Each year the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club trip committee organizes one or more destination hiking trips. This year Page, Arizona was chosen for a Spring trip. The hiking days were April 16-18, 2024. Eighty-six SaddleBrooke residents went on the trip.
The key to the Hiking Club trips are the actual hikes themselves. The Club has a large number of trained hiking guide volunteers. Under the leadership of Ruth Caldwell, 15 volunteer guides researched the Page area, planned the hikes, and led us to some spectacular sights in this Northern Arizona/Southern Utah section of the country. The Club offered 12 different hikes with some interesting names such as Buck Tank Draw, Birthday Arch, Wiregrass Canyon, Wahweap Hoodoos, Buckskin Gulch, and the Toadstools to name a few.
Toadstools
Page offers many opportunities for hiking, sightseeing, or just relaxing. The scenery around this section of our state, a short distance from the Utah state line, is awesome. The city borders on Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon is nearby.
Many from our group visited Antelope Canyon. This is one of the most photographed areas in Arizona and adjacent to the City of Page. During the Spring and Summer, light shafts illuminate the sandstone walls in gold, pink, and orange colors. The Canyons are located within the Navajo Nation and require the use of a local guide to see them. They are a sight to see when in the area.
Antelope Canyon
On these trips we often have an optional group dinner. On this trip, we met at Navajo owned and operated, Red Heritage. The restaurant featured a Native American dinner theater which showcased Native American dancing, live drumming/singing, flute playing, and Navajo inspired food (including Navajo tacos). After a day of exercising/sightseeing, this was an enjoyable way to spend the evening.
The weather was great during our trip and the hiking opportunities were wonderful. Thank you to all the volunteers that made this another great destination Club trip.