2023 Antelope Canyon and Escalante Trip

Since the beginning of 2023, many of our friends have resumed traveling to different places.  We have been planning various trips too.  Recently we made a trip to visit the following places:

1. Las Vegas 

2. Valley of Fire State Park

3. Antelope Canyon

4. Escalante

Since Antelope Canyon is within the Navajo Tribe Reservation, it is required to tour this place with a Navajo Tribe-authorized guide.  There were many online discussions regarding to the decision of choosing which canyon to visit (Lower or Upper).  We found a tour company called Dineh Tours which offers a tour to cover both Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons, therefore we booked this tour with them. We were very pleased with their services.  

The Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument is a place we have studied quite a lot recently.  It is an upcoming popular traveling destination. We planed to hike some of their slot canyons. We also learned that a lot of slot canyons near Escalante require a four-wheel drive vehicle to reach the canyon's trailhead, therefore we decided to go with a private tour, and found an excellent tour company called Utah Canyon Outdoors.  We were extremely happy with their services.  And we are highly recommending this company to anyone who is interested to visit this area.

The Slot Canyons in Escalante, UT are renowned for their stunning natural beauty and unique geological formations. These narrow, winding canyons have been carved out by water over millions of years, resulting in narrow passageways with towering walls.

We also toured the Valley of Fire State Park near Las Vegas. In Page, AZ we also visited the famous Horseshoe Bend, hiked several interesting trails, and kayaked in Lake Powell. And we also had a side trip to visit Bryce Canyon NP.  It was a 10 days trip in NV, AZ and UT, and we were thoroughly enjoyed this trip.

April 26, 2023 - Flight to Las Vegas

We flew Southwest Airline from Houston to Las Vegas.  We had a direct flight and arrived in LV around 10AM.  We took this opportunity to visit our old friend Vivian Wang.  We had a very nice lunch in her Henderson (LV retirement community) home.

In the evening, we visited Tony’s cousin Shirley Tyan who also lived in Henderson.  She and her husband moved from upstate NY to Henderson and thoroughly enjoyed this no snow area.  It had been almost 10 years since we last saw her.  We visited her house, had dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant and did a lot of catching up of family status and activities.  

Visiting an old friend and a dear cousin made the day very productive.

We stayed in the D Hotel close to downtown LV.  It is a normal casino hotel in LV and is very convenient for visiting the famous Fremont Street Experience. However, the D Hotel’s insulation is pretty bad and we could hear the music playing on Fremont street all the way till 2AM. We stayed on the 23rd floor and thought that noise would not reach that high.  And we were wrong because it still traveled all the way up to the 23rd floor. We do not recommend the D Hotel to anyone.

April 27, 2023 - Visiting Las Vegas

We have not been to LV for quite a long time, so we used this free day to wandering around and checking out all new attractions in LV.

Since we visited LV last time, most of the casino hotels started to charge for parking.  The only large casino hotel on strip still have free parking is the Venetian, therefore we drove to their parking lot and started our day from there.  

We went from Venetian to south side of the strip all the way to MGM, then we crossed the strip to NY NY, and walked to the north side of the strip.  Then we moved across strip to Wynn, and then back to Venetian.  

We were there for about 10 hours and walked over 3 million steps.  It was a workout for us. We found out that there was not a lot of changes since we visited LV last time.  In the evening, we ventured out to Fremont Street Experience. However, there were too many people and we didn't feel comfortable walking around.  So, we called the night off in just a few minutes.

April 28, 2023 - The Valley of Fire State Park

We heard a lot about this state park and decided to visit this place.  It is only about an hour drive from LV.  After we got there, we saw the famous Beehive near the west entrance of the park.  We took a lot of time taking photos near this wonderful rock formation. 

Then, we visited the Arch Rock and the Atlatl Rock.  There is a stair to the top of Atlatl Rock to allow visitors to view a collection of petroglyphs on a boulder.  The panoramic view of the nearby areas were very impressive too. 

Within just a couple hours in this park, we already felt that we belong to this type of nature place rather than LV.

Later, we drove to the north end of the park to hike the Fire Wave (which is sometime referred to as the Mini Wave).  The rock formations there were very impressive, and it has similar rock formations as the pictures of The Wave we saw online.  We spent a lot to time there and took a lot of photos.  The temperature was just above 80F, however, the sun was very strong in the dry air environment and we felt the heat.

Then, we drove to the east entrance area to take a peek of the Elephant Rock.  Then we called it a day and drove back to LV.

April 29, 2023 - Traveling Day from LV to Page, AZ

Supposedly, it should be a 4 and 1/2  hours drive from LV to Page.  We took it easy and spent about 6 hours on the road.  On the way there, we ran into a group of Lamborghini racing cars driving as a group on their way to Zion NP.  It happened that some of the drivers were taking a break at the Chevron gas station where we were fueling up our car.  We took the opportunity to snap some photos next to their cars.  It was bonus point for us.

After we checked into Country Inn & Suites by Radisson in Page, AZ, we rested a little bit. Then we headed to the Bonkers Restaurant to have an early dinner.  This restaurant was rated by Tripadvisor as the 2nd best restaurant in Page.  We did enjoy everything we ordered; we were particularly impressed with their desert. We had a hazelnut cheesecake; it was delicious.

April 30, 2023 - Tour Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons

There were a lot of online discussions regarding the preference of Lower or Upper Antelope Canyon.  Since we found a tour company, Dineh Tours, which offers a tour for both canyons, we decided to take it, so we didn’t miss anything.  They picked us up at the hotel around 9AM and drove us to Lower Antelope Canyon first. On the way, the guide provided more info regarding the area nearby Page, the Antelope Canyon, and the impact of Covid to their business, etc.  It was very informative.  The guide also helped us to set up our smart phones for taking photos inside the canyon. Then he ushered us to the Navajo guide for the tour.  

For Lower Antelope tour, there is a 45 minutes time slot for each group.  So our guide did her best to show us and lead us through the canyon.  She pointed out interesting spots for photos.  Everyone was amazed with the wonderful rock formations and we all took a lot of photos.

Later, the Dineh Tours guide took us to a restaurant for snacks and lunch.  Since it was too early for lunch, we only had snacks and water. Then, we moved forward to the Upper Antelope Canyon.  It is required to take their four-wheel drive car for a 15 minute ride to the trailhead of the Upper Antelope Canyon. The ride was very bumpy and dusty.  The Navajo guide did a demonstration on how a sand stone canyon was formed using sand and a bottle of water.  It was very educational to see this demonstration. Then, he led us through the canyon.  From time to time, he stopped to point out interesting spots for viewing and taking pictures.  He also was very helpful of taking photos for us.  

Since we were there around noon, we were very lucky to see the famous light beams.  It is more visible by the light reflecting onto sand. The guide periodically used his shovel to scoop sand up to make the light beam more visible.  It made the area very dusty, however, we did not care and just enjoyed this wonderful phenomenon.  

Then, we had to climb a small sand dune and a long stair walkway to get back to the trailhead.  The experience of viewing these magical rock formations and wonderful nature phenomenons were memorable.

Since the tour was hot and dusty, we had to go back to our hotel to take a shower before we ventured out again to visit the famous Horseshoe Bend.  It was a 10 minute drive from our hotel, so it was easy for us.  After we got there, we had to hike on another flat trail to the spot. It was a truly amazing experience of seeing this famous attraction.  We took many photos using iPhone's Pano feature.

Then, we drove to Wahweap Overlook viewpoint to enjoy the grant view of the Lake Powell.  

We decided to have another early dinner at State 48 Tavern and Taproom. After dinner, we drove by the Glen Canyon Dem Overlook and hiked on this short (940 ft) trail.  It has a very interesting stairway.  

At the end of the trail, we found a nice spot to view the Glen Canyon Dam and the sunset.  It was a very relaxing and enjoyable hike.

May 1, 2023 - Self Touring and Hiking

We decided to hike the New Wave Trail near Carl Hayden Visitor Center.  When we got to the trailhead, there wasn’t any clear sign to indicate the starting point of the trail.  We decided to just create our own and started to climb. After a little while, we finally saw a viewpoint sign telling us to climb up via the left side.  We did and found many nice rock formations on the way. At the end of the trail, we found more incredible views.  Needless to say, we got many Kodak moments. 

Then we drove to Hanging Garden and hiked this 1.5 mi trail.  At the end of the trail we saw a cave with lush plants on the wall.  Again, more Kodak moments.

We went back to Carl Hayden Visitor Center and viewed Glen Canyon Dam from their back porch.

The last itinerary of today was to drive through the beautiful Lakeshore Drive in the Wahweap Area.  It is a fee based drive, however, our NP Pass covered it.  We stopped by the lakeshore area of the Lake Powell Resort Lodge for some relaxation.

For dinner, we went to Fiesta Mexicana restaurant.  It is a traditional Mexican restaurant. Their workers were young Mexicans and did not even understand “hot water” in English. But the food was great!

May 2, 2023 - Kayaking in the Lake Powell

We booked a kayaking tour with Lake Powell Paddleboards and Kayaks. We had to be at their office in downtown Page area at 8:15AM to sign up.  Then we were instructed to drive to Antelope Point area to join the tour.  Since we already signed the online waiver previously, we just didn’t understand why we had to visit their downtown office first.

When we got there and met the kayaking guide, we had to carry the paddles and walk down to the lake bank to be loaded onto the kayak.  The walk was short, but the walkway was not well prepared for walking.

We had to paddle against the wind all the way to Antelope Canyon area, but then it became very beautiful.  With high cliffs on both sides, kayaking in the middle of a calm lake was just heavenly.  We finally had a chance to enjoy kayaking and take photos.

On the way back, we were in the direction of the wind, so it was much easier.  We all enjoyed this tour very much.

After we got back to the hotel, we had to take showers and rest a little bit. Then we went on to visit our last attraction - Lees Ferry.  The ranger in the visitor center recommended us to visit this attraction.  It was about 1+ hour drive from Page, and it is pretty far in comparison with other nearby attractions.  The scenery was beautiful.  When we got there, we had to drive around and eventually got to Lees Ferry.  We saw a group of people preparing their rafts to flow down the Colorado River.  After we talked to one of the ladies from the group, we realized this was the starting point for all visitors to do a rafting tour down to Grand Canyon area.  It requires permit and experience to do this rafting tour.  It takes around 15 days for the whole trip.  

We drove along the River Road to enjoy the Colorado River.  Then we drove back to town.

With our great experience with Bonker Restaurant, we went back again to enjoy another wonderful dinner.

Side note: Today I noticed that I cracked my Apple Watch’s surface.  Now I couldn’t enter the passcode to open the watch.  Not sure when and where it happened.  I must have bumped it to the canyon surface or the ground.  Caution: if you wear a watch, try to protect your watch's surface. 

May 3, 2023 - Traveling Day from Page, AZ to Escalante, UT

Today, we ate breakfast leisurely and then started our journey to Escalante, UT.  

It is a trip for about 3 1/2 hours driving time. The route took us through the National Scenic Byway 12 which is a 124-mile route winding through the heart of Bryce Canyon Country. It travels through Dixie National Forest, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, over Boulder Mountain and ends at Scenic Byway 24, west of Capitol Reef NP. We did not drive through the whole route, however, we got a chance to revisit the Bryce Canyon NP. Prior to that, we tried to stop by the Red Canyon Recreation Area. Unfortunately, their visitor center was closed and we could not get any info regarding where to visit.  

When we drove through Kanab, UT, we spotted an attraction called Sand Caves, and we decided to just take a look. However, when we made the turn, we got to an animal sanctuary called Best Friends Animal Sanctuary by mistake. It is a beautiful area, so we just stoped by to take a look and also have an opportunity to rest.

The Sanctuary staff gave us a brief introduction regarding their missions and we saw many cats and dogs. They were all looked like they were enjoying their stay very much.  When we drove into the sanctuary road, we found a large horse farm. They also have an event place with a beautiful setting right next to a cave. We spent some time there for photos and a break. It was a pleasant drive-by place.

Then we went to visit Bryce Canyon NP again. We visited it in 2012 with SMDC friends and had a wonderful time there. Since it is just on the way to Escalante, we decided to take a couple of hours of detour to revisit it.  

We walked to the Sunrise and Sunset Points to enjoy the beautiful landscape and the hoodoos. The wind picked up when we were there, so we did not stay too long for it. One thing we did find out was that they closed down the most interesting trial (Navajo Loop) due to trail damages. 

We drove to Escalante and quickly found our Entrada Escalante Lodge. It was a small establishment, but the lodge is very well equipped with everything you need.  It was a pleasant lodging for us. 

We followed the Tripadvisor’s advice and went to dinner at Escalante Outfitters Cafe for their famous pizza and salads. After dinner, we sat at the back porch checking our phones.  Surprisingly, we found that a deer family paid a visit to us in the backyard. 

May 4, 2023 - Visiting Slot Canyons with Utah Canyon Outdoors

Since the Utah Canyon Outdoors is just a 4 minute walk from our lodge, we left the car at the lodge and walked over to their shop. We were greeted by Jim, who was our tour guide for the day. Jim is also the owner of the tour company and the shop. There was a couple from Chicago, Andrew and Barb, who joined us for the tour. Jim drove for about 30 minutes to reach the trailhead. Jim told us that the trail is about 5-6 miles hike for this slot canyon. When we asked about the name of this slot canyon, he told us that there is no name for this slot canyon yet. They are not intending to publicize this canyon to keep it more tour friendly for people like us. However, he said we can refer to it as Secret Slot Canyon. 

On our way, he explained the nature of the sand stone, the way of the slot canyons were formed and the vegetations near this area. It was very educational.

First, he took us to a smaller slot canyon with a little pond at the end of the canyon.  It was a short canyon, but it was still very impressive.  

Then, he took us to the main slot canyon. This canyon has 5 sections, and each section has its own interesting and challenging spots. He was very patient in explaining each challenge spot and taught us how to get through these challenge spots.  

Since these canyons are very narrow, we had to go sideways most of the time.  Sometimes we had to climb on top of the canyon to get to the other side, moving sideways like a crab. One of the spots was so narrow and deep so that even after we scooted sideways along the rock, we still had to slide down into a very narrow spot to land onto the canyon floor. It was not easy, but it was exciting to do it.  Jim always went first to show us how to do it. Then he stayed nearby to give each one of us a detailed description regarding how and where to place our feet for each step. We all made through 5 sections without any issues.

With his patience, skillful description, and assistance, we all enjoyed this tour very much.  

Then we got back to town around 2PM.  After a shower in the hotel, we felt that we had a wonderful day and did not want to do anything else.