Grand Canyon to Page
After breakfast on Saturday we checked out of the hotel and set off eastwards along the East Rim. It was a dry day, but extremely windy, which made standing out on the exposed viewpoints and keeping a camera steady, quite challenging.
(click on an image to enlarge and see the detail)
I was amazed and rather concerned at the number of people who venture out onto the overhanging rocks to get a photograph, especially when said rocks are covered in snow and it is difficult to see where the end is! I wonder how many tourists lose their lives in this way?
The best views of the canyon on the East Rim are from Grandview, Artists Point and Lipan Point. The whole drive takes about an hour but stopping to look from the various pull-ins will add on at least another hour. Possibly more! From this side you can catch glimpses of the River Colorado and the rafts making their way down the rapids.
And if, like us, you are leaving via the east gate then make your last stop at Desert View where you can see and hear the river below. Climb up the Watchtower for even more spectacular vistas, framed by the windows they look like paintings. Admire the wall murals inside and maybe buy yourself a souvenir from the region.
Hard though it was to pull ourselves away from the Canyon we had to get to Page for the night which meant driving eastwards through the Painted Desert to join the 89 route again.
The drive from the Grand Canyon Village to Page will take about three hours without stops, so make sure you don’t dally along the rim for too long! After exiting the east gate at Desert View the next logical stop is at the historic Cameron Trading Post where you can buy artefacts or a Navajo frybread taco if you are feeling hungry!
The next two hours is on the Painted Desert scenic highway. The road was pretty empty of traffic in March and the views of the layers of coloured rock meant that it was never boring.
At Bitter Springs where the 89 winds up into the mountains we pulled into a viewpoint where you have views back towards the Grand Canyon and also to Marble Canyon [1].
Further on is the turn-off to Horseshoe Bend Overlook on the Colorado River, where you need to park up and hike for an hour to view the river from a spectacular high viewpoint. Although I would have liked to see this, we didn’t have the time or the energy for an hours hike (each way).
We stayed at the Courtyard Page at Lake Powell, which is not the most convenient location as it is right on the edge of the town so not easily walkable to the shops and restaurants. But it is quite close to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area from where you get good views of the dam and where you can take river trips down the Colorado.
We popped out later for a burger at the Dam Bar and Grille, a steak house in town, hoping that the snow which was forecast overnight wouldn’t lead to the cancellation of our photo trip to the Upper Antelope Canyon on the following day.
[1] The US 89 to Page closed after a landslip in February 2013 and you have to take the newly paved 89T or use the route via Tuba City.
Gorgeous shots!!! I was out to see the Grand Canyon as a teenager so many of your photos brought memories back! Thank you!! (((HUGS))) Amy
Nice to know you enjoyed seeing it again Amy, it’s certainly a place that’s hard to forget!
Even though my teen years are long behind me, my memories are as if I was there yesterday. I will never forget that trip and your photos gave me a Gift of Memory. Thank you! Love, Amy
That’s the problem with getting older, you still feel as though you are 25 until you catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror and wonder who that old lady is!! Very disturbing 😀
Hope you’ll continue with me on this trip as there are some more wonderful sights to come…
I followed you. I don’t know if you noticed. At least I think I did. Let me check. LOL
There you go. Now I followed you. I meant to do it yesterday. GRIN! Old age? Don’t even go there! Hehehehehe
Thanks for the follow Amy, hope you enjoy travelling with me 🙂
I will. Thank you! Love, Amy
Hey Jude!
Loved the travelogue. Having done the Grand canyon and some the surrounding places by road and out of Vegas, your pictures brought back a flood of memories. So thank you.
So as you look back to that trip, what stood out for you?
Shakti
Nice to know this piece is bringing back good memories for loads of folk – including me!
Still got several days to go Shakti so ask me that question at the end 🙂
Fantastic serie of beautiful motifs ! And i really appreciate your text … // Maria 🙂
Thanks Maria 🙂
I have been there via motorcycle, as well as backpack many times, and you have put this presentation together very well! Supai is a lesser know off-shoot of the Grand Canyon that you would certainly enjoy as well. Thank you for this super post!
Thanks for dropping in Ron. Much appreciated 🙂
Great photos here, Jude. Water was pretty low in Glen Canyon in May when we were there. Thank you so much for the link. 🙂
I think we stayed in that same hotel! Ate on the patio on my birthday. I ate a lot of Navajo frybread that holiday. In many places there was nothing else for a veggie.
We should have stayed closer to town on reflection, but you never know these things until you get there. I can say that food was definitely not the highlight of our trip!