Water Holes Canyon

Water Holes Canyon is a lesser known slot canyon located 7 miles south of Page, Arizona. During the summer season, tourists flock to the nearby Antelope Canyon, an overcrowded experience which requires a guided tour. While both canyons exhibit similar geology, Antelope acts like a magnet for the summer crowds, allowing Water Holes to have a unique sense of solitude. For this reason, it is often referred to as Secret Canyon. Water Holes is also longer than Antelope Canyon.

The canyon ranges from broad stretches to tight squeezes. In monsoon season, pools of water (remnants of flash floods) will line areas of the canyon floor. A fun (and less messy) way to pass over the pools of muddy water is to use frictions climbing techniques to clear them. It's a relatively safe method because if you were to fall, you would only drop a few feet into mud and soft sand. At the end of what's known as "the Good Narrows" you will come to what appears to be a dead end. A ladder may be present, and a sheer wall (approximately 15 ft tall) will prevent you from continuing forward. This is the end of the hike. Guided tours only are allowed beyond this point.

The canyon is also known for a geological feature known as the Great Wall. About midway through Water Holes, the walls widen and you can choose to follow a series of cairns that will lead you up out of the canyon to a spectacular view of the Great Wall. Follow the cairns back to the canyon floor and hike out the same way you came.

On the way back, stop by Horseshoe Bend. The hike to the edge is only a 3/4 mile roundtrip, but there is no shade. Enjoy an edge-of-the-cliff experience as you stand 1000 ft over the Colorado River as it makes a 270 degree curve around the sheer canyon walls.

Access to Water Holes requires a Backcountry Use Permit from Navajo Parks & Recreation.

Access: From Page, take Highway 89 south until the pullout at milepost 542. You'll pass Horseshoe Bend just beforehand on the way. 
Backcountry Use Permit can be obtained from the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park Office located on Coppermine Road/Navajo Route 20, 3 miles south of Page. The Par Office is in a marked mobile home next to the LeChee Chapter House. Permits for Water Holes cost $12/person.

The Good Narrows

 The wall at the end of the hike; where guided tour begins.

Using friction technique to clear muddy pools.

Horseshoe Bend