Venture beyond the Grand Canyon to this remote and rugged corner of Arizona
Hike through secret slot canyons, spot endangered California condors, visit sacred Navajo sites, and kayak a stunning 10-mile section of the Colorado River.
In northern Arizona, near the Utah border, the community of Marble Canyon is surrounded by a distinct and stunning part of the Colorado Plateau. There are sheer, crimson-colored cliffs rising more than 3,000 feet, swirling sandstone slot canyons, and dramatic rock formations. A fraction of those who visit Grand Canyon National Park make it to this remote and rugged region, essentially cut off from the rest of the state by the vast canyon that slices through Arizona for 277 miles.
Visitors can learn about geology, wildlife conservation, and indigenous history. The Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the United States covers much of the state’s northeast corner and travelers can visit sacred Navajo sites and see views of the Grand Canyon from vantage points few see on guided tours.
Updated lodgings are giving adventure seekers a comfortable place to rest and recharge. Unlike Grand Canyon National Park's high elevation North Rim, which closes every winter because of extreme winter weather, visitors can explore this region year-round. Highlights include Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, where air currents can propel California condors into the sky without a single flap, and Horseshoe Bend, a horseshoe-shaped river meander carved out by the Colorado River over centuries. Here are 10 things to do in northern Arizona near Grand Canyon National Park.
1. Hike in Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
While nearly five million people visit Grand Canyon National Park every year, only about 240,000 visit Vermillion Cliffs about an hour drive from Page, Arizona. Spanning 280,000 dramatic acres of cross-bedded sandstone “waves,” buttes, and natural red rock amphitheaters, it’s easy to find solitude and space in the monument, designated a protected area by President Bill Clinton in 2000. Visitors can park their car on the side of a dirt road and start exploring. Hikers might see petrified logs, wildflowers growing in ravines and deer antler sheds. To control environmental impacts, some hikes require permits, like the 6.4-mile round-trip Wave hike, also known as Coyote Buttes North.
2. See where the Grand Canyon begins
The Grand Canyon was formed over millions of years by erosion, plateau uplift, and downcutting from the Colorado River. While the most famous section is in the national park, the canyon technically begins 85 miles away in Lees Ferry, a historic ferry crossing established by Mormon settlers. Rafters usually begin their Grand Canyon rafting adventure here. It’s the only place where the terrain is flat enough to safely access the river. The first stretch of canyon from Lees Ferry to the confluence with the Little Colorado River is called Marble Canyon and shares the same name as the unincorporated community beside it. The name comes from the canyon’s marble-like limestone walls in shades of dusty pink and pale green. The pedestrian-only Navajo Bridge was the world’s highest steel arch bridge when it was completed in 1929 and offers panoramic views of the canyon.
3. Spot California condors in the wild
California condors soared and scavenged in northern Arizona during the Pleistocene, but the species was brought to the brink of extinction in the 1900s due to human causes. Thanks to recovery efforts, a flock of over 90 birds soars in and around Vermillion Cliffs National Monument—a condor release site since the mid-90s, once more.
The cliffs provide spots for the scavengers to roost and to lfy and feed in remote areas. The non-profit organization Peregrine Fund, dedicated to protecting endangered birds of prey, releases the birds into the wild. According to California Condor Program Director Tim Hauck, the Navajo Bridge is the best place to see a condor in the wild. There’s a new bridge next to the old one to accommodate larger vehicles, and the endangered birds with bright orange heads like to sit on its steel girders—a perfect perch 470 feet above the river below. Field biologists are often on the historic bridge in the morning and evening to observe the birds and answer questions.
“Vultures tend to get a bad rap, and it’s a great opportunity to show people the value that vultures have and the role they play in our ecosystems,” says Hauck. The ultimate cleanup crew, condors help prevent the spread of disease by eating dead animals. Lead poisoning from ammunition fragments accounts for about half of diagnosed wild condor deaths.
4. Kayak around Horseshoe Bend
While any northern Arizona visit should include viewing Horseshoe Bend from above, there’s a more immersive way to experience it. Companies, like Kayak the Colorado, have comfortable inflatable kayaks and boat captains who are area experts and offer kayak tours around the geological wonder. Kayakers are picked up at the Lees Ferry boat ramp and taxied along the river to view Glen Canyon Dam—the concrete arch dam, built in the 1950s, that created Lake Powell—before being dropped off at Petroglyph Beach. Look at the ancient sheep carvings on a canyon wall near the river before gliding along the river’s calm waters for 10 miles, winding through red sandstone canyon walls with trout swimming below. Be on the lookout for bighorn sheep and wild horses grazing on the riverbank.
5. Visit a secret slot canyon
Many slot canyons in northeast Arizona are on Navajo land, including popular Antelope Canyon. Lesser-known Secret Antelope Canyon is another sacred canyon that visitors can experience on a guided tour with the female-run Deer Spring Tours—Navajo society is matriarchal. Guides take guests on a wild ride in a 4x4 to see Horseshoe Bend from a 1,000-foot-high overlook, before venturing to the canyon with swirling orange and red walls. Discovered by an ancestor who was looking for sheep in the ’50s, you can look for animal shapes in the canyon’s cool walls.
6. See the Grand Canyon’s East Rim with a guide
A guide is a must for exploring the vast, undeveloped swath of Navajo land, known as the East Rim, where there’s no water or services but spectacular views. Tours include stops along the canyon’s edge to see Anasazi Bend, flat-topped mesas, and fiery buttes. “The canyon is like a temple to us,” says Franklin Martin, a member of the Navajo Nation’s Zuni Edgewater clan, who owns a tour company that leads excursions in the remote area.
7. A hike for geology enthusiasts
A good alternative to the popular Wave trail, the three-mile round-trip Cathedral Wash Trail in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, next to Vermillion Cliffs, includes scrambling through a small canyon before ending at the Colorado River. Canyon debris created Cathedral Wash Rapid. The canyon’s unique geology includes 270-million-year-old Kaibab Limestone and Toroweap Formations composed of gypsum, shale, and sandstone. Keep your eyes peeled for marine fossils of brachiopods, corals, and mollusks. Follow the Lees Ferry access road 1.3 miles to get to the trailhead.
8. Rock formations worth a photo
Also in the recreation area, the large rock atop a pedestal called Balanced Rock is an intriguing example of gravity and erosion. Thousands of years ago, a mammoth boulder broke off the cliff above and tumbled to a stop. It compressed the softer dirt beneath, which was carried away over time, leaving a pedestal with a rock seemingly teetering on top. Look around and you’ll see the same process happening with other rocks in the area. At some point the rock may fall again, but for now it’s a memorable photo backdrop near Lees Ferry—remember climbing is prohibited.
9. Try local specialties
Thirty minutes from the national park’s South Rim, Cameron Trading Post is known for its fine art gallery showcasing Navajo rugs and a restaurant serving Navajo tacos. Springy bread is fried until golden and topped with ground beef, beans, green chiles and cheddar cheese. At the Lonely JackRabbit in Marble Canyon, travelers can order fried cactus burritos, prickly pear margaritas, and blue corn cookies in addition to smash burgers and roast chicken plates. In Page, Navajo-owned Red Heritage is a dinner theater showcasing Navajo dance and serving dishes like traditional fry bread topped with tri-tip beef.
10. Drive through the Wild West
Maintained by Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation on the Arizona-Utah border, Monument Valley is a famous Hollywood filming location and a picturesque 17-mile-long drive through towering sandstone buttes. An entry fee is required for the scenic drive and for hiking the Wildcat Trail, an easy four-mile loop around Mitten Butte. Jeep tours with local guides can take visitors to more isolated attractions to see ancient cliff dwellings and natural arches.
Where to stay
Marble Canyon Lodge
Just a short walk from the Navajo Bridge, a humble motor inn and trading post has welcomed travelers and locals since 1926. Under the ownership of the new hospitality company Terra Vi, recent renovations have given Marble Canyon Lodge bright, modern guest rooms, new ranch cottages with full kitchens and fire pits, and a filling station turned lounge with outdoor seating, spirits list and a vinyl record player. A courtyard with indigenous mesquite trees is a green oasis in the high desert. “We want people to be comfortable in nature, so they fall in love with it and want to protect it,” said Terra Vi partner Kenn Fine.
Marble Canyon Lodge is partnering with the Peregrine Fund to educate visitors through storytelling and signage about California condor recovery efforts and the importance of reducing lead pollution.