Water Holes Canyon

Location: Page region / Navajo Nation, AZ
Rating: Basic Canyon Hike 1A II (guided tour required)
Length: 1 to 2 hours
Mileage: ~2 to 4 miles round trip depending on tour
Longest Rappel: None
Start: US Highway 89, Milepost 541.5 - 5.5 Miles South of Page AZ
End: Out and back
Permits: Navajo Nation guided access required
Wet Suit: Not Needed
Shuttle: No

Since approximately 2018, the eastern or Upper Waterholes Canyon has transitioned to guided access operated by a Navajo owned tour company. Independent public access is now heavily restricted, and most visitors are required to participate in guided tours and scheduled reservations. Due to extreme desert heat and canyon safety concerns, tours are typically suspended when temperatures exceed 95°F. Plan accordingly. Morning tours experience less closures.

Overview: Upper Waterholes Canyon offers an accessible non-technical slot canyon experience just south of Page, Arizona. The route features sandy wash hiking, narrow Navajo sandstone corridors, sculpted walls, shallow pools, and photogenic slot sections located immediately adjacent to Hwy 89.

The upper canyon is explored as a casual hiking route without technical gear, though route conditions can vary significantly after storms and flash flooding.

Compared to the non-guided and very technical Water Holes Lower Canyon, Upper Waterholes provides a more approachable canyon experience with only minor scrambling which has been mitigated by commercialization and occasional shallow water obstacles.

Approach: From Page, travel south on Hwy 89 approximately 5 miles to the Guided Tour. Park in the designated parking spaces.

Route Description: Upper Waterholes Canyon combines accessible slot canyon hiking with managed guided tourism through a scenic section of Navajo sandstone narrows south of Page, Arizona. Unlike many remote slot canyons, portions of the route now contain installed ladders, stair systems, platforms, and maintained access features operated through guided tour infrastructure.

Tours typically begin with a descent into the sandy canyon bottom from the Hwy 89 staging area before entering the twisting sandstone narrows.

The canyon initially narrows immediately below the highway before briefly widening farther upstream. Additional narrows continue deeper into the drainage with increasingly tight and sculpted canyon geometry.

Older route descriptions referenced natural scrambling obstacles and sandstone dryfalls blocking farther progress. Modern guided routes now utilize installed access systems and managed pathways through many of these sections.

Depending on recent storms and seasonal conditions, shallow muddy pools and minor wading may still occur within portions of the canyon.

While significantly more developed than in the past, Upper Waterholes Canyon still offers a scenic slot canyon experience with impressive sandstone narrows similar in appearance to nearby Antelope Canyon, often with smaller crowds and a more physically engaging route.

Exit: Out and back.