Southern Utah/Northern Arizona - Day Three Part 1

 Before we left, my sister Amy had highly recommended the tour of Lower Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. So we made reservations right away (they book up FAST!) and used the extra day to allow Bryce to thaw out a bit and enjoy some warmer and sunnier weather a couple of hours south... 😎

Turns out there was a ton of cool stuff to see in and around Page! And the Highway 89 loop was very pretty. Well, the morning leg was nice. It was pitch dark by the time we finally headed back... 😝

The morning trip on 89A was also snowy for a bit... 

Just before our first stop at Marble Canyon, we drove through Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. And you could totally tell how they got their name. I just wish they were as brilliantly red in the pictures as they were in real life. 

Marble Canyon is where the Navajo Bridge crosses over the Colorado River. The river is 750 miles long but only 5 bridges cross it and this is one of them. The Navajo Bridge was first built in 1928 but was not meant to handle the traffic it would get. It was rebuilt in 1995. It is 909 feet long and is 470 feet above the Colorado. It is also a favorite hangout for the local California condors! 

Next stop before our tour was Horseshoe Bend. Turns out everybody wanted to stop there, too! It was hoppin'! 😮

But we could see why... It's a pretty great view! Next time we'd like to check it out from the river. 😁

I guess we walk pretty fast because when we were done we still had lots of time until our tour. So we just started on our post-tour list of stops beginning with the Glen Canyon Dam overlook. This dam forms the 254 square mile Lake Powell. 

The hike to the overlook was a little steep but really short, so then it was on to The Hanging Gardens trail...

The sweeping views from the trailhead were very nice!

The trail itself was a flat easy walk between the rows of rocks... :) 

The hanging gardens grow in the wet overhang of this massive cliff. 

It's not a bad garden for being in the middle of a rocky desert. :) 

Then it was finally time to check in for our canyon tour and eat lunch!