Is Page Worth a Stop Between Vegas and Moab?

People type this question into search engines with a specific worry behind it. They have a week, they have Vegas at one end and Moab at the other, and somebody told them about a canyon with light beams. They want to know if the detour is a trap.

We run a hotel in Page, so you should read what follows with that in mind. But the most useful thing we can do is tell you when the answer is no, and we will.

katsrcool / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

The honest math first

The direct route. Las Vegas to Moab on I-15 and I-70 is about 460 miles and six and a half hours. [1] It is an interstate the whole way. You see the back side of the San Rafael Swell from the window, which is better than it sounds, and not much else.

Through Page. Las Vegas to Page is about 280 miles and four hours on I-15 and US-89. [2] Page to Moab is about 270 miles and five and a half to six hours through Kayenta, Monument Valley, Mexican Hat, and Bluff. [3] Total, roughly nine and a half hours of driving and 550 miles.

So the detour costs you about three hours of extra driving and, realistically, two extra nights, because nobody should do the Page to Moab leg the same day they drove in from Vegas.

What you get for that is the next section.

What the detour buys you

Four places people fly across the world to see, and you drive past all of them.

Horseshoe Bend. Ten minutes from town. A flat three-quarter-mile walk to a thousand-foot drop where the Colorado River turns back on itself. Ten dollars a car. Sunset is the famous one. Sunrise is the quiet one.

Antelope Canyon. The slot canyon in every screensaver. It is on Navajo Nation land, it requires a guided tour, and it books out. That last part matters for a road trip: if you show up in Page without a reservation, you may not get in. Book the canyon first, then set the dates around it. Here is how far ahead.

Lake Powell. Low this year, at about 22 percent of capacity, and still the bluest thing you will see on the whole drive. [4] You do not need a boat. The Wahweap Overlook off US-89 is free and ten minutes from us.

Monument Valley. It is on the road to Moab, not a detour from it. The straight-line approach down US-163 from the north is the most photographed stretch of highway in America, and coming from Page you drive it the right direction, with the buttes ahead of you. Two hours from Page. Then Mexican Hat, the Goosenecks, and Bluff, all in the next hour, all on the way.

Put plainly: the direct route gets you to Moab. The Page route gets you to Moab through the Southwest.

When the answer is no

We said we would do this part.

Skip Page if you have five days or fewer total. Vegas to Moab and back with two nights in Moab already eats four days. Adding Page turns every day into a drive day, and you will see everything from a windshield. Do Moab properly and come back for Page.

Skip Page if Antelope Canyon is sold out for your dates and it was the reason you were coming. Horseshoe Bend and the lake are worth the stop on their own, but if the canyon was the point and it is gone, be honest with yourself about whether the rest carries the detour.

Skip Page if you are towing something big. The Page to Moab leg on US-163 has sharp curves and blind hills, and the Monument Valley loop road is closed to RVs and large vehicles. [5] The interstate is built for you.

Skip Page if you hate planning. The Page stop rewards booking ahead: the canyon tour, a sunset slot at the Bend, two nights. If your trip style is "drive until dark and find a room," Page will frustrate you and the interstate will not.

When the answer is yes, how to do it

Two nights in Page, not one. Arrive from Vegas by mid afternoon, do Horseshoe Bend at sunset. Next morning, Antelope Canyon. Afternoon at the lake or in town. Second sunset wherever you missed. Leave for Moab the following morning fresh. The Perfect 48 Hours in Page is that plan, hour by hour.

Leave Page early for Moab. It is a long leg with no interstate. Depart by 8 a.m., you reach Monument Valley by 10 in good light, Bluff by lunch, Moab by mid afternoon. One catch from March to early November: Page does not observe daylight saving time, but the Navajo Nation and Utah both do, so your clock jumps forward an hour a few minutes out of town. Leave earlier than feels necessary.

Book the canyon before anything else. The tour slot sets the whole itinerary. Get it, then book the rooms around it.

Do the loop, not the line. If you have eight or nine days, the best version of this trip is not Vegas to Moab. It is the whole Grand Circle: Zion, Bryce, Page, Monument Valley, Moab, and back to Vegas. Page is the middle of it. The 7-Day Grand Circle Road Trip lays it out.

One more thing about the middle

Almost every published Grand Circle itinerary already puts a night in Page, because the geography leaves no choice: it is two and a half hours from the Grand Canyon, two from Zion, two from Monument Valley. It is the crossroads.

For years the town had chain hotels and tired motels and not much else, which is part of why people treated it as a place to sleep rather than a place to stay. We are trying to fix that part. Whether you stay with us or not, give the town two nights. It has earned them for a long time. It just did not have anywhere to put you.

Go deeper

• Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation for Monument Valley fees, hours, and the current vehicle rules on the Valley Drive.

• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area conditions for the lake and ramp status the week you travel.

• Utah Department of Transportation road conditions for US-163 and US-191 before you set out.

FAQ

Is Page, Arizona worth visiting?
Yes, if you have two nights to give it and you book Antelope Canyon ahead. No, if your total trip is five days or fewer, or if you are towing something large.

How far is Page from Las Vegas?
About 280 miles and four hours via I-15 and US-89.

How far is Page from Moab?
About 270 miles and five and a half to six hours through Monument Valley on US-160, US-163, and US-191. There is no interstate on this leg.

How many days do you need in Page?
Two nights. One night means doing the canyon tired and Horseshoe Bend in the dark.

Is Page on the way from Vegas to Moab?
Not on the direct route. It adds about three hours of driving, but it puts Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, and Monument Valley on your route.

Do you need to book Antelope Canyon in advance?
Yes. Tours are guided, capped, and often sell out one to two months ahead. Book the canyon, then plan around it.

The Perfect 48 Hours in Page. Two days, planned hour by hour around the tour schedules, by the people who watch visitors do it wrong every week. Free.

Book direct

We are the only boutique hotel in Page, on the main street, about ten minutes from Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Lake Powell. Renovated rooms are open and bookable now, and more come online every few weeks.

Book direct for our best rate. Two night minimum, free cancellation up to seven days out. Direct only.

Check dates at thewesleyaz.com or call (928) 612-3300.

Written by The Wesley Team, the people who run the only boutique hotel in Page and who would rather you skip us than arrive expecting the wrong trip.

Footnotes

1. Las Vegas to Moab via I-15 and I-70 to US-191: approximately 457 miles, about 6.5 hours. Per route planners (LazyTrips, CS Ginger), verified September 2026.

2. Las Vegas to Page via I-15 and US-89: approximately 280 miles, about 4 hours. Verified September 2026.

3. Page to Moab via AZ-98, US-160, US-163, and US-191 through Kayenta, Monument Valley, Mexican Hat, Bluff, and Blanding: approximately 270 miles, 5.5 to 6 hours. Per TripAdvisor trip reports and route guides, verified September 2026.

4. Lake Powell elevation approximately 3,518 feet, about 22 percent of capacity, early September 2026, USBR Glen Canyon Dam data.

5. Monument Valley's 17-mile Valley Drive is closed to RVs, campervans, motorcycles, and large SUVs. Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation. US-163 between Kayenta and Monument Valley has sharp curves and blind hills per state route guidance.