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Field Notes / Sedona
Sedona to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend: Distance, Drive Time and How to Plan It
The short version
- Sedona to Page is about 165 miles / 265 km and 2 hours 45 minutes each way: up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff, then US-89 north across the Navajo Nation.
- Antelope Canyon is on Navajo land and visited only on a booked guided tour. Horseshoe Bend is a paid car park and a 1.5-mile round-trip walk.
- As a day trip from Sedona it is 5.5 hours of driving for 3 hours of sights. Make it an overnight, or base in Flagstaff, which is an hour closer.
- The smart route: Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon South Rim, Desert View, Cameron, Page: the canyon is on the way.
The drive
| Leg | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sedona to Flagstaff (SR-89A up Oak Creek Canyon) | 30 mi | 45 min to 1 h |
| Flagstaff to Page (US-89 north) | 135 mi | 2 h 15 min |
| Page to Horseshoe Bend car park | 5 mi | 10 min |
| Page to Antelope Canyon tour check-in | 5 to 8 mi | 15 min |
| Optional: Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Village, then Desert View and Cameron to Page | 80 + 25 + 110 mi | 1.5 + 0.75 + 2 h |
US-89 north of Flagstaff is a fast, open two-lane road across the Navajo Nation, with the Painted Desert on your right and almost no services after Cameron. Fill the tank in Flagstaff.
Can you do it in a day from Sedona?
Technically. Leave at 6 am, Antelope Canyon at 10 or 11, lunch in Page, Horseshoe Bend at 2, back in Sedona by 6. You will have driven 330 miles and spent a lot of the day looking at a windscreen. Most people who do it tell us afterwards they wished they had stayed the night in Page, or moved their base to Flagstaff for the Page and Grand Canyon days. If you only have one day for Page, go. Just know what you are trading.
Booking rules
- Antelope Canyon (Upper, Lower and the smaller canyons nearby) can only be entered on a tour with an authorised Navajo operator; a Navajo Parks permit is included in the price. Upper is the famous light-beam canyon (beams around midday, roughly late March to early October); Lower has ladders, is narrower and is usually less crowded. Both sell out in season. Book weeks ahead.
- Horseshoe Bend: City of Page car park, per-vehicle fee, open sunrise to sunset, a graded 0.75-mile trail each way to a railed overlook. Sunrise or late afternoon for the light; midday the river is in shadow.
- Grand Canyon, if you route through it: $35 per vehicle; non-residents 16+ pay an additional per-person fee unless they hold an annual pass. Details.
The two-day plan that adds the Grand Canyon
- Day 1. Sedona up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff by 9. Either drive to the South Rim yourself, or take our day tour (which ends at Desert View, the eastern gate) and sleep in Flagstaff. Or, self-driving, leave the park at Desert View and continue to Page for the night (2 hours).
- Day 2. Antelope Canyon late morning, the dam overlook, Horseshoe Bend from 4 pm, then US-89 back to Flagstaff (2.25 hours) or on to Sedona (3 hours).
With a third day, the half-day smooth-water float from the dam to Lees Ferry passes under Horseshoe Bend from the river; our rafting guide explains the options, and our guides have written up the kayak version.
We can run this whole route as a private two-day trip with a guide, including the Antelope Canyon booking. Ask.
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Want to see it with a local guide?
Small groups, no more than 10 guests, park fees and lunch included on our day tours. Book online or ask us anything.
