Flagstaff to Antelope Canyon: Drive Time and Route

Flagstaff to Antelope Canyon is about 135 miles and takes roughly two hours and fifteen minutes, a straight run north on US-89 into Page, Arizona.

Flagstaff is the closest city of any size to Antelope Canyon, which makes it a popular base and an easy day trip. Here is how the drive works.

Flagstaff to Antelope Canyon at a glance

The route

It is about as simple as Southwest driving gets: pick up US-89 north in Flagstaff and stay on it. The road leaves the ponderosa pine forest within about twenty minutes, drops into open high desert, and runs along the western edge of the Navajo Nation the rest of the way.

The Painted Desert lies off to the east for much of the drive, and the light on it in the late afternoon is worth the trip on its own.

Winter driving

Flagstaff sits at 7,000 feet and gets real winter weather, including snow that closes roads. Page, 2,700 feet lower, often has none at all on the same day.

Between roughly November and March, check conditions before you set out. The drive itself is usually fine once you are out of the high country, but the first thirty minutes can be the problem.

Worth stopping for

• Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument — about 20 minutes north of Flagstaff, with short trails through lava flows from an eruption roughly 900 years ago.

• Wupatki National Monument — ancestral Puebloan sites on the same loop road, so both fit in one stop.

• Cameron Trading Post — near the Little Colorado River gorge, and the traditional place to break this drive.

• Horseshoe Bend — just south of Page, about twelve minutes from the canyon.

Basing in Flagstaff

Flagstaff works well as a base if you are also visiting Sedona or the Grand Canyon, since it sits between them and Page. Rooms are generally easier to find than in Page during peak season.

The tradeoff is the early start. If you book a morning canyon tour, you are leaving Flagstaff well before sunrise. For a first tour of the day, staying in Page is worth it. See where to stay near Antelope Canyon.

Flying into Flagstaff

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is the closest commercial airport to Page at just over two hours, but it is small and usually requires a connection. Our guide to airports near Antelope Canyon compares it against Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Booking your tour

Antelope Canyon is on Navajo Nation land and requires an authorized Navajo guide. Book ahead, especially in summer.

See tour times and reserve, or read our Upper vs Lower comparison first.