Horseshoe Bend Slot Canyon Tours, 821 U.S. Highway 89, Page, AZ 86040 (435) 275-4594 info@horseshoebendtours.com.

Click here for more information about Canyonlands and the surrounding area.

Horseshoe Canyon offers excellent hiking opportunities. The Canyon is not contiguous with the rest of Canyonlands National Park. It is located between the towns of Green River and Hanksville. Most visitors access Horseshoe from the Hanksville side, from Utah Highway 24 via 30 miles of graded dirt road. The turnoff is signed. Antelope Slot Canyon Tours by Chief Tsosie is located in Page Arizona, right next to the great Lake Powell, and in the center of the Grand Circle. Navajo owned and operated by Rosalind Tsosie, you’ll enjoy our personal tour of the breathless Antelope Canyon and other spectacular adventures! Both slot canyons have narrow sections, that’s why they’re called “slot” canyons, but the super-narrow areas tend to be short in length, so you’ll be in and out relatively quickly. As for which one has more of these types of spaces, Horseshoe Bend and Cathedral are probably about equal.

Horseshoe Canyon is a remote extension of Canyonlands National Park. It contains some of the most significant rock art in North America, including 'The Great Gallery,' which offers well-preserved, life-sized humanoid figures with intricate designs. Horseshoe Canyon offers excellent hiking opportunities.

The Canyon is not contiguous with the rest of Canyonlands National Park. It is located between the towns of Green River and Hanksville. Most visitors access Horseshoe from the Hanksville side, from Utah Highway 24 via 30 miles of graded dirt road. The turnoff is signed. You can also come in from Green River on 47 miles of dirt road. Driving time is roughly 2.5 hours from Moab or 1.5 hours from Green River. A four-wheel-drive road leads to the east rim of Horseshoe Canyon from the Hans Flat Ranger Station.

Edward Abbey captured the spirit of Horseshoe Canyon in his work, Desert Solitaire. 'These are sinister and supernatural figures, gods from the underworld perhaps who hover in space, or dance, or stand solidly planted on two feet carrying weapons - a club or sword. Most are faceless but some stare back at you with large, hollow disquieting eyes. Demonic shapes, they might have meant protection and benevolence to their creators and a threat to strangers: beware, traveler, you are approaching the land of the horned gods....'

Camping

Camping is not permitted in Horseshoe Canyon. Camping is allowed at the trailhead and on BLM ground near the rim. A vault toilet is provided at the trailhead. No other services are available and there is no fee to camp.

The trailhead is acceptable as an overnight camp spot if your intent is to get an early start hiking the canyon. It's not a great spot for other activities. There are no trees - no shade or firewood - and it's not a great place for late-night kid games. Sand dune areas along the access road provide better spots for longer camps.

Getting There

The Hwy. 24 turnoff is signed and is located just south of the Goblin Valley turnoff. The Goblin Valley road goes west; the Horseshoe road goes east. The Horseshoe road also provides access to the Maze District of Canyonlands and to the Hans Flat Ranger Station. Signs clearly mark the entire route to the trailhead.

Horseshoe Slot Canyon Tours

The trail into the canyon is well marked with rock cairns. When you reach the bottom simply walk up-canyon. The first rock art panel will be on your left about 1/3 mile up the canyon. It is easy to see from the trail and is marked by a sign. Other panels will be on the right and are also easy to see; some are not signed.

Hike Details

Round-trip distance: 6.5 miles

Elevation change: 830 feet

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous

Horseshoe Bend Canyon Tour

Time needed: 4+ hours

Water: Carry all you need. (There may be running water in the canyon, but don't count on it. Never drink stream water unless it is treated or filtered.)

Seasons: Spring and fall are best. Hiking can be pleasant during mild periods in winter. Summers are hot, but hiking can be enjoyable during morning hours.Groups of 20 or more must arrange to hike with a ranger. Contact the ranger station at the number below.

Other rules: No pets; no bicycles; no motorized vehicles. A free permit is needed to bring horses into the area.

Tours: Ranger-led hikes are offered every Saturday and Sunday from April-November. Meet at 9 a.m. at the trailhead bulletin board.

Hans Flat Ranger Station: 435-259-2652.

Horseshoe Slot Canyon Page. Az

Cruise Up Lake Powell

Horseshoe Bend Slot Canyon Hike

At Antelope Point Marina, you’ll check in at the tour boat desk at the top of the hill. Wait a minute, hill? What hill? There’s a hill? Relax, guest service attendants are standing by to give you a lift to the boat dock, where you’ll board an open-air tour boat and cruise up one of Lake Powell’s most beautiful side canyons. Towering sandstone walls rise above you, decorated in chocolate brown patina by millions of years of monsoon rains. Azure waters lap at the canyon walls as they come closer and closer together with each passing minute, until you can travel no further! Finally, you make the connection: this is where the very waters that carved Antelope Canyon complete their journey, joining with this immense reservoir that supplies life-giving water to millions of residents of the American Southwest. You had no idea that Antelope Canyon was this complex, and played such an important role in the Glen Canyon ecosystem, until you saw it from two very different perspectives.

After your Coast Guard-certified captain turns your tour boat around and drops you off back at the tour boat dock, you are welcome to linger at the Antelope Point Marina complex for as long as you wish. Grab lunch or a cocktail with a lakeside view at the marina restaurant, or pick up a memento of your visit for yourself or loved ones back home. Marvel at the state-of-the-art houseboats docked at the marina, or simply enjoy the sunshine and jaw-dropping scenery all around you. When you are ready to head back to the parking lot, simply ring for a guest service attendant, and a golf cart will be there to collect you in no time flat.