RuggedBeauty:

STORY BY TERESA K. TRAVERSE

Located just south of the Utah border, Northern Arizona’s Page beckons with stunning landscapes, plenty of outdoor attractions and one unbelievably scenic golf course. Discover Page and its many wonders.

What To Do

Page is an outdoor mecca. One of the city’s popular and iconic attractions? Horseshoe Bend. Park in the lot just off of U.S. Route 89, and walk on a paved pathway to reach this truly breathtaking site. The hike is about 1.5-miles round trip. Roughly 1,000 feet deep from the overlook to the river below, take in the impressive red rock formation that was formed via erosion of the Colorado River. Although the natural sandstone formation is impressive on its own—it really is shaped like a horseshoe—what gets us every time we see it is the water surrounding it. The water is a deep, emerald green that we’ve never seen accurately captured in a photo. Admire the views here. Be sure to mind your footing too. The viewing platform has railings, but the rest of the trail does not.

Another one of Page’s signature sites is Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon is a scenic slot canyon that you’ve no doubt seen images of—both Apple and Microsoft have used pictures of the place in their marketing. During our recent visit, Ken’s Tours hosted us for a guided visit. After descending a series of staircases, we were inside this slot canyon. A tour guide led our group through the canyon’s twists and turns and paused to point out notable formations in the sandstone. Slot canyons are truly magical. The colors of the sandstone walls— reach out and be sure to feel the grains of sand that make up the walls that can get quite narrow in certain spots—seemingly shift in the sunlight. Expect to see oranges, golds and reds on either side of you. You’ll want to keep your neck craned up to see the walls of the canyon coupled with the blue sky up above. The canyon offers plenty of photo opportunities. If you have an iPhone, try the filter vivid warm as it helps accentuate the canyon’s natural colors. In rare moments, you’ll have the canyon all to yourself. Savor the crunch of the sand underneath your feet coupled with the majestic scenery all around you.

Lake Powell

Lake Powell beckons with bright blue water complemented by sandstone canyon walls surrounding you. If you’re searching for a way to see Lake Powell that’s easy on your joints, consider booking an Antelope Canyon Boat Tour from the Antelope Point Marina. We delighted in taking photos of this scenic spot and getting another look at Antelope Canyon from the water. Lake Powell also offers plenty of outdoor recreation including kayaking, jet ski, boat rentals, paddle boarding, tubing and wakeboarding, among other water sports.

Tower Butte

The only way to reach one of Page’s iconic sites, Tower Butte? Via helicopter. Papillon Helicopter Tours offers a Tower Butte Landing with Horseshoe Bend tour. Board a helicopter at Page Municipal Airport and then fly high above the area’s scenic attractions like Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam. The helicopter also lands atop of Tower Butte--a massive sandstone formation that’s just over 5,000 feet in elevation. From there, take in truly unique views before returning to the airport.

Lake Powell National Golf Course

If you’re searching for a scenic golf course, Lake Powell National Golf Course more than delivers. The 18-hole course was designed by William Phillips and opened in 1995. The course can accommodate everyone from novice golfers to championship-level players. Actor Michael J. Fox has even played here.

Certain holes provide grand vistas of the area’s most scenic attractions. From the latter half of the course, take in views of the Vermillion Cliffs, Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell—all classic Page sites. We enjoyed the challenges here. Look forward to practicing your swing over water features with a red sandstone backdrop. One challenging hole is 17—one of the longest par 5 holes in the entire state. Golfers are also hitting roughly 657 yards into the prevailing wind. No matter what, enjoy the spectacular views here.

Where To Eat

Williams, Arizona-based Grand Canyon Brewing Company has a location in Page. The restaurant is housed inside of a former firehouse and features high ceilings, a bar and plenty of tables throughout the dining room. The spacious outdoor patio is another great location to enjoy your suds and hearty food. We enjoyed both the massive lightly buttered pretzel served with savory beer cheese along with cauliflower wings served with a side of ranch. Both filled us up on a relatively chilly day. We paired our food with the Horseshoe Bend Ale. We fell for this light beer featuring refreshing notes of grapefruit and caramel with a slightly hoppy finish—an ideal summertime beer.

Red Heritage puts on dinner and a show in a unique way. Expect to see Native Americans telling stories and performing vibrant, traditional dances. Hoop dancing—where a dancer literally jumps through hoops while chanting—is such a mesmerizing site to behold. We also watched a live drum circle too. Diners also can enjoy Navajo tacos—traditional fry bread topped with choice of pork, chicken, beef or vegetarian chili along with toppings like lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, corn, salsa and sour cream. For dessert, guests can sink their spoons into a sweet vanilla pudding parfait.

Where To Stay

Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell—this hotel hosted our recent Page trip—offers contemporary digs in the heart of Page. Guests can enjoy a spacious lobby, a happening restaurant that serves great cocktails and spacious accommodations. Try to book a room facing Glen Canyon. The views are sweeping and worth beholding. Rooms feature plush beds, a sitting area including a couch, a long desk and bathrooms outfitted with glass showers featuring a rainfall showerhead. When you’re on the ground floor, don’t miss taking a photo of the massive rectangular wood frame in the back of the hotel—it’s a perfect Instagram spot.

One of the hotel’s most unique features is its adventure concierge program. Guests can book visits to many of Page’s natural wonders via the hotel’s concierge desk, including many of the places mentioned in this story.

Located in the hotel’s lobby, the on-site Prickly Pear Kitchen serves a breakfast buffet with a healthy variety of options and lunch and dinner for all. Diners can dig into New American fare. For lunch, we enjoyed a hearty turkey pesto sandwich—two pieces of sourdough in between turkey breast, pesto sauce, spinach and sundried tomato mayo that was tangy and rich. The dinner menu include sharables like basil pesto flatbread and large, creative plates like baja shrimp tacos, crab cake platter, mango habanero tofu tacos and pork adobo tacos.

Our absolute favorite menu items were the stellar drinks. Although everything we tried was good, the sage advice and the hibiscus margaritas were both well-balanced and perfect drinks.

Getting To Page

From Phoenix, it takes just less than five hours to drive to Page. You also can book Contour Airlines and fly from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Page. The flight is just less than one hour. Contour typically offers two daily flights from Phoenix to Page Municipal Airport.