This is STOP 15, the 46th, 47th, 48th and 49th days of our ten week cross country fall adventure in 2021! Here is a link to our previous stop in Torrey, UT.
This post covers our journey from Torrey Utah to Page Arizona with a detour into St George, Utah !
Torrey UT to St George to Page AZ
The Drive from Torrey, UT to St. George, UT
Believe it or not, it is time for the next service on the Brown Beast and the closest Toyota dealership is in St. George, UT. We give up a day in Page to make this happen. We leave Torrey and take Scenic Byway Utah 12 south for a phenomenal 123 mile drive. The route bears the nickname: A Journey Through Time and is one of the 20 designated All American Roads. The route includes 2 National Parks (Capital Reef and Bryce Canyon), 1 National Monument (Grand Staircase-Escalante), 3 State Parks (Kodachrome Basin, Escalante Petrified Forest and Anasazi ) plus numerous side scenic drives (including Burr Trail, Hole-In-The-Rock, Cottonwood Canyon and Hell’s Backbone). We’ve done Burr Trail already. We’ve heard from numerous folks in the last few days to avoid Hole-In-The-Rock due to road conditions. Harrison really wants to do Cottonwood Canyon, but with the Visitor Center is closed and there is no one to ask about road conditions – Nancy “poo-poo’s” it not wanting another experience like yesterday. So today – will be all paved road driving.
The pavement quickly climbs in elevation to over 9000 feet over Boulder Mountain to the Aquarius Plateau. The lush evergreens are complimented by the golden colored Aspen leaves. As we drive from Boulder to Escalante, we notice the rocks changing from pink to beige and to yellow – it all depends on which geological time period is exposed. We travel a section known as Hogback, which is a narrow strip on a ridge with steep drop-offs on both sides. Escalante looks like a possible future site place to stay. We continue on driving through the Grand Staircase-Escalante area and make the final call to skip the Cottonwood Canyon drive today.
Now with time on our hands, we make an unplanned stop at Bryce Canyon. The last time we were in Bryce, we hiked to Sunrise Point, then hiked into the Canyon for 7+ miles and emerged at Bryce Point where a shuttle bus took us back to our starting point. This time of year, there are no shuttle busses so we must do a round-trip hike. We decide to hike the rim of the canyon from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point to Inspiration Point, about 3 miles round trip. The beauty of the hoodoos and the rich colors of the canyon walls are just awe-inspiring.
At the end of UT 12, we head south US 89 to UT 59 where we pass Pink Sand Dunes State Park. We stopped here years ago and wouldn’t mind a quick stop to see it again, but this time there is a gated entrance with a fee collector and we decide the fee isn’t worth a quick stop. We now just follow our GPS’s fastest route to our hotel.
We chose the Best Western Plus Abbey Inn which is close to the dealership and grab dinner at Guru’s Sports Bar & Grill. We chat with bartender Preston and bar buddy Tyler and enjoy World Series playoff.
Day 2 – The Drive from St George, UT to Page, AZ
After one of THE best complimentary breakfasts at a hotel (they even had a chef doing made-to-order omelets), our stop at Stephen Wade Toyota is quick and painless. While waiting in the customer lounge, we meet Paul who is eager to talk about several different current events in our country. He’s actually delightful and helps us to pass the time.
Our new Buddy Paul
Ready to get back on the road, we backtrack slightly to the town of Hurricane and then it is on to new roads. Google Maps says we have a 3.5 hour drive, but with stops and an unplanned detour, it takes us much longer. We are drifting from UT to AZ to UT to AZ and through an Indian Reservation – so we are in time zone hell. This portion of AZ doesn’t observe daylight savings, but UT and the Indian Reservation in AZ do. The time on our watches doesn’t agree with the time on our phones or the car or the GPS. We just “let go” and figure it will all work out.
We finally get to Fredonia where we pick up the historic scenic road US 89A. A total of 83 miles, we drive 30 miles and decide to take an unplanned detour to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
At first we start to follow a unpaved road (Rt 422A) into the Grand Canyon. By now you know how much we really like the road less traveled. We pass an isolated ranch and are starting to look forward to this backcountry adventure. However, about 5 miles into this road we find that the road is closed up ahead and we turn back to the main highway to travel in the more traditional route.
The Grand Canyon is over 277 miles long, 10 miles wide and 1 mile deep. The North Rim is over 1000 feet higher in elevation than the South Rim. The South Rim is much more accessible and has more infrastructure so only 10% of visitors to the Grand Canyon opt to visit the North Rim. We hop onto AZ 67 south for about 45 miles to the park. The road to the park is narrow with no shoulder and we finally get there and decide to skip the Visitor Center (which we learn later is already closed for the winter).
We opt to drive the 23 mile winding Cape Royal Road, the same drive we did the last time we visited the park. About 1/3 of the way along the route, we drive to Point Imperial and have a picnic lunch. Point Imperial is the highest point on the North Rim at 8,803 feet with views of the Painted Desert and the eastern side of the canyon. The next stop along the drive is Vista Encantada, then Roosevelt Point, then Cape Royal. At Cape Royal we hike the .8 mile Cape Royal Trail which has spectacular canyon views, the Colorado River and the natural arch named Angel’s Window that frames the Colorado River. You can even see the Watchtower on the South Rim, 23 miles away.
We drive Cape Royal Rd in reverse and also AZ 67 north now to rejoin US 89A – ending our “little” detour and moving on to Page. This next stretch of the road is just magnificent scenery, including driving by Marble Canyon. This historic road is one of the most photographed areas in the country. At Bitter Springs, we switch onto US 89 north to Page. The Vermillion Cliffs are lit up from the late afternoon sun as we drive along with them to our north. We delight in the beauty of high layered cliffs and undulating, colorful badlands.
Best Western Plus at Lake Powell
We have an amazing room at the Best Western Plus at Lake Powell – it is way more like an apartment than a hotel suite. When we checked in, she mentioned they only have 1 room like this one. They have a decent hot breakfast and it is centrally located to the things we want to see and explore. There are even a few sports bars within close walking distance. Ironically, the hotel next door is a Best Western Basic – two Best Westerns right next to each other!
Dinner at Dam Bar & Grill
Tonight we have both Monday night football and the World Series to watch – and the Dam Bar & Grill is an excellent choice for that AND also for food. We only see 1 bar seat available, and when I inquire if anyone is sitting there, the guy in the adjacent chair tells us that no one is sitting there and if we want a second seat together, he’s willing to stand. He introduces himself – Jeff – and says he’s been sitting all day and needs to stand so he can pay attention to the games. It turns out Jeff is a tour guide for one of the Antelope Canyon tour companies run by the Indians. As we start talking about places to go, the guy next to him, Cooper, chimes in. Cooper is a wealth of information! He tells us that Cottonwood Canyon is a solid road and tells us about 3 other scenic back roads and/or hikes with detailed directions to find them. Nancy is frantically trying to take notes on the back of store receipt in her purse. Jeff highly recommends the daily special which is best described as chicken fettuccini alfredo with diced potatoes instead of fettuccini – and Nancy orders that (it was amazing).
The Green Bay Packers vs Arizona Cardinals game is heating up – and we are in Arizona territory. The woman on the other side of us asks loudly if anyone else at the bar is a Packers fan and Nancy replies with “GO PACK, GO”. The woman introduces herself and her husband, Cathy and Bill, and we learn they are from Wisconsin on her birthday road trip. In a twist of fate, Nancy happens to be wearing her Wisconsin Dells sweatshirt and Harrison is wearing in Devil’s Lake State Park (in Wisconsin) sweatshirt – which tickles Cathy to death since she says they live about 4 miles from the park.
DAY 3 – Scenic Driving
Harrison is so excited because we are finally going to drive most of the 46 unpaved miles through Cottonwood Canyon. Had we not diverted to St. George for the oil change and earlier rains, this was the last part of the original route to get from Torrey to Page. Today, we will drive it in both directions, which as we’ve learned from other drives, often means you see twice the beauty because of the two perspectives. The Cottonwood trees are in their full fall glory with bright yellow leaves. The scenery is fantastic and we just marvel at the beauty in this entire region of the country once again. Lunch is another outdoor picnic near the Grosvenor Arch. We don’t drive the entire 46 miles – we do about 40 turning around just before Kodachrome State Park (which we visited on our last trip through Utah).
As we drive, there is limited cell phone signal but we are trying to get information on one of the Cooper recommended hikes we might do tomorrow. We also try to research the tour company where Jeff works to weigh our options. Drive into a canyon and the cell phone signal goes, come back up and round a corner and its back. Go around another corner and its gone again. Reviews on the hike are stellar and we decide to forgo paying a guide to take us on a slot canyon hike. We learn we will need a hiking trail permit and we manage to purchase it on-line.
Paria Movie Road
There is still plenty of time left in the day so we head west to find the Paria Movie Road. We’ve seen a sign from the highway and see it on the map – but other than that, we know very little. With limited cell phone signal, we have no idea how long the road is or what to expect – we are winging it! The road entrance is well marked and we travel down the unpaved road hoping to find the remains of the Pahreah ghost town plus the site of a 1930’s movie set. This road is in much worse shape than the one in Cottonwood Canyon, but we forge onward. There are steep sections, twisted turns and washouts that we navigate as we drive. But there are also stellar layered and multi-colored cliffs and rock formations, with alternating red, white, purple and grayish-blue strata.
There is just basic signage once on the road and about all we can gather is that once you reach the end of the road, you must hike across the river near the colorful cliffs to see what little remains of the town and/or movie sets. We don’t know how long either the road or the hike is. We learn the town was abandoned due to frequent flooding by the river. About an hour into the drive it is getting late so we decide to turn around and head home without finding the ghost town or movie set. Once home with internet, we learn the road is about 6 miles long and the hike is about 1 mile. There are indeed a few buildings left to see. Now we know more for the next time we visit this area. The most famous movie shot there was The Outlaw Jesse Wales. And today at some point we cross the 8000 mile mark.
We stop at Walmart to stock up on some supplies which includes hot fried chicken and potato salad that we will eat in our room for dinner.
Day 4 – Hiking A Slot Canyon
From what we can tell, most canyon hiking in this region requires a permit and they are limited per day. One of the main draws to this area is Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon with dramatic sandstone formations. Slot canyons are very narrow with high twisting cliffs where sunlight beams shine directly down into the openings of the canyon, creating a supernatural appearance. The most photographed geological feature in this area is “The Wave” which is located in Coyote Buttes North. It is layers of various shades of red rock that twist and wind and look like an ocean wave. Permits are difficult to obtain. Another famous geological feature people come to see is called “Horseshoe Bend” located in the Glen Canyon Recreational Area. This is where the Colorado River created a roughly 1,000 ft deep, 270 degree horseshoe-shaped bend of the river in Glen Canyon. Some people do the 1.5 mile hike to the overlook while others take a boat tour. Now that we are here, we see that tour companies are a dime a dozen and it isn’t as difficult as we thought to get access. We don’t do any of these – those will be for future trips.
After researching information we got from Cooper that first night, we decide to forgo any guided tours and hike to Buckskin Gulch via the Wire Pass Trailhead. The hike gets rave reviews and is listed as one of the top 10 things to do in the area. Buckskin Gulch is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the southwest US. With cliff walls as high as 500 feet, light doesn’t shine in as well as it does in say Antelope Canyon or Coyote Buttes North – so the visuals aren’t as stunning. Permits acquired the previous day, we head to the Wire Pass Trailhead, about 26 miles down a dirt road, about an hour from our hotel. The trailhead starts on a wide wash – a place where water flows after rains in the areas that originally carved the slot canyon. We hike about a mile when follow the trail markers that make us climb up and over a 40′ sandstone rock. Steps? Nope. In fact, Nancy did the down part scooching on her butt. At the crest we see people who have continued hiking the wash and we wonder why the trail sent us this way….we will find out on the way back.
Once up and over the hill, we enter the first slots of the canyon. It is about 11am and the sun isn’t yet high enough in the sky to send light to the bottom, so the walls are dark. The path is narrow and we at time either climb up 3-4′ or jump down 3-4′. After a total of 1.75 miles, we reach the point where the Wire Pass Trail intersects with the Buckskin Gulch Trail. We see a few petroglyphs. We head into the gulch and the slot canyon is beautiful. The sun is getting higher and we see light peering in here and there.
About .5 miles in – we hit an obstacle. The path is filled with about knee deep water. Some people are taking off their shoes and going forward and others like us choose to turn around.
We get back to the point where the two trails intersected and decide to hike Buckskin Gulch in the opposite direction. This area is also part of the slot canyon. So exhilarating! We stop about .5 miles in and enjoy a wonderful well-needed lunch on the rocks. We decide it is time to head back, so we hike back to the Wire Pass Trail and decide we will take the wash back. About .5 miles in – we understand the options. With this path, there is an 8′-10′ drop (now a climb) that requires one to climb a makeshift ladder made from a tree trunk where you put your feet on the broken off branch points and haul yourself up with a rope. We watch a woman come down – and let’s just say this isn’t for the faint of heart. Her husband, Paul is still up top. Nancy goes first so Harrison can give her a little boost up while Paul takes her hand as she nears the top to provide much welcome assistance. Harrison hands up his backpack and camera and goes up next. Unfortunately we were too pre-occupied to get any pictures of either of us climbing. Once up top, we have an easy walk back along the wash and back to the car.
Along the walk and also back at the parking lot we meet people hiking with dogs. We let them know the two choices for the hike (the hill or the rope/tree trunk) and suggest neither is appropriate for a dog. We do feel rather accomplished and have hiked about 7 miles total.
Our Last Evening in Page
We want to try another bar that both Cooper and Jeff recommended, State 48, that is almost next door to the Dam Bar & Grill where we ate the other evening. We work on our blogs until it is 5 o’clock and head out to State 48 that doesn’t open until 5pm. We get there and the door is locked. Nancy peers in the window and there is someone inside who holds up all 5 fingers on his hand. Nancy points to her watch (because it says it is 5pm) and he just holds up the 5 fingers again. Confused – we decide to just go back to the Dam Bar & Grill. Dan the bartender gets us beers and menus and we meet our bar buddy Dave. Nancy asks what the special is today (since the special the other night was so good) and Dan tells her he won’t know until 5pm. This is when we learn that in this part of AZ, where they aren’t observing daylight savings time – it is actually 4pm. We are so close to the UT border that apparently our watches and phones are getting their time zone signals from there – oops. We chat with Dave who has lived in Page for 15 years. He’s retired now and he’s an amateur photographer. He is so interested in showing us some of his work that he goes home and brings back a small portfolio for us to see. He shares several photos of Antelope Canyon reflected in the still waters of Lake Powell. its also a night where the bar staff are dressed up for Halloween. Other than that, we have an uneventful dinner of pizza and head back to the hotel to start packing up.
Our Verdict
We love, love, love this area and have really only scratched the surface. Page is a “must return here” place for us – in fact, we think we’d like to stay for 10 days to 2 weeks next time to just really soak it all in.
Next Stop
Here is a link to our previous stop in Torrey, UT.
Our next stop will be 3 days in Silver City, New Mexico.
[…] This is STOP 16, the 50th, 51st and 52nd days of our ten week cross country fall adventure in 2021! Here is a link to our previous stop in Page, AZ. […]