11 Best Places to Visit in the Southwest

Amazing National Parks & Hidden Gems in the Southwest

If you’re thinking of the Southwestern US, the first image that pops into your head is probably a viewpoint overlooking the Grand Canyon. While the Grand Canyon has many great hikes and sunset spots, the Southwest has so much magical natural beauty to offer beyond said park that gets 5.9 million visitors annually.

Mesa Verde National Park is one of the best national parks in the Southwest. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved.

We’ve spent several months in the area, and this blog will hopefully help you discover many other places in Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Utah that are worth visiting. Here are our top tips for national parks in the Southwest beyond the Grand Canyon.

• Go if you like: Hiking, the Grand Canyon, vast, open landscapes, Morocco, Jordan - Wadi Rum, kayaking, family trips.

• 🔥 Hot tip: Get an annual national parks pass to save money. It’s totally worth it: it costs $80 and pays for itself in 3 visits to national parks.

  • If you’re above 62 or have a permanent disability, you can get one that’s valid for the rest of your life.

Valley of the Gods, one of the best places to visit in the Southwest. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

1. Valley of the Gods: A Quieter Version of Monument Valley

Monument Valley in southern Utah is a beautiful area in the southwestern US, but it’s been featured on so many United Airlines ads that it’s become rather touristy. Its nearby sibling Valley of the Gods is the hidden gem of the area, plus it’s free to visit and you can walk around everywhere, unlike Monument Valley. Off the beaten travel at its finest.

Valley of the Gods has many similar desert towers to Monument Valley that you can hike around and/or climb, and it can have a spiritual feeling for many (it did for us), with the gorgeous red/orange landscapes, the desolation, and the desert monuments. It’s also been featured in several movies — Forrest Gump, Thelma and Louise, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything…

Things to do in Valley of the Gods:

• Drive the loop: There’s a 17 mile driving loop on a decent dirt road to get around the Valley, with many pullout spots to have lunch, explore the area, or just stop and gaze in awe at the monuments.

  • Castle Butte is a lovely lookout spot where some of the bigger rock formations are, or Battleship Rock.

• 🥾 Hike. There aren’t many set trails, so we recommend parking your car at one or more pullout spots and exploring. You can walk around a tower or two (like the tower in the photo above, which we hiked), or hike down to the dry wash/creek areas. It’s a fascinating place.

Valley of the Gods is an amazing, desolate place. Photo by Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

More things to do in Valley of the Gods:

• 🚗 Drive Moki Dugway: This steep hairpin turn road just up from Valley of the Gods is a special experience that’s worth it for the spectacular lookout spot with the best views in the area, Muley Point Overlook.

• ⛺ Camp in one of America’s best camping areas: Valley of the Gods is honestly one of the country’s best camping spots, it’s absolutely free, so bring a tent or RV. Most of the camping spots are secluded such that you can be all alone and not see another camper. It’s a very special feeling.

  • You don’t need a reservation — just find your preferred spot and set up.

🔥 Hot tip: Be sure to bring plenty of water with you — there are no water sources in the park.

🚗 Getting there: Valley of the Gods is a 3 hour drive from Page, Arizona, or 2 hours from Moab, Utah. You don’t need a 4x4 to drive the main loop, but having one for the side roads is necessary if you want to explore deeper. Be sure to go when it’s not raining, as the road can become impassable.

Buckskin Gulch’s slot canyons are an amazing place to visit in the Southwest. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

2. Buckskin Gulch: One of the Best Places to Visit in the Southwest — Canyon Hikes like the Wave

If you’re hiking junkees like us, you’ll know the infamous Wave hike, the one that you have to enter a lottery six months in advance to do and pray you get a coveted spot. If you haven’t, you may have seen the pictures of the magical striations in the sandstone that make it look like you’re on the part of Mars that was painted by an artist. While the Wave itself is nearly impossible to visit because of the permit issue, the area all around it is incredibly beautiful as well and is full of amazing hikes.

Top experiences in the Buckskin Gulch area:

• 🥾 Buckskin Gulch slot canyon (pictured above and below - both photos by Sasha Lezhnev) is spectacular and an awesome alternative to The Wave. There are 50 foot walls on each side, ancient petroglyphs, an area to shimmy down a makeshift ladder (it’s fun, and our 4yo did it), and a few different slot canyons. You start at the same Wirepass Trailhead as The Wave hike.

  • Get a permit in advance on recreation.gov (they’re easy to get).

• 🥾 Nautilus spiral slot canyon: The Nautilus trail is an amazing hike near White House Trailhead, about half an hour west of Page, AZ. It ends in a fascinating spiral slot canyon called the Nautilus. We’ve never seen anything like it before or since.

  • It’s a little tricky to find, so stick to the AllTrails map. It’s technically only about a mile, but you’ll probably want to explore all around that area, up and around the fascinating rock formations.

  • You need a high clearance vehicle to access this area.

• 200 million-year-old dinosaur tracks: The Moenkopi dinosaur tracks from the Jurassic Era are near Tuba City, AZ, about 1 hour south of Page. They’re really cool for adults and kids alike. Keep your eyes peeled for the small sign & follow the Google directions for Moenkopi — it’s a basic dusty parking lot. It’s is on the Navajo Reservation, so pay a local guide a small fee to take you around and show you the tracks. There’s also a dinosaur museum worth visiting in

• 🥾 New Wave trail: A short hike with gorgeous striations in the sandstone similar to the Wave & only 10 minutes from Page.

🔥 Hot tip: You do need some kind of higher clearance vehicle to access Buckskin Gulch or the Nautilus area. Not necessarily a 4x4, but something that can navigate rough roads.

🔥 Hot tip 2: Camp for just $14 a night at the Beehive camping area 10 minutes from Page. It’s super convenient and cheap.

🚗 Getting there: Page, Arizona is the main hub for this area. It’s about 2 hours drive from Flagstaff, AZ or 4 hours drive from Las Vegas.

Chaco Canyon's Great Kiva is among the best places to visit in the Southwest. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

3. Chaco Canyon: Fascinating Mayan-like ruins in the U.S.

Chaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico now rivals Yellowstone as our favorite — yes, number 1 — national park site in the United States, mainly because it is so shocking that such an intact ancient civilization is in the United States. We thought you had to travel to Mexico or Guatemala to see such ancient sites, but in fact, they’re right here in the U.S.! This is a wonderful hidden travel gem of the Southwest.

Technically this isn’t in the list of 63 national parks yet (it’s a national historic park), but we believe it will be relatively soon given its majesty.

Things to do in Chaco Canyon:

🥾 Walk everywhere. The staggering thing about Chaco Canyon is the sheer number of the buildings—there are 13 sites in total. And you can walk all through them, unlike 90 percent of ruins elsewhere.

• See the Great Kiva: This is the biggest kiva in the park, called Casa Rinconada (photo above). It’s magnificent and only a 1/2 mile walk to get to it from the parking area.

• 🏞️ Walk around the mega complex of Pueblo Bonito: There are SO MANY buildings to walk around and through, but the central area of Pueblo Bonito (pictured, photo by Sasha Lezhnev) & Chetro Ketl are major highlights. There are hundreds of structures to explore.

• 🥾 Hike the Pueblo Alto trail: Be sure to save some time to hike this awesome trail. It goes up a slot canyon to the top of the plateau, and then you get expansive views of the ruins and hike to the Pueblo Alto.

🔥 Hot tip: Take a couple of days and combine this with a few other sights, such as the Bisti / De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, or Durango, Colorado.

🛏 ⛺ Where to Stay: Grab your tent or RV and stay the night in park, it will make your experience fuller, and the dark night skies are fantastic here. The one campground, Gallo, is reservable at www.recreation.gov.

• 🛏 If you prefer a hotel, your best bet is to stay in Farmington, NM, about 1 1/2 hours away. That’s where the closest hotels are. We recommend the Casa Blanca Inn in particular, a charming hotel with suites that’s also affordable.

🚗 Getting there: Chaco Canyon is a 3 hour drive from Albuquerque or Santa Fe. You need a high clearance vehicle to get to the park — the road is quite washboard-y and uneven to get to the park.

Canyon X is part of Antelope Canyon but is a hidden gem of the Southwest — much less visited & cheaper. Photos: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

4. Antelope Canyon X: Amazing Place to Visit in the Southwest

This is the stunning orange/red/yellow sandstone slot canyon that you have to see before you die. Really. It’s a 20 mile canyon in total, but the place to see it is at the far end where almost no tourists go, and it’s cheaper — Canyon X.

Canyon X is the exact same canyon as the other Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon, it’s just a bit further down the road. This is on Navajo territory, so you’re required to pay a Navajo guide to take you to the canyon, but a) Canyon X is less expensive than other parts of the canyon; b) that helps protect it also from defacement.

Hot tips for visiting Antelope Canyon X:

• 📷 Bring your best camera — this is a photography mecca. When taking photos on your phone, use the panaroma mode but do it vertically. This helps capture the entire slot canyon.

  • 📷 Photo tip: When you edit photos from your trip, turn up the warmth setting. For some reason the oranges and reds you see in the canyon don’t come out properly without doing so.

• Book in advance. Canyon X is on the Navajo Reservation, so you can’t just walk up and stroll through the canyon, you need to book a tour in advance. That said, Canyon X is much less booked up than Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon.

  • Reserve a spot here. It’s also cheaper. As of April 2023, it is $50 per adult, compared to $63 or more for Lower Antelope.

• Combine this with other sights such as Buckskin Gulch, Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon, or the Grand Canyon, all of which are nearby.

🚗 Getting there: 15 minutes from Page, Arizona, 2 hours from the Grand Canyon East Entrance, or 4 1/2hours from Las Vegas. The walk down to the canyon and back up is a little steep, but my 83-year-old mom did it.

5. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: One of the Best National Parks in the Southwest

This is underrated national park site 2 1/2 hours south of Phoenix has world class desert and cliff hiking, cool, long drives to see rock formations and mountains, a very peaceful, clean campground, and of course, the unique cactus known as “organ pipe.”

Again, this isn’t in the official list of 63 national parks yet, but we also believe it will be fairly soon given its vastness and several different natural beauty features. It’s currently a national monument.

We’d go on and on, but we have lots more detail about the hikes, drives, and camping spots in Organ Pipe Cactus in our National Parks blog.

🔥 Hot tip: Combine a visit to Organ Pipe Cactus with a trip to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico (aka Rocky Point, or Arizona’s beach), only 1 1/2 hours away.

• It’s easy to cross the border at Lukeville. Puerto Peñasco has lovely beaches, a relaxed vibe, and ultra fresh seafood.

🚗 Getting there: 2 1/2 hours drive south from Phoenix or 2 1/2 hours drive west from Tucson.

Goosenecks State Park is like Horseshoe Bend but with multiple bends. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved.

6. Goosenecks State Park: Great Off the Beaten Path Park

Did you like Horseshoe Bend? Goosenecks State Park has not one but two horseshoe shaped bends along the San Juan River in southern Utah, just north of Monument Valley. It’s a special place to camp in an area that’s often quite hard to find available camping spots, see tons of stars, and do some good hiking both inside and outside the park. Importantly, there are usually camping spots available here, and they’re only $10.

Top things to do in Goosenecks State Park:

• 🥾 Do the epic Honaker trail: Technically in Bears Ears National Monument but just around the bend from Goosenecks is the spectacular (but hard) Honaker Trail.

  • This one actually goes into the canyon and involves scrambling and steep rocky hills. But if you’re up for it, it’s stunning. You do 1,600 feet elevation gain in 4 miles.

• 🥾 Hike the viewpoint trail: The main trail at Goosenecks is along the rim of the canyon, and you get to see several stunning bends in the river. It’s only 1.8 miles roundtrip and 95 feet elevation gain.

Camping at Goosenecks State Park is a hidden gem in the Southwest & it’s easy to get a spot. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev

⛺ Camp and see incredible stars: Honestly, camping is one of the highlights of going to Goosenecks. It’s a designated Dark Sky area and one of the best places we’ve ever seen stars anywhere. It’s also dirt cheap to camp here, and camping spots are usually available. You just find a good spot along the rim of the canyon and park your tent or RV.

• The spots are not reservable — all are first come, first served — so just arrive at a decent hour to snag one. We got there at 4pm and were not the last ones.

• Just keep in mind that you’ll need to take all your provisions with you, since it’s not close to a town or city.

• Base yourself here for a couple of days in the area: Goosenecks is close to several other outstanding parks and outdoor areas, plus it’s a lovely camping area. So take a bit of time to combine it with:

  • Valley of the Gods (see above - 30 minute drive)

  • Monument Valley (40 mins away), and the Moki Dugway (see above in Valley of the Gods - 20 minutes away).

🔥 Hot tip — combine it with other nearby parks: It’s also Arches National Park (2 1/2 hours away), and Canyonlands National Park (see above - nearly 3 hours away).

🚗 Getting there: You don’t need a higher clearance vehicle to get to the park, a normal car should work just fine.

White Sands National Park is a great place to visit in the Southwest. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

6. White Sands National Park: Hiking and sledding (!) in the Southwestern US

White Sands National Park is a fascinating national park in the Southwest, and like the Badlands, one where you can hike anywhere. Maybe we just like to get off the beaten path (haha), but we find that quite refreshing in an era when many good hikes get super crowded as soon as they’re posted on AllTrails.

When to go: Obviously you want to try to not go in the middle of the day in the dead of summer, but in spring, fall, or even winter the park is wonderful. And it’s best to start your hikes in the early morning if possible.

Top things to do in White Sands:

• 🥾 Hike anywhere: There are a few marked trails in the park, but it’s also fun to just park at a pullout, head in a direction, and enjoy the peace and quiet of the desert. Just make sure you keep your bearings so you don’t get lost.

• 🛷 Go sledding: This is the most fun you’ll have all year. Well maybe or maybe not, but it will be up there.

  • Rent a sled from the visitor center when you enter, or just borrow one from someone else who’s sledding.

  • There are many places to sled, but some of the best sledding is near the northernmost point of Dunes Drive near the Alkali Flat trailhead (see below).

Lake Holloman is a hidden gem of the Southwest. Camp for free & get these views. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

More things to do in & around White Sands National Park:

• ⛺ Camp for free at a gorgeous nearby lake: Lake Holloman (pictured), only 15 minutes from the park entrance, is a wonderful lake that has free lakeside camping spots with spectacular sunsets. It’s a great hidden gem in the area.

• 🥾 Hike the Alkali Flat trail: While hiking anywhere is cool, we do recommend one actual trail in the park, the Alkali Flat Trail. It takes you over some huge dunes, you get a good view of mountains (this what’s in the photo above), and there are some shade spots. It’s 4.7 miles, though you don’t have to do the full length.

• 🚀 Visit an awesome space museum: Combine White Sands with a trip to the nearby town of Alamogordo, which has a very good air and space museum, the New Mexico Museum of Space History.

  • There’s a planetarium + IMAX movie theater, many rockets outside, and good exhibits about New Mexico’s key role in space exploration.

🔥 Hot tip: Check the wind forecast for when you plan to go to the park. This area of New Mexico can get quite windy at times, especially in the spring, and a sandy desert on a very windy day is not a super fun experience.

🚗 Getting there: White Sands is only 1.5 hours drive from El Paso, Texas or a 3 1/2 hour drive from Albuquerque, NM.

Coal Mine Canyon, Arizona. Like the Grand Canyon but a total a hidden gem in the Southwest. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

7. Coal Mine Canyon, Arizona: Hidden Travel Gem of the Southwest

Coal Mine Canyon near Tuba City, Arizona is a stunning wind and water-carved canyon that is a hybrid between Bryce, Zion, and the Gran Canyon, but receives almost no visitors. It’s kind of incredible. It has hoodoos (the towers), fantastic overlooks, multiple good hikes, great off-road driving areas, and jaw dropping scenery.

But the best part by far is that you can be almost all alone when visiting this area. No “Instagram vs Reality” shots here. It’s a very authentic, refreshing experience.

This is part of the Navajo Reservation. One day we think it will be an official park area, either as part of the reservation or a national park. But for now, it is undeveloped and free to explore. Be sure to leave absolutely no trash here, practice Leave No Trace principles when coming here, and be respectful.

• This is truly a hidden gem area — you won’t find any trails listed on AllTrails. That makes it all the more magical.

• 🥾 There are several areas to hike and explore. The best thing to do is to stop wherever your heart calls you on the main road and explore from there. We stopped and hiked around about 6 different places. Hoodoos, magical formations, canyons, etc, etc.

• 🔥 Hot tip: It’s best to have a high clearance vehicle to visit this area. The road once you turn off Rte. 264 is pretty hairy, especially when it’s been raining at all.

🚗 Getting there: It’s not well signed (maybe the best part, keeping out most people), but just plug in Coal Mine Canyon into your maps app, and you’ll see the turnoff from Rte. 264 east of Tuba City.

• It’s about half an hour from Tuba City, and the canyon is about 3 miles on a dirt road once you turn off of Rte. 264.

Carlsbad Caverns is the most spectacular cave we’ve ever been to & a hidden gem of the Southwest. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

8. Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Best Cave of the Southwest, Hands Down

Carlsbad Caverns is spectacular — and that’s coming from someone (Sasha) who grew up next to the biggest cave in the U.S., Mammoth Cave National Park. It isn’t the largest in the world (though it feels very large, with 30 miles of explored caves inside), but it is beautiful.

There are small, intricate formations; the largest single cave “room” in North America (the Big Room), some special smaller caves that are only viewable via special tours; full, huge columns; curtains; cave pearls; “popcorn” formations, and flow stones. We can’t recommend it enough, a truly amazing national park in the Southwest.

🔥 Hot tip: If you’re in a rush, you can do the main tour in 1-2 hours and get the highlights. But if you have more time (and made your reservations in advance), we recommend taking a full day (or even two) to do the special tours of particular sections of the cave (they really are different), as well as doing a hike or two nearby.

Things to do in Carlsbad Caverns:

Do the self-guided tour: The main way to see the cave is through a self-guided tour, where you can explore the Big Room and much more. It’s a 1.25 mile loop walk in total, with some short hills. You need to make a reservation in advance, but it only costs $1.

• Enter via the natural entrance: The natural entrance to the cave, which you can go down by foot to see the cave. We recommend that if you/your group is fit enough to do the long way.

• Do a special guided tour: There are a few tours of special areas of the caverns that are guided by park rangers. These are popular, and you need to reserve tickets in advance. In particular, we recommend:

  • King’s Palace (short and just wow) and

  • Lower Cave (you get to descend on ladders and see the cave pearls that were on National Geographic and the Texas Toothpick).

• 🥾 Take a hike: There are rewarding hikes above the caves.

  • For a hard hike, we recommend the 8 mile, 3,000 feet elevation Guadalupe Peak

  • For an easier one the McKittrick Canyon Trail (7 miles, 450 feet elevation gain).

• 🦇 See the bats at sunset: From April to October the cave is home to migratory Brazilian free-tailed bats, and they fly out every sunset in the thousands from a certain spot. There are park ranger programs to show you where to go, it’s fascinating.

🔥 Hot tip: Carlsbad Caverns is literally below another national park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park. So it’s easy to combine the two on a visit. Guadalupe Mountains has some awesome mountain-desert hikes (see above)

🚗 Getting there: It’s a 2 hour, 20 minute drive from El Paso, Texas, or a 4 hour, 40 minute drive from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The jeep drive in Canyonlands, one of the best places to visit in the Southwest. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

9. Canyonlands National Park: Maybe Better than the Grand Canyon?

Canyonlands is the park that plays second, third, or fourth fiddle to the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce…. And yet we actually enjoyed it more than the Grand Canyon. Maybe because it was less crowded, maybe because it plays second fiddle even in Moab to Arches National Park. This really is one of the best places to visit in the Southwest.

🏞 But the views into the Colorado and Green rivers are out of this world (we felt they were perhaps more breathtaking than the GC), you can drive right into the canyon with a 4x4 (pictured above), which is a total hidden gem in the Southwest. And… you can enjoy the sights without feeling like it’s a zoo.

Top things to do in Canyonlands National Park:

• 🥾 Hike to the out of this world Upheaval Dome. This fascinating multi-colored area looks like it should be on another planet. Maybe it was caused by a meteor??

  • It’s an easy to moderate 1.3 miles, but hike around a bit further to the viewpoints around the bend. Nearby Mesa Arch is also a hike we recommend.

• 🏞️ Do the jeep drive down the canyon (pictured above). A unique thing you can do in Canyonlands and not in the Grand Canyon is drive down into the canyon to see the Colorado and Green Rivers up close on the Shafer Trail. It’s an all day affair and you’ll need a 4x4 vehicle and get a permit. But it’s a unique thing to do and worth your time.

• If you don’t have your own Jeep, take this awesome tour that takes you down the Shafer Trail and all around Islands in the Sky area of the park. It’s a very good one.

• Go white water rafting: The Colorado River runs through here, and it’s an awesome experience to raft on it.

• Take in the Grand View. The Grand View (above) is a different side but well worth the views, especially if there’s snow.

• Visit the Needles. There are three main parts to the park. Most people stick to the Islands in the Sky, but the Needles (with sandstone spires) and The Maze (orange cliffs) in the south are fascinating areas with a lot to see as well.

Where to stay: See our underrated national parks blog about where to stay near Canyonlands.

• 🚗 Getting there: Canyonlands is very near Moab, Utah. It’s very near Arches National Park. You can fly directly to Moab, or drive 3 hours, 40 minutes from Salt Lake City or 5 1/2 hours from Denver.

Zion’s Kolob Canyon is a hidden gem that has wonderful secret waterfalls. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

10. Kolob Canyon: Hidden Gem of Zion National Park

While Zion is the 3rd most popular national park in the country, just behind the Grand Canyon, 90% of visitors go to the main canyon area where the Narrows and Angel’s Landing are. That area can feel like a zoo. In stark contrast, the Kolob Canyon area in the northwest of the park is the quiet hidden gem, and you can have legitimate solitude on the trails. We did, especially as you hike further in. There are excellent hikes, grand views, the Kolob Arch, and slot canyons that lead to waterfalls, as you can see in our photo above.

Top things to see in Kolob Canyon, one of the best places to visit in the Southwest:

• 🥾 Hike Lee Pass/La Verkin Creek: This is one of the best hikes we’ve ever done in a national park. You have good solitude, a variety of terrain, grand views at the beginning, see the Kolob Arch, and walk through so many different colors of rock formations. The best part are the narrow slot canyons at the end.

  • ⛺ This is a long hike — 18.6 miles, with 2,300 feet elevation gain — so it’s best done as a backpacking trip over 2 or even 3 days, especially since you’ll want to leave time explore the various canyons at the end.

Kolob Canyon in Zion offers gorgeous views & is much less crowded. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

More things to do in Kolob Canyon, Zion National Park:

• See Kolob Arch: This is one of the biggest free-standing arches in the United States. It’s a 13 mile roundtrip hike to get there, so it’s a strenuous day, but it’s a wonderful view. If you do the Lee Pass trail, Kolob Arch is part of it.

• Do the easy Timber Creek Overlook Trail: This is a short 1 mile, 100 feet elevation gain hike that offers sweeping views of Kolob Canyon. It’s very rewarding given the minimal effort involved.

🔥 Hot tip: Unlike the Narrows, you don’t need a special permit to hike this area, and backcountry permits for camping are much easier to procure. Click here to apply for a backcountry permit (needed if you want to camp overnight in this area).

🚗 Getting there: Kolob Canyon has a separate entrance from the main Zion entrance (thankfully). It’s a 2 hour drive from Las Vegas or a 30 minute drive from St. George, Utah.

Looking for other hikes in Zion? Check out these 7 great Zion hikes from our friends at the Manic Wanderer.

Kayaking the Colorado River down Glen Canyon around Horseshoe Bend is a hidden gem of the Southwest. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

11. Kayaking the Colorado River at Glen Canyon: Trip of a Lifetime & Hidden Travel Gem

Everyone goes to Horseshoe Bend, but who kayaks the river below it? We honestly don’t understand how this is still an off the beaten track thing to do, but the truth is you can do it, and it’s a magical, once-in-a-lifetime experience that won’t break the bank. It’s about 1/10th the price of rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. This is a hidden travel gem of the Southwest.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is just next to the Grand Canyon, and you can canoe or kayak the same Colorado River for 1, 2, or 3 days. You get absolutely stunning views of the 1,000 foot orange/red cliffs on each side almost the entire way, and you can camp for free at one of several campsites along the river. You can also do several day hikes around Lees Ferry.

• 📲 How to arrange it: The kayaking starts at Glen Canyon dam and goes downstream from there, so you have to get a boat ride to the dam from Lees Ferry.

  • There are several operators who do that and will rent you the canoes or kayaks - Kayak the Colorado, Kayak Horseshoe Bend, and more. It’s then free to camp at any of the sites, including right at the bottom of Horseshoe Bend.

These are your views for 2 days when kayaking the Colorado in Glen Canyon. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

More tips for Glen Canyon:

🔥 Hot tip: Be sure to save time for two stops on the kayak trip: a small outcropping of petroglyphs that are between 3,000 and 6,000 years old, and a wonderful hike near the end that leads into a slot canyon.

🚗 Getting there: The kayak trips leave from Lees Ferry, which is a 1 hour, 45 minute drive from the Grand Canyon National Park East entrance or a 50 minute drive from Page, Arizona.

⛺ You can also camp at Lees Ferry — we did that. It’s a lovely campground with special sunrises, sunsets, and views of the canyon and the Colorado River.

Did we miss any hidden gems? Send in yours & get featured.

Hi! We’re Sasha and Megnote

We’ve traveled to 50 countries on 5 continents & have been full-time travelers for the past 2 years with our now 5-year-old son. He now teaches us how to skateboard…

We got engaged in Bolivia, started a nonprofit in Uganda, and love outdoor adventures (& a good pisco sour).

We’re writing the book Travel More, Spend Less to help people get to full-time travel.

We’re passionate about finding hidden travel gems & off the beaten path destinations, and we want to share our tips with you. Come explore with us!