Trip to the scenic canyons of Arizona!

April 11, 2019 by nikirath 6 Comments

Hot and dry, yet beautiful and serene, the canyons of Arizona are definitely worth a visit. This spring season, I and my best friends planned a trip to explore the deserted lands of Arizona. We started to drive from Las Vegas and it took us about 4-5 hours to reach the city of Lake Powell. We had such a memorable time driving through the winding roads along the steep cut mountains and canyons. We started to drive around 4 pm and reached to our destination later at night. As it got darker, the roads seemed a little scary but we continued to chit chat and enjoy our drive.

After relaxing the night at our hotel, we were all ready for our day to delve into the Horse shoe bend and Antelope Canyon which were both at a close driving distance from the our hotel. As we wrapped up our breakfast at our hotel and started to head towards the Horse shoe bend, we found out that the parking services by the canyon are closed and there was a shuttle that provided transportation to and from the canyon. Vast stretches of  dry sand, red mountains and bright sunshine is all I remember while waiting for the shuttle services. As we reached to our destination, our driver informed us about the hike to and fro from the Horse Shoe bend which was about 1.3 miles. I was very excited and couldn’t wait to actually get there.

 

The hike to the bend was downhill and easy like a breeze. As we started to get down, it started to get warmer. The climate in Arizona is always a little tricky in terms of the dryness and heat. So we were all well equipped with all kinds of clothing and lots of water. The horse shoe bend was phenomenally beautiful as we got a peek at it. It was a giant horse shoe shaped structure below the ground level. The Colorado river that was flowing right into it was a lovely sight. We could spot some boats and kayaks in the river and it looked like such an adventure to experience it. It is all a part of the Glen Canyon recreation area and I was delighted to get a chance to visit it. After numerous pictures and sometime of soaking in the lovely views, we headed back uphill to our next adventure which was the Antelope Canyon.

It was unbelievable that half of the day had already gone by so quick and our reservation to see the Antelope Canyon was at 2:45pm. We quickly grabbed subway sandwiches for lunch as there are not very many options for food nearby and headed to our tours with Navajo tour company. The jeeps lined up and we were divided into numerous groups and had to stick with our guide and group throughout the tour. The people with whom we were paired with seemed really nice and their cute children kept us entertained throughout the tour. As we reached the Antelope canyon after driving through vast stretches of deserted land, I could feel the sandy breeze that didn’t seem very comfortable at first and then eventually we just got acclimated to it.

 

The canyon itself was very picturesque and walking into the narrow pathway seemed like a unique experience. Our tour guide was very interactive and made sure we took perfect pictures of the canyon. He educated us about the rock formations of various shapes. Some looked like elephants and some like King Kong. One looked like the face of Abraham Lincoln and these were all carved by nature. The most fascinating one was the shape of the heart in the middle of the canyon. He showed us how it is like when the canyon is hit by sand storms and he described the stories of flooded canyons. As we walked through the canyon, it got narrower, darker and taller. I am glad we made reservations because Antelope canyon does require mandatory tour guides and cannot be visited without one. After enjoying the scenic tour through the canyon and taking so many pictures, we made our way back to our car. We were covered with dust and sand by the time we got back and really needed showers to feel better.

We then headed back to our hotel and jumped right into the hot tub which had scenic mountains in the backdrop. We were excited to see the sunset by the overlooking mountains while soaking in the warm water. As our trip was coming to an end soon, we were all together spending some beautiful moments which are now great memories and will stay in my heart forever. I am so grateful for having given this chance to explore the nature carved Glen canyon in Arizona. I hope to see the Grand Canyon one day as well. What is your go to destination for spring this year? Please share, I would love to read.