Horseshoe Bend is less than 5 miles from Antelope Canyon, and is a must do if you are in the area. If it free to visit, and is only a .75 mile hike to the overlook.
Horseshoe Bend is a meander in the Colorado River that forms a horseshoe shape. Just 7 miles upstream from the beginning of the Grand Canyon, it is a great way to see river. (It is also a great way to get a selfie with the Colorado River, which is almost impossible from the South Rim. )
Find out more at HorseshoeBend.com
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Hi Alley – this is such a fantastic resource! Family of four (grown up kids) visiting from New Zealand, leaving New York on 1 Feb to fly to see GC et al. Currently we are thinking of flying into Phoenix, picking up a car and travelling to Sedona for 1 night. Then to GC for 1 night. Then to Page for 1 night. Springdale 1 night then to Las Vegas which we will fly out of. We could possibly do another night somewhere along this. We’re aware the weather might be tricky, and that daylight hours will be much shorter and will definitely heed your advice not to be out in the dark 🙂 Is this itinerary the best use of five days in the area? TIA 🙂
Hey Tracey!
Thank you for your kind compliments 🙂
Your trip plan is doable as it stands, although a bit rushed. I know you’re coming from a long distance away and this may be your only chance to visit some of these sights! But with such a limited time to work with, plus the short daylight hours, weather, etc., I would recommend some slight modifications to your trip plan.
First off, I’d take Springdale/Zion off the agenda. 1 day is really not sufficient to do Zion justice; it’s a huge and beautiful park with many amazing hiking trails and scenic drives. You really need 2-3 days to fully explore and enjoy that park.
I would also recommend reversing your itinerary and placing Sedona last on the trip. Why? In addition to many wonderful places to visit, both indoor and outdoor, Sedona has a nice “chill” vibe which makes it the perfect place to relax and decompress from your vacation.
In light of those concerns, here’s what I’d recommend:
Day 1: Fly to Las Vegas, overnight in Vegas.
Day 2: Drive to Page (~5 hours) — here you could go through Zion as a “drive-by” which is less than ideal, but you could at least say that you’ve seen it, which will add another couple of hours onto your drive time. Mid-late afternoon tour of Antelope Canyon, overnight in Page.
Day 3: Drive to Grand Canyon South Rim (~3.5-4 hours factoring in stops), visit Horseshoe Bend on the way out of town, stop at Cameron Trading Post for breakfast/brunch, visit Grand Canyon viewpoints between Desert View and Grand Canyon Village, overnight in Grand Canyon.
Day 4: Drive to Sedona (~2.5 hours), visit Chapel of the Holy Cross, Tlaquepaque, art galleries, wine tasting rooms, easy hiking trails (Fay Canyon, Bell Rock) weather permitting, overnight in Sedona
Day 5: 2nd night in Sedona, or drive to Phoenix (~2 hours) and fly home.
Again, if you’re already committed to your itinerary as you’ve stated it, you’ll be able to manage it, but IMO it will leave you wanting, especially where it comes to Zion and Sedona!
I hope that helps. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at reservations@antelopecanyon.az
Good luck and safe travels,
Alley 🙂