Southwest Adventures: Around Page: Antelope Canyon, White Pocket and More

Glen Canyon Dam

The small town of Page is located in northern Arizona near the Utah border. Page is a bit touristy with many opportunities to employ outfitters that will take you to the many sights around the area, both natural and man- made.

Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam

Lake Powell is the second largest man-made lake in the U.S. – 186 miles long with depths of over 500 ft. The Glen Canyon Dam was built in 1963, and it took 17 years to fill the lake to the planned level of 3700 ft. above sea level!

Lake Powell from Wahweap Overlook

We had visited Lake Powell years ago with our boys Keith and Ben, so we did not feel the need to explore it again. We did however, visit the new Carl Hayden Visitor Center and walk out onto the overlook alongside the Glen Canyon Dam. The water was very low behind the dam, indicating a tremendous water shortage in this area.

We also took a drive to the top of the Wahweap Overlook which allows the viewer to see the Wahweap Marina and Lake Powell from the west side. Again, the lake was noticeably low in water volume because of the recent lack of rain. The winds atop the viewpoint were so fierce, we could scarcely hold a camera steady for any serious photography.

Energetic young Navajo Hoop Dancer

Antelope Canyon

We have wanted to see Antelope Canyon ever since we first saw photos of this spectacular sight, a vision of swirling rocks in various shades of red. But all the photos in the world could not prepare us. This is simply one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The canyon can only be visited by employing a certified Navajo tour guide, and we had arranged ours with Antelope Slot Canyon Tours. We met at their office where they kicked off the day with an energetic hoop dance by a Native American. A hoop dance uses several hula-hoop rings, smaller in diameter than the hula hoops of the late 50’s. The young Navajo boy doing the dance expended more energy in his moves than we had energy to watch. It may be just that we are starting to feel our age, but wow, what a show – it was a fast-moving expenditure of youthful stamina and flexibility!! He leaped and jumped wildly, spinning multiple hoops while weaving them quickly in and around different parts of his body.

Slot entrance to Antelope Canyon

After the dancing hoopla, we climbed into the back of the outfitter’s turquoise blue trucks for the bumpy, open-air 10-mile ride out to the entrance of the canyon. It was a bit nippy this morning on this drive, and we wished we had brought jackets!!

Antelope Canyon looks pretty unassuming from the outside, but once inside, it is like entering another dimension.

Many onlookers admire the canyon walls

Despite the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and the frenzy of visitor photography, the most impressive thing about the ¼ mile long Antelope Canyon was that, not even the hordes of people could diminish the ambiance and spirituality that we felt as we entered this place. The unique red, chiseled-rock beauty of the canyon walls was unduplicated by any other sights we’d seen.

Sunlight from overhead opening illuminates
canyon walls

We were there at one of the best times of the day, when the sun’s rays overhead would shine down thru the slotted ceiling and illuminate the rock formations of the canyon to the fullest. Marissa, our Navajo guide, led us thru winding passageways that were about 10 feet wide at the widest, and maybe 3 feet wide at the narrowest. Sometimes it was so narrow, we could not fit 2 people abreast and had to take turns passing oncoming people. The slot was completely cut thru, and so we were able to hike to the other side of the mountain thru the slot and then back the same way.

This is one site where the pictures really do not tell the story. We had such a tough time choosing which of our many hundreds of photos to use:

Interesting designs on canyon wall

Anne studies the sandy canyon wall

Other-worldly effect as light penetrates the canyon

Ribbons of sandstone in the canyon

Hiking out to see the toadstools

Toadstools

We hiked a mile or so back off Utah Highway 89, where we made a brief stop at the Toadstools, giant mushroom-like formations that are part of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We followed a trail lined with many desert wildflowers to get a view of these odd formations.

Whimsical toadstools

The white columnar supporting tower of the Toadstool is called a “hoodoo,” and the flat balanced rock on the top makes it look similar to a toadstool. Amazing what time, erosion, and the right colors can do.

Our first view of White Pocket

Wavy rock formations at White Pocket

White Pocket

One of the top experiences of our trip was our day at White Pocket, a stunning, lesser known natural wonder tucked away in Arizona just south of the Utah line. White Pocket is not easy to get to, and luckily our private tour guide, Steve, was skilled at driving his 4WD into the desolate high desert. The ride out was a thrill in itself as we wound our way in the deep sand with Steve making some miraculous moves up and down both wet and dry gullies, plowing our way through with his high-clearance vehicle. Getting stuck out here in this desolate no-man’s land was always in the back of our minds.

Frank savors the solitude of White Pocket

White Pocket has only recently gained attention, and Steve, the owner of Paria Outpost and Outfitters, was one of the first to bring people here. One of the best things about this adventure is that for the first few hours, we had the place to ourselves! All told, we saw maybe a half dozen people all day long on our hike. We also appreciated that Steve would give us a general direction (head left to that outcropping) and then let us take the lead, blazing our own trail, at our own speed. We felt like Lewis and Clark!

"Nimble Annie" braves a difficult descent

Words cannot do this place justice, and even our photos struggle to capture the eerie magic of that inhospitable, but beckoning land. White Pocket is a rock-covered expanse with both hilly and flat areas that are challenging even to the nimble, but relatively safe to climb for most. The slopes could be steep and tricky to negotiate in parts, but with less daunting alternative hiking routes as easier choices.

Eerie "rock pillows" of White Pocket

Frank was especially fascinated by the white rock “pillows.” Yes, they looked a bit like fluffy, white quilted pillows. These remarkable rocks were connected, yet broken into irregular polygon-shapes, which were etched into the white rock. These rocks and their etchings reminded us of the cell structure of human skin under a microscope. The more Frank studied this phenomenon, the more convinced he became that this regular pattern of white rock must be the work of aliens!

Undulating red sandstone creates a bizarre effect

Another unique feature of the rock formation was the squiggly ripple effects of the sandstone that looked like frozen eddies cast upon a sandy beach by the last big wave. Wave after wave, swirl after swirl form the sides of some of the canyon walls in an unusual undulating rendition of red rock. The scenery was truly quite artful, displaying many geometric oddities.

Anne contemplates going swimming in mountain
pool at White Pocket

We also saw animal trails, smooth paths worn in the rock by Big-Horned Sheep, Mule Deer, and even Mountain Lions. We were especially lucky to see pools of water in the rock which are uncommon at this time of the year. Steve led us to a hidden area with three of these pools where we found “natural” seating on the rocks and sat to eat the provided bag lunch. What a location -- one of our all-time favorite lunch spots! Of course, as good conservationists, it was required that we collect all our trash and take it out of the park with us.

5-foot long snake bars our exit from White Pocket

As we exited the natural wonder, we spotted a 5’ long snake on the path in front of our jeep. Steve, ever the naturalist & conservationist, waited until it slithered to safety.

The fun and joy of this day will forever be with us. Once again, we had a hard time limiting our photos, but here is just a sampling: