Page, AZ: See why this small town features frequently on Instagram!
March 2024: The next stop on our southwest road trip was the town of Page, AZ (pop.7440*), home of several of the most popular and amazing natural features in America – as well as an amazing feat of engineering.
Page is located on the northern edge of Coconino County in north central Arizona, along I89 north of Flagstaff.
Page – A Brief History
Page was founded in 1957 as a housing community for workers and their families during the construction of nearby Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. Its 17-square-mile (44 km2) site was obtained in a land exchange with the Navajo Nation. The city is perched atop Manson Mesa at an elevation of 4,300 feet above sea level and 600 feet above nearby Lake Powell.
Glen Canyon Dam was completed in 1966, and the population decreased dramatically. However, changes to a tourism industry were coming and the population began a dramatic increase in the early 1970s. Page officially incorporated as a town on March 1, 1975 .
Why does the population of Page continue to grow after the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam?
After the completion of the Dam, the Page’s new roads and bridges built for use during construction enabled an relatively fast economic transition into a major tourist destination and power station!
- Page is home of two of the largest electrical generation units in the western United States. Glen Canyon Dam has a 1,288,000-kilowatt capacity when fully online.
- Trivia: The other power plant to the southeast is the Navajo Generating Station, which ceased operations in 2019. It was a coal-fired steam plant with an output capability of 2,250,000 kilowatts. On December 18, 2020, the three smokestacks of the Navajo Generating Station were demolished.
- Page has become the gateway to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell, attracting more than 3 million visitors per year.
- Near Page, along the Colorado River, is one of the most iconic and recognized features in the American Southwest – Horseshoe Bend.
- Also nearby is Antelope Canyon, opened to tourism on Navajo land adjacent to Page in 1997. This natural slot canyon, formed by erosion, created another tourism boom for Page.
Our top 5 Instagram-able favorites in and around Page!
#1. Antelope Canyon is visually STUNNING!
This geological slot canyon is truly amazing. We visited on a windy day with a large crowd. The tour was relatively expensive for an hour and I have to say that I was not sure what we were getting into. However, Lower Antelope Canyon turned out to be one of the highlights of our vacation! Our guide, from the Navajo Nation, did a fantastic job explaining what we were seeing and helping our group take photos in the most photogenic spots. No wonder this canyon is so popular in social media! Learn more at this website: Antelope Canyon Tour Operators | Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation
- Ken’s Tours Lower Antelope Canyon – Google Maps – we toured with this company. We learned later that lower canyon was a good choice, in that it’s east-west orientation allows for good lighting any time of the day
- Dixie’s Lower Antelope Canyon Tours – Google Maps
- Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours – Google Maps
#2. Horseshoe Bend is ICONIC!
What is it? “Horseshoe Bend itself, and that part of the Colorado River, are a part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. About nine miles downstream is where Grand Canyon National Park begins. US Highway 89, the land north of the trail to the Horseshoe Bend overlook, and the parking area for the trailhead are in the City of Page. The land south of the parking area and the trail and overlook are on the Navajo Nation. This mixture of jurisdictions provides a unique opportunity in the management of this magnificent trail and overlook.” (source)
We had a great visit to this popular geological feature! There is a large and nicely organized parking lot. Then we walked a paved trail to the rim, where an amazing horseshoe shaped river view spread out before us. Even in March on a weekday, the rim area was packed with people and a lot of selfie sticks!
#3. Glen Canyon Dam overlook show-cased an impressive feat of engineering (and a river landscape changed forever)
“The Glen Canyon Dam Overlook is a designated (free) spot perched 1,000 feet over a bend in the Colorado River about 3/4 mile south of Glen Canyon Dam itself. It’s important to note that this is an official vista point created by the National Park Service to provide visitors a scenic–and SAFE–way to see the Dam, the Colorado River and Glen Canyon itself.
Looking to the north, you’ll be able to see the massive concrete engineering marvel of Glen Canyon Dam wedged into the red rocks of Glen Canyon. It’s the only place you can see the dam with the Glen Canyon Bridge superimposed over the front of it–it’s a very cool sight!
If natural scenery is more your thing, all you have to do is look south . . . or down. Looking down you’ll see the Colorado River flowing placidly over 1,000 below you (source)
We can confirm that the view is impressive and definitely an amazing photo op!
#4. Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery – Page location
This is a regional chain, offering a great lunch, good craft beer and good vibes after a long day!
#5. Local Coffee and Donut Shops
We generally spend time in the historic downtown (i.e. central business district) when we visit a small town. After a google map search and a drive around, it was evident that this town built in the 1950s and 1960s does not have a traditional historic downtown. Instead, its business area features the strip malls common to that era. We did find and enjoy a nice Coffee and Donut shop for a snack, which we enjoyed alongside a busy local clientele. Honestly, a donut shop is almost always provides a fun photo op! 🙂
- Hot n Sweet Coffee and Donut Shop – Google Maps – we enjoyed our visit here!
- Lake Powell Espresso – Google Maps – we missed this one, but it looks good on google map photos
More to Explore!
Online research yields much more information about the variety of natural sights in nearby region. There are a variety of organizations in the area supporting the tourist economy, as well as other economic development.
- Home – Page – Lake Powell Hub (pagelakepowellhub.com) – Visitors Home page
- Powell Museum & Visiter Center – Google Maps
- Carl Hayden Visitor Center – Google Maps – located near the Glen Powel Dam!
- Page Chamber of Commerce
- 89Forward (Coming Soon) (pagechamber.com) – Economic development conference
Local Events!
- January: Paint and Pour event, sponsored by The Grand Circle Arts Alliance
- June: (3v3 Basket ball) Street Feast – looks fun!
- October: Chili Cook-off, sponsored by the Page Chamber of Commerce
- November: Page-Lake Powell Street Fair, including a Balloon Regatta!
- December: Santa’s Layover Event, sponsored by the Page Chamber of Commerce
Jobs! I am always interested in what people do and where they work. According to Page’s 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
- #1 – Aramark (1,100 employees) – is an American food service and facilities services provider to clients in areas including education, prisons, healthcare, business, and leisure.
- #2 – Page Unified School District (728 employees)
- #3 – Walmart (222 employees)
- #4 – National Park Service (210 employees)
- #5 – Infinity of Page Home Health Serices LLC (150 employees)
- #6 – Page Hospital (135 employees)
- #7 – City of Page (126 employees)
- #8 – Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Inc (122 employees)
- #9 – Marpalm of Florida, Inc (99 employees)
- #10 – Page Steele Inc (87 employees)
