We departed Bonito Campground near Flagstaff and headed north on Highway 89 towards Page going through some beautiful scenery and eventually going over the Antelope Pass. The pass is steep climbing up 1,000 feet in 3 miles with hairpin turns. There are some beautiful vistas along the way along with a scenic overlook area when you are heading south.
As we got near Page we continued to pass beautiful scenery and then we came upon Horseshoe Bend on the west side of Highway 89. We had visited this sight before but now we see that it is a fee area with a kiosk type entrance. That’s new to us!
We entered on into Page with an elevation of 4,300′ and crossed the Glen Canyon Dam and the Visitor Center. It is worth a stop to check out both the visitor center and the views into the canyon from the bridge. We had stopped here before on previous visits.
Just past the dam we entered into the south entrance of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (using our interagency pass). Glen Canyon is in both Arizona and Utah and is part of the immense system of canyons created by the Colorado River. The river is dammed by the Glen Canyon Dam and forms Lake Powell which is one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the US.
After we entered the National Monument we drove along Lakeshore Drive north towards the campground and stopped at some of the viewpoints which offer excellent views of the lake and the surrounding area. On a clear day you can see Navajo Mountain in the distance. It sits in Utah and is the highest point in the Navajo Nation.
Wahweap Campground sits near the shores of Lake Powell almost at the border of Utah. It offers multiple loops of camping with many sites having full hookups. There is also free Wifi (not fast but it worked). Some sites have great views. There are a variety of different types of sites from pull thrus to back-ins to different lengths of sites. They do have some doubled sided sites where you park directly next to your neighbor but facing the opposite direction. Sites are assigned at check-in. The loops are tiered to try and offer more sites with views.
Campground: Wahweap Campground
Location: Page, AZ
Site: C26 (back-in) – Loop C – very wide and great views
Cost: $68.18
Services: FHU (50AMP)
Comments: A lovely campground with large, level sites over multiple loops with both back-in sites and large pull-thrus. Some of the sites have excellent views of the lake. We loved it here and were sorry to leave.
The boat launch is directly across the street from the campground. There are not only sidewalks but a few bike/walking trails around the area. The campsites at Wahweap are quite large so boats that could fit at the campsite and then be used during the day due to the easy and close access of the boat ramp.
Beehive Campground
There is a very small campground called Beehive Campground near the Glen Canyon Dam and across the street from the south entrance to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area just off Hwy 89 on the west side. We drove over one day to check it out. It only offers 6 and is first-come first-serve. The campground is just a circle parking lot but the sites have site numbers and picnic tables. There was only one camper there when we checked it out one day but the other times we drove by it was full. Hit or miss.
Lone Rock Campground
Another campground we wanted to check out was Lone Rock Campground which sits in Utah just over the border from Arizona and only about a 10 or 15 minute drive from Wahweap. We drove over to check it out and the campground looks to have great views of Lake Powell. It is primitive camping with no designated campsites. You can camp on the beach or in the dunes. We will have to stay there sometime.
Wahweap Overlook Day Use Area
There is a day use area off the east side of Highway 89 in Arizona between Glen Canyon Dam and the north entrance to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It offers some fabulous views of the surrounding area.
The Chains Day Use
The Chains is a day use area with great views just off Hwy 89 but west of Glen Canyon Dam in Page.
Next up is Hiking The Wave!
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