#YOLO – it stands for “You Only Live Once.” So why would you tour the waterside of Antelope Canyon shoulder-to-shoulder with a boatload of strangers? Experience the power and majesty of Antelope Canyon as it joins with Lake Powell in a way that only a select few visitors will share, with Hidden Canyon Kayak Tours!
On Hidden Canyon Kayak’s Antelope Canyon Tour, you’ll glide between red sandstone walls towering high above tranquil morning waters, inching closer and closer together as you paddle gently and quietly toward the canyon’s land side. You needn’t have any previous kayaking experience to take part. Hidden Canyon Kayak’s licensed guides will teach you how to pilot your watercraft in safety and confidence, and provide all the equipment you need to keep your personal belongings safe and dry. Depending on Lake Powell’s water level, you’ll take a simple hike to where the slot canyon portion of Antelope Canyon begins. Your guide will take keepsake photos of you and your tour group at no extra charge! Group sizes are deliberately limited for more personalized service, so book your seats today, or you may be overcome by a bad case of FOMO.
Your tour price includes:
- Kayak (2-person models will be used unless previous alternate arrangements are made)
- Paddles
- Life jackets
- Snacks
- Refillable water
- Dry bags and boxes
Tour duration: 3-4 hours, depending on water level of Lake Powell
Tour schedules:
February 15th – April 30th: 7:30 – 11:30 AM
May 1st – September 14th: 6:30 – 10:30 AM and 7:30 – 11:30 AM
September 15th – October 31st: 7:30 – 11:30 AM
All times are Mountain Standard Time
Tours depart from from Antelope Point Marina Public Launch Ramp, which is about 12 miles (19.3 kilometers) from Downtown Page. Your kayak tour guide will meet you by the bathroom at the entrance to the parking lot. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure time. Antelope Point Marina is located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which is a Federal Fee Area.
Tours require a minimum of 2 passengers to guarantee operation and are contingent on favorable weather conditions.
70 Responses
Greetings,
We are visiting the area 9/5 thru 10 and wish to tour the canyons less visited. Any suggestions? I have heard that the upper antelope is overcrowded. Any infoon rattlesnake or the water canyons?Thanks MJ
Hi Mary Jo and thank you for your excellent inquiry.
You are correct in that Upper Antelope Canyon is way crowded, and that there are alternate slot canyons in the Page, AZ, area that are just as beautiful, but far less populated! Rattlesnake Canyon is one of those slots, but IIRC, you have to tour it as a “package” with Upper Antelope Canyon.
As for the “water canyons,” if you’re referring to the waterside of Antelope Canyon, it is not possible to “bundle” a tour of Lower and/or Upper Antelope Canyon with a short boat tour from Antelope Marina. There are other slot canyon type formations accessible from Lake Powell by kayak, and Hidden Canyon Kayak would be a good company to contact for more information on those.
If you think you’d be up for something a little more physical, and already have plans to visit Zion and/or Bryce Canyon, East Zion Experiences out of Orderville, UT, offers slot canyon tours with a rappelling component that sound like a blast! This company is a relatively new player on the slot canyon “scene,” so if you opt to do one of their trips, please let us know how you liked it!
Good luck and safe travels,
Alley 🙂
Do all your kayak tours leave that early in the morning? We will be visiting next May 2020 and wondered if you had afternoon kayak trips to Hidden Canyon. Thank you, Jane
Hi Jane,
There’s are several reasons why kayak tours depart first thing in the morning: 1. mornings offer cooler temperatures and less wind; afternoons are hot, and usually windy, which are not ideal conditions for kayaking; 2. tour boats and private boats start getting out on Lake Powell en masse around mid-morning; this creates large wakes, which, again, are not conducive to kayaking. You are welcome to contact Hidden Canyon Kayak to verify this, and they may even be willing to put together a private charter trip for you. Their phone # is (928) 660-1836.
BTW, we commend you on making your 2020 vacation plans well in advance.
Good luck and safe travels,
Alley 🙂
hi. is it possible to kayak any of the canyons by your own ?? thanks !!!
Hi Chris,
Yes, you can take your own kayak into any of the side canyons on Lake Powell. You will need to pay a $30/vehicle entrance fee into the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which is good for 7 days time. The main launch areas near Page, AZ, are Antelope Point Marina, Lake Powell Resort, and the Stateline launch ramp. Kayaks may also put in at Lone Rock Beach near the AZ/UT border.
Good luck and safe travels!
Alley 🙂
I’m sorry about my previous message. I typed it with the wrong spelling corrector.
If we do the kayak tour, would we see Lake Powell as well?
Hi Natalya,
All kayak tours operated by Hidden Canyon Kayak and other local operators take place on Lake Powell. However, you would by no means see “all” of Lake Powell as it is a huge body of water spanning two states. While the kayak tour is a really fun activity that I highly recommend, if you want to get a truer sense of Lake Powell’s size and scope, the best way to do that is by flying over it. Fixed wing airplane and helicopter flights depart daily from the Page Municipal Airport, and mornings are the best time to fly for optimal light and lack of wind.
Hope that helps — good luck and safe travels!
Alley 🙂
Hi, I am looking to do the Antelope Canyon tour – does this include a quick hike into the slot canyons as well? If not, do you have a tour that does do this?
Thanks!
Hi Patrick, and thank you for your excellent inquiry.
Antelope Canyon waterside tours, such as the kayak tours and boat tours, do not include the hike into the slot canyon sections. To fully enjoy and appreciate Antelope Canyon, you should definitely plan on booking a tour of one of the slot canyon sections, such as Upper Antelope Canyon, Lower Antelope Canyon, or Antelope Canyon X. For more information on these, visit “How To Book A Tour For Antelope Canyon.”
Good luck and safe travels!
Alley 🙂
Hi All,
We are planning for the Canyon trip around Christmas this year (Dec 20 – 27) with 2 boys 11 & 6 and both love to hike. Here is our tentative itinerary:
Day 1: Fly from Dallas to Las Vegas – Rent out a car and spend time on LV Strip
Day 2: Visit Hoover Dam and proceed to Page – Halt in Page (What can we do in the evening?)
Day 3: Visit Antelope & Horse shoe bend (need inputs here on what all can we do) – Halt in Page
Day 4: Depart for Death Valley – where can we stay around DV if we plan to proceed to Sequoia next day?
Day 5: Depart for Sequoia – Halt near Three Rivers .. ?
Day 6: Explore Sequoia (Can we do a quick Yosemite on this day) – Halt near Three Rivers
Day 7: Drive back to Las Vegas & Fly back home
Dear Abhi,
Hello and thank you for visiting our site today!
Unfortunately, I cannot endorse this plan. The simple reason is too much driving. You’re looking at a grand total of 30 hours of driving in order to pull this all off.
On Day 2, for example, when you say “visit Hoover Dam, then proceed to Page,” Hoover Dam is located South of Las Vegas and will require about 2 hours time to get there, look around, get back to Las Vegas, then, you’re looking at about a minimum of a 5-hour drive to Page. I know that Google maps puts the drive time from Las Vegas to Page at around 4.5 hours, but around here, you need to pad those by ~20%. Why? Because all of these routes are very scenic and you’re invariably going to find yourselves stopping to take pictures, not to mention the occasional bathroom break, grabbing lunch somewhere (unless you bring a cooler with snacks), etc.
Another couple of factors potentially working against you at the time of year you’re traveling are daylength and weather. Daylength is short: sunrise in Arizona occurs at around 7:30 AM, and the sun goes down shortly after 5:00 PM. Nighttime driving is strongly discouraged in this part of the country due to lack of ambient lighting on local roadways, and the possibility of encountering deer, elk, coyotes, free range cattle and other nocturnal animals.
Regarding weather, you could encounter freezing rain, sleet, snow – or all of the above in one day! The destinations you’re wanting to to visit, especially Yosemite and Sequoia (by the way, Yosemite is not a “quickie” day trip from Sequoia), could get large amounts of snow, which could throw your trip plans on the trash heap.
In light of the long drives required, and the potential for bad weather to mess up your plans, I’d recommend taking Death Valley, Sequoia and Yosemite off the table and saving them for another time. Concentrate on the incredible destinations that are within easier access to Las Vegas. I’d recommend modifying your itinerary as follows:
Day 1: Fly to Las Vegas, stay overnight
Day 2: Proceed to Grand Canyon South Rim, visit Hoover Dam on the way, overnight at Grand Canyon (~4.5 hour drive from Hoover Dam)
Day 3: Head to Page, AZ (~4 hour drive taken at a leisurely pace, many viewpoints to stop at en route), stop at Horseshoe Bend on the way into town, stay overnight in Page, AZ
Day 4: Tour Antelope Canyon and the Glen Canyon Dam, do some hiking, visit the John Wesley Powell Museum, stay 2nd night in Page.
Day 5: Head to Bryce Canyon, UT, in the morning, head to Bryce Canyon (~3 hour drive), overnight in Bryce ***at 8,000′ above sea level, this area can also get a lot of snow, so keep your eye on the weather
Day 6: Go to Zion National Park (~2.5 hour drive), overnight in Springdale, UT
Day 7: Back to Vegas (~3 hour drive), fly home
As you can see, with this trip plan, your total drive time is cut nearly in half, and you still have ample opportunities for sightseeing, hiking, exploration, etc. If you’ve already been to some of these places, you could add a second night in Zion or the Grand Canyon. Other possible substitutions that won’t take you too far afield include, but aren’t limited to: Sedona, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, Brian Head/Cedar Breaks National Monument, Coral Pink Sand Dunes (Kanab, UT), Snow Canyon State Park (near St. George, UT), and Valley of Fire (near Las Vegas).
For more suggestions, check out our Ultimate 7-Day Itinerary in Northern Arizona & Southern Utah
Best wishes for safe travels, and a Happy Holiday Season!
Alley 🙂
I give you a lot of credit for tackling a question even a travel agent would have found frustrating! And not even a thank you?
Kudos to Alley!!!
Thank you, Diana 🙂
Great advice Alley.. Glad you took the time to post.. I found it very helpful. THANK YOU!!
🙂
Hi, my sister and I are planning a trip to Page and Antelope Canyon. We are definitely interested in the Kayaking tour but I’m wondering, will we see all of Lower Antelope Canyon the same as we would with one of the foot tours? We were looking at the Hidden Canyon Kayak tour (4 hours). Or would we need to schedule a foot tour in addition to the Kayak tour? We want to see as much as we can without having an insanely packed day. We are driving in the evening prior and staying the night of – May 10th would be our outing day. Any recommendations of what all to squeeze into the day?
Hi Shannon,
The scenery on the kayak tour of Antelope Canyon and the walking tour of Lower Antelope Canyon are completely different. That’s not to say that they’re not both worthwhile, but for the “classic” slot canyon scenery that has been made so famous in pictures and postcards, you’ll need to do the walking/foot tour. The perspective on the kayak tour is of the waterside of the canyon, where it connects with Lake Powell.
As for what else you should try and see, the Horseshoe Bend Overlook is a definite must. Depending on your itinerary, you might hit that on the way into town if you’re coming in from the Grand Canyon, or on your way out of town if you’re heading that way after leaving Page.
Other sites worth visiting include but are not limited to the Glen Canyon Dam and Steel Arch Bridge, the John Wesley Powell Memorial Museum, the “New” Wave, the White House Overlook, Lakeshore Drive and Lake Powell Resort.
Good luck and have a safe trip!
Alley 🙂
Do you have a map of the area that the tour traverses? Do you kayak up the canyon and back down?
Aldaron,
Hello and thank you for visiting our site. Below is an approximate map of the area covered on the Hidden Canyon Kayak Antelope Canyon Tour. Note that Antelope Point Marina is included, since that’s where you would meet your guide. And yes, you kayak a ways up the canyon, then back down. For more detailed information, or to book your tour, visit Hidden Canyon Kayak Tours or call (928) 660-1836
Hope that helps and that you have a wonderful trip!
Alley 🙂
Hi,
how long is one tour in hours? I will stay in july with two other families.
Kind regards, Thomas
Hi Thomas,
The Antelope Hidden Canyon Kayak tour runs between 3-4 hours depending on the water level of Lake Powell and how much (or little) hiking it allows for.
Keep in mind that July is peak of summer, therefore daytime temperatures will be very hot. For maximum comfort and personal safety, taking this tour in the morning is strongly recommended.
Hope that helps! Book your Antelope Hidden Canyon Kayak tour now.
Alley 🙂
What company does these tours? We are going down Feb 19th and all we can find companies don’t start tours until March.
Hi Beth,
Unfortunately you won’t be able to take part in a kayak tour in February. It’s simply too cold to be on the water and be comfortable.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news! 🙁
Alley