Page & Monument Valley

Arizona's far northeast, from Lake Powell and Lees Ferry on the Colorado River across the Navajo Nation to Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly and Window Rock.

This region covers the top right corner of Arizona, and most of it is the Navajo Nation. Its western edge is the Colorado River. Glen Canyon Dam, finished in the 1960s, holds back Lake Powell above the town of Page, and below the dam the river runs 16 miles to Lees Ferry, where Grand Canyon river trips begin. That western strip is federal land: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, with Horseshoe Bend and the lake, and the Bureau of Land Management's Vermilion Cliffs National Monument beyond Marble Canyon. East of Page you are on tribal land, and the rules change. Antelope Canyon and Monument Valley are Navajo tribal parks, not national parks. National park passes are not accepted. Antelope Canyon can only be entered with a Navajo guide. Drones are banned and confiscated, and climbing and alcohol are banned too. Most hiking needs a permit, and you should ask before you photograph anyone. Three National Park Service sites sit inside the Navajo Nation as well. Navajo National Monument protects the cliff villages of Betatakin and Keet Seel. Canyon de Chelly, near Chinle, has about 40 Navajo families living inside its boundary. Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado has been trading since 1878. Window Rock, the Navajo Nation's capital, is near the New Mexico line. Clocks are the other trap. Arizona does not use daylight saving time, but the Navajo Nation does. From March to November, Kayenta, Chinle, Window Rock and the park sites on the reservation run one hour ahead of Page and Flagstaff. The clocks match from early November until March 14, 2027. Check which time your tour ticket uses. Distances are long. By road, Page to Kayenta is about 103 miles, Kayenta to Chinle about 68, and Chinle to Window Rock about 67. The parks say GPS and phone signal are unreliable across the Navajo Nation, so stay on paved roads and carry a road map. Visits to Glen Canyon peak in June and July. Navajo National Monument is busiest in September. Flash floods are most likely from July to September.