Arizona, We're Always on the Same Page
At the end of March this year, my dad, Oatly, and I headed to Arizona for a week! We ventured through Sedona, the Coconino National Forest, and Page, where we explored Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, and Antelope Canyon for the first time. I started writing this post with the intention of listing out all of my favorite spots in Arizona, but there were seven or eight trails in just Sedona alone haha. I’m going to save the Sedona side of the trip for another blog post and dedicate this one to Page, Arizona! I’ve been so excited to tell you about how we were able to enter Antelope Canyon, which has been closed because of the pandemic, and how we were able to take Oatly with us too. Here’s where our adventure started:
Lake Powell
I’ve seen many videos of Lake Powell on TikTok (did I just give away that I’m part of Gen Z?) and have had it on my list for a few years now! A 3.5-hour drive from Sedona has always just seemed like way too long though and out of the way, but not on this trip. My dad, Oatly, and I found out while hiking in Sedona that you can actually kayak through Lake Powell to reach Antelope Canyon. With this extra incentive in mind, I knew I had to make the long drive out there. We rented pedal kayaks from Paddle Lake Powell the day of (thank you, Shelby for making this possible!) and kayaked for an hour to Antelope Canyon. We passed through narrow canyons surrounded by beautiful red rocks and followed white buoys indicating the path to Antelope Canyon. We eventually got to a stopping point in the lake where we saw many kayaks parked and knew that we made it to the entrance. Oatly was in a dog backpack strapped to my dad’s kayak and he kept poking his head out towards the sun, which was the cutest view. He had a great nap while my dad and I did leg day for two hours in the water!
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon has been on my “places to go” Note on my phone for about ten years now! It was everything that I had seen in photos and more. You normally need to schedule a guided tour to visit Antelope Canyon, but we enjoyed going at our own pace instead and experiencing it without any crowds. The guided tour also doesn’t allow dogs, so this was a perfect alternative for taking Oatly along with me! We walked through the slot canyons for a few miles and as we kept going, the canyons continued to narrow even more, such as in the photo above. It was absolutely beautiful! As of July 12th, Antelope Canyon has reopened its guided tours to 50% capacity. I browsed through their reservations and they’re completely booked until October. If you’re still looking to visit without any crowds, I would definitely recommend going this alternate way! I feel like I didn’t miss out on anything and I also loved getting to kayak there and explore Lake Powell at the same time.
Horseshoe Bend
Similar to Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend has also been on my travel list for many, many years. When I saw it in person though, I was taken aback by just how vast and incredible it is. There’s no reservation needed to visit, so we chose to go around sunset. We parked our car at the official entrance and walked about half a mile to the spot above. It was definitely crowded and I’m sure it always is, but I feel like since we were there on a weeknight, it probably wasn’t as packed as it typically gets. Sunset here was truly breathtaking and I could sit on one of those rocks for hours looking out at the Colorado River.
I had such a great time in Page, Arizona, and I’m so happy that I can share my favorite places with you! While using the pedal kayak at Lake Powell, someone called me an overachiever because I also started using my arms to row and it made me laugh so much (see the above photo haha). Feel free to send any questions or comments my way. I’m more than happy to answer them and help you get to these beautiful spots. Happy kayaking and exploring!
