Exploring Antelope Canyon Arizona and Santa Fe New Mexico
View of Horseshoe Bend
As part of my two-week road trip to the west, we spent a few days after the Grand Canyon in Page, Arizona and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Page is a newer town that popped up when Antelope Canyon and Horsehoe Bend started to gain popularity. We took in day trips on our way to Santa Fe.
Horseshoe Bend
Named because of the shape the Colorado River makes in the rock, Horseshoe Bend used to be a secret place. With the popularity of Instagram, it’s now a must-see when driving through the area. There is now a paid parking lot ($10) and a viewing deck. The walk down to Horseshoe Bend is maybe 0.5 miles and will be packed with tourists. Although spectacular, part of the beauty is taken away by the hordes of people trying to take selfies. It’s a great place to stop by, but can be missed.
This is the hall of noses!
Antelope Canyon
A large reason for us stopping in Page on the way to Santa Fe was to traverse through Lower Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon located on Navajo land. There are two companies that run tours every half hour – Ken’s and Dixie Ellis. Our tour guide told us that both tour groups are run from the same family – the older brother just started his before his younger brother. So, either will give you the same tour, just pick one! The downside to this tour is that they cram a lot of people into a small space quickly. There wasn’t a ton of time to take photos without people around and you can’t really explore the canyon without the guides asking you to stay with the group. It’s a beautiful canyon, but there are other slot canyons throughout the west to explore.
One of the rooms in Meow Wolf
Santa Fe
This was the place I was eager to get to and with good reason. We had to take a quick stop off in Albuquerque to visit Nelson’s uncle who gave us some good suggestions, including visiting Meow Wolf, an immersive experiences museum near Santa Fe. The museum plays off an idea that someone in a family opened another dimension. There are rooms upon rooms, that you get through by walking into a refrigerator, or inside a fireplace. It’s really cool and fun to explore. Give yourself at least 2 hours. We think we hit up the entire place, but who knows!
After stopping in Meow Wolf, we drove into downtown Santa Fe, checked into our hotel Inn of the Governors which was really awesome and even had a kiva in the room. Our next stop was just walking around the plaza and eating at The Shed, which had a 2-hour wait on a Thursday. Do yourself a favor and come here, put in your name and then do a walk around! There are tons of great restaurants throughout Santa Fe, so pick one, but make sure you get the green chili!
We loved Santa Fe and really wished we had stayed here for two nights instead of just one! There’s so much more to see, including the Georgia O’Keeffe museum, exploring Canyon Road and even taking a trip to Taos!
Share any experiences in these places below, thanks for reading!
Amy K