If you missed yesterday’s post, you can find it here: Family Travel, Part 1: Vegas, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire State Park, Red Hollow Slot Canyon.
We’re up to day 4, so let’s get on with it!
Day 4: Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Kanab
Bryce Canyon is about 1.5 hours from Kanab, so we decided to go on a day trip. I had been warned that it would be colder there, but I wasn’t prepared to see so much snow on the ground in April! We first went through the Red Canyon area, which had this really cool natural bridge for cars.
Then we continued on to Bryce Canyon Park (we used our America the Beautiful annual pass here). This is where I learned about Hoodoos. Hoodoos are irregular columns of rock and Bryce Canyon has the largest concentration of Hoodoos found anywhere on earth. (You can totally nerd out like I did and learn more here.)
And yes, I bought a “hoodoo you love” sticker because it makes me giggle.
There is a free hop-on-hop-off shuttle at Bryce Canyon, but we decided to enjoy our car’s bum-warmers and drove around instead. We drove up to Inspiration Point and ate our packed lunch while overlooking the most amazing views. Unfortunately it was too snowy for us to hike without snowshoes, so we enjoyed the views from the overlooks.
On our ride back, we stopped at a couple little shops for souvenirs. We also drove back into Kanab and walked around the main shopping area, poking our head into pretty much every shop there. It’s all quite walkable and there are plenty of friendly people to talk to as well. My favorite shops were: Denny’s Wigwam & Curio and Nature’s Showcase Rock Shop.
That night we did eat in Kanab, but our dinner was kind of ‘meh’ so I’ll just skip over that…
Day 5: Glen Canyon Dam, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon X
The time change between Utah, Arizona and the areas of Arizona that don’t recognize daylights savings is super confusing! We had a tour planned for Canyon X, but I messed up when I did the math, so we were super early. It worked out great though, because it gave us plenty of time for a sit-down breakfast and to see some additional sights!
Glen Canyon Dam: We drove over the bridge and followed the directions to the overlook, only to be totally surprised by the amazing sight of the Glen Canyon Dam. It is the second highest concrete-arch dam in the US (second to the Hoover Dam) and produces power that goes to Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Nebraska.
Besides being hard-working, it’s pretty nice to look at. There are a billion steps to get down to the viewing area, and once you’re down there are lots of rocks to climb around on. Just don’t get too close to the rim!
Horseshoe Bend: Horseshoe Bend is one of the most recognized and visited places in Glen Canyon and an “instagram hotspot.” To park in the parking lot, you’ll have to pay the $10 fee.
The hike to the overlook is an easy 1.5 miles round-trip over a hardened path (very accessible and I saw people with strollers having no difficulties). Keep in mind when you get up to the actual overlook, most of the rim is exposed so you need to be careful not to fall to your death. Just saying.
Antelope Canyon X: I did a bunch of research into Antelope Canyon to determine between an Upper Canyon or Lower Canyon tour (you can only go with a tour group). However, I found another option… Canyon X. It’s a little less popular, tours are less expensive, and it’s less crowded. WINNER!
I booked the Antelope Canyon X Hiking Tour by Taaddiin Tours, which was pretty reasonable at $39.62 per adult and $30.19 per child. The tour lasted 1.5 hours and our guide took us through the entire Canyon X, we turned around at the end and then came back through.
It. Was. Amazing. However, also lots and lots of stairs here — you need to go down a million stairs to get to the canyon, and then back up them at the end of your hike.
Between our three hikes (to the dam overlook, to Horseshoe Bend and to Antelope Canyon X) my iWatch said we climbed 30 flights of stairs. Which I fully believe because we were exhausted at the end of the day!
Food Stops on Day 5:
Ranch House Grille (Page, AZ): A great diner breakfast kind of spot with some delicious French toast, bacon and eggs. And that put-some-hair-on-your-chest diner coffee that I love too. A wonderful start to our day!
Fiesta Mexicana (Page, AZ): An authentic Mexican restaurant with huge portions and delicious food. Jack and I split a meal and there was plenty of food to go around.
I’ll stop here for now, but be sure to come back to the blog tomorrow for Family Travel, Part 3: Belly of the Dragon, Cat Stair Canyon, Zion National Park.