Vegas International Airport (airport code LAS) or Phoenix International Airport (airport code PHX). Both are about 4-5 hours drive away from the Grand Canyon South Rim and Page, Arizona. We chose to fly into Las Vegas because we found better airfare deals there.
Booking tip: certain flight searches like Kayak, Skyscanner, or Google flights allow you to set price trackers that will alert you when the price of your flight changes. I never book a flight without tracking prices first because there is no better feeling than snagging a good deal! And if you book your flights with a travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire card, the card usually includes some travel insurance protections (like lost luggage reimbursements, trip delay reimbursements, or trip cancellation insurance) to save you the cost of buying extra travel insurance. Use my contact form if you’re looking for a credit card referral with bonus sign up points!
Bonus Booking tip: sign your kiddo up for frequent flyer accounts with airlines to start earning airline miles for them! Most airline miles do not expire for minors so your kiddo will thank you later.
Where to Stay
For this Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon trip, we stayed one night near the Las Vegas airport and 2 nights in Page, Arizona.
Where to Stay by Las Vegas Airport
There are many chain hotels around the Las Vegas airport. I recommend staying by highway 15 to reduce driving time since that is the highway to Zion.
- We stayed at the Tru by Hilton Las Vegas Airport. It was our budget option since we were just going to be sleeping at the hotel and getting an early start the next morning. It’s no frills, but clean and close to the freeway.
Or consider these highly rated options:
Where to Stay in Page
Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon are just a 10 minute drive away from Page, so it’s a great home base. We were traveling with friends so we rented a big house in Page.
There are also a couple hotel chains in Page:
How to Get Around
You will definitely need to rent a car for this road trip. The Las Vegas airport has a rent-a-car center 3 miles away from the airport. There are no car rental agencies on site at the airport and all of the car rental agencies are located in the rent-a-car center. So choose whichever car rental agency has the best deal or you have most loyalty to, since they will all be equally convenient. There is a free shuttle that takes you to the rent-a-car center that runs approximately every 15 minutes.
Booking tip: if the car rental agency has a free membership program, sign up for it! Members usually get extra perks like a free additional driver, discounts, or faster reservation check ins.
Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon Itinerary at a Glance
| Day | Activity | Sleep In |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Arrive in Las Vegas | near Las Vegas airport |
| 1 | Drive to Grand Canyon south rim (4.5 hrs) Canyon Rim Trail South rim view points Drive to Page (2.5 hrs) | Page |
| 2 | Upper Antelope Canyon tour Lower Antelope Canyon tour | Page |
| 3 | Horseshoe Bend Drive to Las Vegas airport (4.5 hrs) |
Day 0: Arrive in Las Vegas
We took an evening flight to Las Vegas after work to maximize our PTO for this trip. Since we were arriving relatively late at night and heading out early the next morning, we chose to just stay at a budget hotel near the Las Vegas airport to get enough rest for the days ahead.
Day 1: Grand Canyon South Rim
The drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon South Rim takes 4.5 hours, so we made sure to get an early start. We didn’t end up doing any hiking, but if you do want to hike then do that first to make sure you have enough daylight hours.
Fees and Parking:
The entrance fee to Grand Canyon National Park is $35 per vehicle. I would highly recommend getting the Annual National Parks Pass, especially if you plan on visiting other National Parks within the year. We ended up visiting the Utah National Parks, Crater Lake and Lassen National Parks, and Muir Woods the same year so the National Parks Pass was a great deal for us!
We parked at the Yavapai Point and Geology Museum parking lot to walk on the Canyon Rim Trail. The main parking lots are in the South Rim Visitors Center Plaza. But these lots can fill up quickly, especially during high season. If those lots are full, there is also parking at the Market Plaza, which is connected to the Visitors Center Plaza by shuttle service.
Hikes in Grand Canyon South Rim
Canyon Rim Trail
The Canyon Rim Trail is an easy paved hike that goes from the Visitors Center and connects various viewpoints along the canyon rim. We walked from Yavapai Point and Geology Museum to Mather Point and stopped many times to take pictures along the way. There is a shuttle bus that runs along this line if you don’t want to walk back.
South Kaibab Trail
The South Kaibab Trail is a relatively short hike with maximal views. Hiking from the start of the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point is about a 2 mile hike round trip, with spectacular views at the aptly named Ooh Aah Point. The trail is steep and there isn’t much shade, so make sure to bring plenty of water. The South Kaibab Trail can only be accessed by the orange shuttle that runs from the Visitors Center.
Although we initially planned to do this hike, we ended up spending too much time on the Canyon Rim Trail and wanted to get to Page before it got dark. If you want to do this hike, I would recommend tackling this hike first, and doing the Canyon Rim Trail afterwards.
Viewpoints in Grand Canyon South Rim
Desert View Drive
There are many viewpoints dotted along Desert View Drive with spectacular views of the canyon from different angles. Since we took Desert View Drive to get to Page anyway, it was a great chance to stop at additional viewpoints along the route.
Viewpoints to stop at include:
- Grand View Point
- Desert View Watchtower
- Navajo Point
- Lipan Point
The drive from Grand Canyon to Page takes about 2.5 hours. The road can get pretty dark at night, so if you’re not comfortable driving in those conditions be sure to check the sunset time and plan to finish your drive well before it gets dark. Also keep in mind that Arizona does not observe daylight savings time. So depending on what time of year you are traveling, you may gain an hour when you get to Page.
Day 2: Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon
Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon are located on Navajo Land and can only be accessed with licensed tours. Some of these tours meet in Page, while other tours meet closer to the canyon.
Pay attention to the time zones!
To add to the time zone confusion, Navajo Nation DOES observe daylight savings time. If you’re staying in Page, the time on your phone will probably be in Page’s time zone. So double and triple check what time your Antelope Canyon tours start in Navajo Nation time AND Page time so you don’t miss your tour!
Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon are two separate slot canyons, each with their own unique features. Upper Antelope Canyon is more accessible and is an easy flat walk through the narrow canyon. Visiting the Lower Antelope Canyon involves a bit more climbing of ladders and stairs through the canyon. Both have amazing sandstone formations that look like sculptures. The tour guides know all the best angles for photos and photo settings to get the best shots of these unique formations.
We visited the Upper Antelope Canyon in the morning for the best light. Then headed back to Page for lunch before visiting the Lower Antelope Canyon in the afternoon.
Upper Antelope Canyon
The Upper Antelope Canyon was created by years of flash floods, forming a twisting corridor of wave-like sandstone. Upper Antelope Canyon is also known for the dramatic light beams that stream through the corridors at certain times of the day. If you’re lucky enough to catch the light beams, it makes this natural wonder feel even more magical.
We visited Upper Antelope Canyon with Roger Eki’s Antelope Canyon Tours. The tour meets in Page, where you board a tour truck that takes you to the canyon. The ride to the canyon takes about 20 minutes, and can get pretty bumpy since you’re traveling on a dirt road. At the canyon, the tour guide leads you through the canyon and points out the iconic rock formations and helps you take photos. I love the creativity behind the naming of the rock formations, and the way they see shapes and animals hidden in the curves of the sandstone. Although everyone has to keep moving through the canyon, we found there was plenty of time for taking photos. The tour guides also have the best tips for phone camera settings to get the best shots (like using the vivid warm filter).
The relatively flat walk through the canyon is about 1/4 mile. At the end of the canyon, a series of stairs and ramps now take you around the canyon, back to the tour truck. This hike back to the tour trucks is steep and can be a little strenuous. The entire tour takes about 1.5 hours.
- Book your Upper Antelope Canyon tour now because the popular times do sell out! Prime time for light beams is late spring or early fall between 10:30am-1pm.
Lower Antelope Canyon
The Lower Antelope Canyon is a bit more physically demanding to visit compared to the Upper Antelope Canyon. Rather than being a flat path through the canyon, the Lower Antelope Canyon has a lot more ups and downs, requiring climbing steep ladders or stairs and squeezing through tight spaces as you make your way through the canyon. Maybe it was the conditions on the day we visited, but I felt there was a lot more falling sand in the Lower Antelope Canyon compared to Upper Antelope Canyon.
There are two main companies that run tours to Lower Antelope Canyon – Dixie’s and Ken’s. The two companies are run by two siblings, and the experience and cost are pretty much the same. Both offices are located near the entrance of the canyon. The check in offices are basically across the street from each other. The main difference is the time that the tours set off. We went with Ken’s because the tour timing worked out better when we arrived.
It takes about 10 minutes to walk to the entrance of the canyon from the check in location. The rest of the tour takes about 1.5 hours. The guides were great in pointing out the unique rock formations, and allowing us enough time to take photos. I personally thought the rock formations were more whimsical in the Lower Antelope Canyon and enjoyed it more, even though the Upper Antelope Canyon gets all the attention because of the light beams. I mean, just look at this shark and seahorse!
Day 3: Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend is only 5 miles away from Page, so it’s a quick 10-15 minute drive on the freeway. It’s worth the quick detour to see this unique circular river! The hike from the parking lot to the overlook is a 1.5 mile roundtrip trail. The trail is flat and accessible for strollers. It only takes about 20 minutes each way, but there is no shade so bring plenty of water if hiking in the summer months.
From the overlook, you can walk all around to see this natural phenomenon from every angle. We spent about an hour walking around, taking photos, and watching some brave people get very close to the edge for the perfect photo.
The drive from Horseshoe Bend to the Las Vegas International Airport takes about 4.5 hours. So make sure to leave with plenty of time to reach the airport (and don’t forget to take the time zone difference into account)!
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