After 5 miles of kayaking, you will come upon the first campsite at mile 11. Distance: 10 miles round-trip to Petroglyph Beach (5-7 hours) and 15-16 miles round-trip to the dam (8-10 hours; best as an overnight) Difficulty Rating: Easy to Moderate. Brady has been renting hard shell kayaks, canoes, SUPs, and inflatables at Lee's Ferry and Grand Canyon for over 20 years. But the Colorado River below the dam and its Lake Powell, became a Mecca for 'yakking individuals, families and groups. If you like quirky, roam around the property to find a working piano at the community fire ring in the back. This company is amazing. Your hosts will provide a unique Navajo cultural experience with an emphasis on connecting to the land. Antelope Canyon and Glen Canyon with Horseshoe Bend are located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Required fields are marked *. Biggest risk: water temperature. It might be your first chance to play piano in the desert. I did it! I brought my own kayak but a couple of my friends rented from the same company we hired for the backhaul shuttle Kayak The Colorado. The birds on the riverbanks kept us company. This post contains affiliate links. Can I camp out overnight? Thank you! The next 2 campsites are on Horseshoe Bend with views of the teeming hordes of tourists atop the cliffs across the river. Timing: Anywhere from five hours to overnight; best from September . Since there are no actual milepost signs along the river, the only way to know where you are at any given time is to reference a detailed map or to guesstimate your location in relation to some of the waypoints detailed above. Large riverside decks, catering facilities available, gift shop, cafe, free parking. Here are a few companies that offer kayak rentals and backhaul services: We used Kayak the Colorado, and had a great experience, but each of the companies above offer similar services and prices. From here youll find an awesome view of the bend from the opposite side, a sight that few people get to experience! Best-selling author and outdoor guide. To avoid taking a backhaul you will need at least 2 days to kayak to Horseshoe Bend and back. Visit on weekdays if possible. There are several outfitters that offer kayak rentals and backhaul services right at Lees Ferry. Mile 8 and Mile 9 campgrounds are the most popular because theyre at roughly the midpoint from top to bottom. Kayaking Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend in Arizona Combining two tips, if you must visit on a weekend, hit the popular sites early/late and spend peak hours at less-visited areas. Whats great about when you kayak Horseshoe Bend is that its an easy route even if you have exactly zero prior paddling experience. Once I got dropped off my epic adventure started, WOW. In sum, enjoy connecting to the rhythms of the water and the canyon. Jennifer, it took us about two or three hours to paddle out. If you opt to use a backhaul service, kayaking Horseshoe Bend is a moderately difficult trip since youll be paddling downriver the entire time. The best time to kayak on the Colorado River is from spring through fall, around late March to late October. We wanted to stay in one of their sheep wagons but it didnt work out this time. The Glen Canyon Dam was created in 1956-1966 and holds back enough water to form Lake Powell. At mile 4, you can dock your kayak at the beach to the left hand side of the river and embark on a short 1.5 mile round trip hike up Waterholes Canyon. Their rule is that any kayak not returned by the end of the day, so that its available for rental the next day, is charged for two days. By clicking Accept, you consent to their use on this site. Kayak Horseshoe Bend (Marble Canyon) - All You Need to - Tripadvisor You must bring your own firewood and pack out everything. Its about 85 miles upstream from the Grand Canyon on the same river that carved it. The charming Lees Ferry Lodge at Vermillion Cliffs was our favorite accommodations of the whole trip. How Long Does it Take to Kayak Horseshoe Bend? After Waterholes Canyon, continue for another 4 miles until you arrive back at Lees Ferry. Up top on the viewing point, hundreds of people try to get that perfect social media-worthy photo, but 1,000 feet below the rim, youll be peacefully enveloped by the sandstone walls with clear water all around you. For those who dont have a lot of time, great news: a half-day trip is enough to kayak Horseshoe Bend! With the river flowing, if the kids are tired of paddling with you they can just hang out. CamelBak Women's Sequoia 24 Hydration Pack. Thank you! Please call Kelly Outfitters for availability (48 hours ahead is preferred): 602-510-5511. Manually set your time to the Phoenix time zone so you can show up to outfitters at the correct time. The City of Page requires visitors to pay for parking at the Horseshoe Bend trailhead. Contact kayakthecolorado.com to set up your trip. My back haul captain was friendly and helpful. The guide came by in a boat a few times so I also knew I could call him if I had any issues.The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 1 is that it wouldnt let me book just one person I had to book two. Side note: this is also why we took a bit longer to finish our paddle, but we were 100% okay with that! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You saw a mountain lion from your boat!? I think they would be fine. Start your days EARLY or LATE. All are very rustic sites, although there are fire rings and pit toilets. Thanks for the tips! The campsite at Horseshoe Bend is right on the beachy shore of the river, and tends to be the most crowded of the campsites along the Colorado. But we were definitely taking our time because it was so beautiful. In general, kayaking Horseshoe Bend is easy. Beginner paddleboarders should only paddle on Lake Powell when visiting Glen Canyon for safety reasons. Shorten the downstream trip by about 3 hours by getting dropped off at Petroglyph Beach. When we went in October, we seriously took our time, stopping for lunch and to take endless photos (including of grazing wild horses! The ancient etchings are of the bighorn sheep that frequent the cliffs across the river. Theyre often drinking from a shoreline or wading in the river to cool off, especially when its hot out. It was a glorious night in the intensely quiet canyon. Kayaking the Colorado River is permitted on the 15-mile section below the Glen River Dam and above Lees Ferry. Squeee! The petroglyphs shown here are located about 1/8th of a mile hike from a beach landing just upstream from Horseshoe Bend on river left (lefthand side if youre heading downstream). Don't miss an adventure! It can get quite buggy out there along the river, so youd probably be more comfortable with a tent than just a tarp. Here's how to do an easy day kayak through the beginning of the Grand Canyon. Thank you for supporting my blog. You can stay in a traditional Navajo hogan on a working farm. This is where KHB comes in. Highly recommend backhaul service and SUP rental! However, please continue to support the hiking tours to Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon run by the Navajo nation companies. The Western Tanagers looked like they had spilled red food coloring over their yellow heads. Want to Kayak the Colorado River and see the awesome Horseshoe Bend from the bottom? Mostly we were floating. The water was so perfectly still in the morning, it was beautiful! As we made an early start on the river for the kayak trip in Glen Canyon around Horseshoe Bend, we stayed near Lees ferry only 10 minutes from the put-in. But did you know that you can escape the crowds and experience Horseshoe Bend by kayaking on the Colorado River?! . Each camping area has at least one metal fire ring available. Theyre also both on the peninsula that forms Horseshoe Bend. Located just 10 minutes from Page, Arizona the Horseshoe Bend viewpoint that looks down over the Colorado River is wildly popular and attracts hundreds of visitors per day. Since I have zero experience with a stand-up paddleboard, I checked to see what others had to say on this topic. Because youll be paddling downriver, the entire 16 miles can be kayaked as a day trip in about 6 to 9 hours depending on the wind and current. How Long Does It Take to Kayak Horseshoe Bend The first part involves walking over sand through a wide canyon. This is where the Grand Canyon begins at Marble Canyon just outside of Page, Arizona and a short trip from the Grand Canyon North Rim. From the public boat launch, it is a half-hour paddle to the mouth of Antelope Canyon. . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. They move small boats from the launch ramp at Lees Ferry up the Colorado River to just below Glen Canyon Dam. However, if you're not able to do this, there are also times when you can paddle . How to Kayak the Colorado at Horseshoe Bend Keep an eye out for ospreys and eagles (look for their huge, impressive telltale nests!) We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Hiking tours to Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon on Navajo lands are very popular. . These cookies do not store any personal information. Tell us your favorite kayaking trip below! We are planning on kayaking and camping Horseshoe Bend in May and I was wondering how long it took you to paddle out from the mile 6 campsite the next morning? Were Sarah and Matt, two nomads road tripping across the United States with our cat, Fitzgerald, making a new place our home month to month while working full time and adventuring as much as possible. It takes about 3 hours and 40 minutes to get there. It may take you around 6-7 hours of paddling to complete the whole stretch of Horseshoe Bend. Horseshoe Bend as an overnight camping trip, Our Essential Backpacking Gear List & Spreadsheet, Moqui Caverns: Exploring the Kanab Sand Caves, Coyote Buttes South: An Epic Alternative to the Wave, Toadstool Hoodoos: An Otherwordly Hike near Page, How to Hike the Worlds Longest Slot Canyon: Buckskin Gulch, Adventurous One Week Road Trip in Arizona and Southern Utah, Toadstool Hoodoos: an Underrated Adventure, Grand Canyon Skeleton Point via South Kaibab Trail: Ultimate Hike Guide, How to Hike to Soldiers Pass Cave: Sedona, Az, Adventurous One Week Arizona to Utah Road Trip, Best Things to Do in Page, Arizona in One Day, 18 Best Things to Do in Escalante, Utah: A Complete Guide, How to Visit Stunning Laguna Humantay in Peru from Cusco, Experience a classic viewpoint from a different perspective, away from the crowds, Enjoy the beauty of the Colorado River and soaring canyon walls, Offers the chance to find solitude, although the campsites tend to be busy, Somewhat expensive to rent kayaks and backhaul service, Campsites tend to be crowded, so you wont have the backcountry wilderness experience you may be hoping for, Motor boats towing kayakers up river detracts from the peace and quiet of the river canyon, If you plan to camp overnight, be sure to. The best way to get started is to just put a firm date on the calendar, then used the resources above to start taking care of the details. If you didnt stop much and had a bit more hustle, the trip would take closer to five. The route finding is easy and the paddling distances are reasonable. Kayaking Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River is a unique way to experience one of the Southwests most famous viewpoints! We do short duration floats, day floats, and arrange for people to do multiple day floats while camping on the river. We saw so many trout in the crystal clear water I wished I had a pole to catch dinner. Our captain (Captain Luke) was very nice and extremely knowledgeable and helpful, pointing out interesting things along our ride upriver and landmarks so we would know how far we had gone on the paddle back. Instead, we checked in at the Lake Powell Paddleboards and Kayaks well-stocked equipment store, picked out our lifejackets, and headed to the Antelope Point public boat launch. When you see the following landmarks, you can make a pretty decent guess about your position and progress along the route. Have an amazing time! I had a lot of questions before our crew of six embarked on this adventure. Do you happen to see it or know where its located?
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