Monument Valley, Upper Antelope Canyon Day Trip From Las Vegas
Join us for a stunning day trip from Las Vegas to two of the most majestic landscapes in the West: Monument Valley & Upper Antelope Canyon!
Highlights
- The only one day Monument Valley bus tour from Las Vegas!
- Navajo (Indian) off road tour at the stunning Upper Antelope Canyon!
- Visit the Navajo Reservation!
Monument Valley & Upper Antelope Canyon Day Trip From Las Vegas
Las Vegas – Zion National Park – Bryce Canyon – Las Vegas
Our day trip from Las Vegas will begin with pick up at about 5 a.m. We will travel north up Interstate 15, leaving Las Vegas and its bright lights behind. You may be surprised to learn that Las Vegas is actually in the middle of a desert, which we come to as soon as we depart town.
Las Vegas to St. George – 123 mi / 197.91 km – About 2 hours
After passing through the small casino town of Mesquite, on the Nevada Arizona border, we’ll cross into the desolate Arizona Strip, before heading up the Virgin River Gorge and into Utah. There will be a comfort stop at either the small southern Utah town of St. George, or the even smaller one of Hurricane. This is a long day, but there will be plenty of breaks along the way to get something to eat, or use the restroom.
St. George to Page – 154 mi / 247.79 km – About 2 hours, 45 minutes
The road from St. George to Page crosses the Utah/Arizona border several times. On the way we’ll travel through the twin towns of Hilldale and Colorado City, where polygamy is still practiced. The large families explain the even larger houses in the middle of nowhere.
The route will continue through Fredonia, Kanab and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, before we get our first glimpse of Lake Powell, on the outskirts of Page.
Page – About 15 minutes
When you arrive in Page we will have a sack lunch waiting for you. You will also have the chance to stretch your legs before heading out to Antelope Canyon, which is a couple of miles outside Page.
Antelope Canyon tour – About 1 1/2 hours
You will be touring Antelope Canyon in a specially converted off road vehicle, led by a Navajo guide. Leaving Page in the back of the truck, you will cross over onto the Navajo Reservation, before disembarking and entering Antelope Canyon, one of the most striking slot canyons known to man.
A slot canyon is a narrow canyon sliced through a mesa by the forces of nature. Some canyons measure less than a yard across at the top, but drop a hundred feet or more from the rim to the bottom. Slots are cut and scoured by water and wind, with the striations of the sandstone becoming almost incandescent.
There is only a short time of the year when you can see the sun coming down into the canyon, and then only at midday. Tours at that time of the day and that time of the year sell out far in advance. You may need to book at least six months ahead of time, for a summer month tour, to take advantage of this. Having said that, Antelope Canyon is spectacular at all times of the day and year, and your Navajo guide will be happy to show you how to take the best pictures, and the opportunities are almost endless!
From within you will see a palette of colors transmuted by light filtering down from above and bouncing from wall to wall. You will find that the photo opportunities are amazing.
Antelope Canyon can only be visited using the services of an authorized Navajo Nation guide, and you will have a Navajo guide with you.
Page to Monument Valley – 132 mi / 212.39 km – About 2 1/4 hours
Leaving Page we head east, across the Navajo Reservation. Every now and again you will see small Indian dwellings scattered across the harsh landscape.
As we approach the tiny Navajo town of Kayenta, the mesas and buttes for which the area is so well known start coming into view. Soon you can just about picture yourself in a scene from an old Western movie as we travel towards Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, as it is officially known.
Monument Valley tour – About two hours
Once you get to Monument Valley there are two options. The first is to stay around the Visitor Center area and enjoy the panoramic views. These include Sentinel Mesa, Mitten Buttes, Merrick Butte and the majestic vistas of the area. At the Visitor Center you can also see female and male Hogans, the traditional homes of the Navajos, as well as other exhibits.
The second option is to take a two hour back country tour of Monument Valley, conducted by a Navajo (Indian) guide, in a specially converted vehicle. There is a charge for this, which can be seen elsewhere on the page.
Visitors love to see the buttes, mesas and other sandstone formations that are so prevalent in the Monument Valley area. Monument Valley is actually not really a valley at all, but a relatively flat plain surrounded by red cliffs, with the buttes, as well as the remnants of ancient volcanoes, towering from the earth.
For fans of old western movies, Monument Valley is the epicenter of the west, with many great cowboys and Indians films having been shot in the area. The familiar rock shapes can be seen from many miles away, with the really great scenery to be seen on the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which straddles the Utah/Arizona border.
Among the sites that your tour will likely take in are movie locations, 1000 foot monoliths, rug weaving, and, of course, the famous monuments are visited.
Return Journey – 7 Hours
Leaving Monument Valley, we travel through the small settlement of Kayenta, before heading west over the Navajo Reservation, to Page.
We will retrace our steps, returning to St. George. From St. George we make our way back down the picturesque Virgin River Gorge, through Mesquite, across the desert and back to the bright lights of Las Vegas.
