Grand Circle Road Trip: Where Antelope Canyon Fits

The Grand Circle is the loop of national parks and monuments spread across the Colorado Plateau, taking in the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Monument Valley, and Mesa Verde.

Page, Arizona sits close to the center of it, which is why nearly every version of the route passes through, and why Antelope Canyon ends up on so many itineraries.

Drive times from Page

Why Page is a natural hub

Four of the Grand Circle’s headline stops are within three hours of Page. That makes it one of the few places on the loop where you can base yourself for a couple of nights without backtracking, and it is why so many itineraries put it in the middle rather than at an end.

It also concentrates a lot into a small area on its own: Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, and Glen Canyon Dam are all within about fifteen minutes of one another. See things to do in Page, Arizona.

A route order that works

Starting and ending in Las Vegas, which is the most common approach:

• Zion first, about two and a half hours from Las Vegas.

• Bryce Canyon next, roughly ninety minutes on from Zion.

• Page third, under three hours from Bryce. Two nights here if you can.

• Grand Canyon South Rim fourth, about two and a half hours from Page.

• Back to Las Vegas, roughly four and a half hours from the South Rim.

That is a solid seven to ten days without long driving days. Adding Monument Valley extends it east from Page by a little over two hours each way.

Route detail for each leg: Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, and Monument Valley.

The one stop you have to book ahead

Almost everything on the Grand Circle can be done on your own schedule. Antelope Canyon cannot. It sits on Navajo Nation land, requires an authorized Navajo guide, and runs on fixed tour times that fill weeks ahead in summer.

The practical consequence is that you should book your canyon tour first and build the rest of the loop around that date. Everything else on the circle will flex; this will not.

A time zone quirk to plan for

Most of Arizona does not observe daylight saving, but the Navajo Nation does, and Utah does. On a Grand Circle trip you will cross between all three. Your Antelope Canyon tour time is local to Page.

Where to stay

Page has the bulk of the lodging in the area and books out early in summer. See where to stay near Antelope Canyon, and the best time to visit for seasonal advice.

When your dates are set, reserve your Lower Antelope Canyon tour.