GETTING THERE
I’m not known for giving good directions so these may sound a little like Will Ferrell in “Elf” relaying his travels through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, through the sea of swirly-twirly gum drops and then walking through the Lincoln Tunnel but, if you’re already at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, drive east on hwy 64 and north on 89 until you pass the pink tinted Vermillion Cliffs. Then go over the Navajo Bridge to the campground at Lee’s Ferry.
DAY 1
Take a drive and explore
- Glen Canyon Dam Overlook
- Horseshoe Overlook, an Instagram favorite
- Some natural rock sculpture and rock dwellings at the base of the Vermillion Cliffs
Back at the campground, it’s worth the walk down to the Colorado River so your dog can enjoy the small beach, you can look for birds, and you both can enjoy the sunset.
Navajo Bridge 
Lees Ferry Campground
Horseshoe Overlook
Rocks at Vermillion Cliffs
DAY 2
Get an early start for the out and back Cathedral Wash Hike. This is a 4 mile slot canyon hike to the Colorado River. This was one of our favorite hikes to date!
Why? Well…although it’s obvious that you need to follow the steep canyon, you walk along its walls…sometimes further up the walls and sometimes down across the floor of the canyon to the other side to get through the canyon and past its many obstacles. It’s a huge puzzle and there were times we had to turn back and take a different route to move forward. It wasn’t frustrating…it was fun to work together to figure out the easiest and best way to get through. The reward…a great lunch spot next to the Colorado River before turning back to the canyon and trying to remember the route you’d taken but in reverse. A wonderful hike…two thumbs up!
Cathedral Wash Hike
DAY 3
Get out on the water and paddle down and around Horeshoe Bend.
Lee’s Ferry is a popular spot to board large rafts down the Colorado River and into the Grand Canyon. If you’re not quite that adventurous and still want to get out on a raft, from this same location you can hire a high speed pontoon boat to carry you and your raft/canoe/kayak up river and then paddle down and around Horseshoe Bend. We dropped off near the Ancient Anastasia Petroglyphs and then spent the afternoon paddling our Alpacka pack raft down about 10 miles, past Horseshoe Bend and back to Lee’s Ferry. The Colorado River upstream from Lee’s Ferry runs pretty slow, which makes for a leisurely day, a good arm workout, and great scenery!
Anastasia Petroglyphs
DAY 4
Hike around The New Wave.
If you have an additional day to spend, consider driving to Page and visiting “The New Wave”. The parking lot isn’t far from the highway, but we still only saw one other person while there. There isn’t a tree in sight for this short but entertaining walk around these waved-textured rocks so wear gobs of sunscreen and bring extra water.
