In shortRainbow Bridge National Monument protects a natural span 291 feet (89.63 m) tall across Lake Powell from Page. Getting there means roughly 50 miles by boat from Wahweap, Antelope Point or Bullfrog, usually three to four hours each way, then about 1 mile (1.6 km) on foot from the courtesy dock. The only alternative is a 14-mile hike that needs a Navajo Nation permit.
291 ft (89.63 m)height of the span
275 ft (83.82 m)width of the span
~50 milesby boat from Page marinas
1 mile (1.6 km)dock to the viewpoint
What Rainbow Bridge National Monument is
Rainbow Bridge is a natural sandstone span measuring 275 feet (83.82 m) wide and 291 feet (89.63 m) tall, standing in a side canyon on the far side of Lake Powell from Page. The arch is 33 feet (10.1 m) wide and 42 feet (12.8 m) thick at the top, which is why it reads as a thin ribbon of rock from the trail and as something far heavier once you are up near the abutments. President William Howard Taft proclaimed it a national monument on 30 May 1910, and the protected area covers 160 acres.
Few people get there. Recorded visitation was 11,404 in 2025, down from 17,488 in 2024, and the Park Service puts the drop down to difficult boat access at low lake levels. The water approach is a designated wakeless zone, the same status Antelope Canyon holds on the lake, so the last stretch is slow by rule as well as by sense.
Why visitors are asked not to walk under the span
The bridge is sacred to the Navajo and to neighbouring nations, and visitors are asked to look at it from the viewpoint at the end of the trail instead of walking beneath the arch. There is no barrier and nobody checking. Treat the request the way you would treat the rules of a place of worship anywhere else, and stop at the viewpoint.
Two other rules travel with it. Pets have to stay aboard the vessel at Rainbow Bridge and at the Lake Powell marinas, and dogs are barred from all Navajo Tribal Park locations, Antelope Canyon included. Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation also prohibits littering, rock climbing and drones across its lands, which is the ground you cross if you arrive on foot.
How to get to Rainbow Bridge by boat across Lake Powell
By water it is about 50 miles from Wahweap, from Antelope Point or from Bullfrog, and the Park Service puts that at three to four hours each way in a standard speed boat. From Page, Wahweap is 8 road miles and about 14 minutes, Antelope Point 9 road miles and about 15 minutes, so the driving is trivial next to the boating.
The turn is at buoy 49, into Forbidding Canyon, then roughly 2 miles (4 km) up that canyon to the signed narrow passage, taking the wakeless buoys slowly. At the end there is a courtesy dock and a trail of about 1 mile (1.6 km) one way to the bridge, with the exact length shifting as the lake rises and falls.
Add it up and the day is gone: three to four hours out, the same back, two miles on foot at the far end and whatever time you want at the viewpoint. Glen Canyon is open 24 hours a day, year-round, but the Park Service discourages night boating because of unmarked underwater hazards and afternoon storms that build fast, so leave early and aim to be back in daylight. On a run of this length the flotation rules apply the whole way: there must be a correctly sized device aboard for every passenger, and anyone aged 12 or under has to be wearing a Coast Guard-approved lifejacket whenever the boat is moving.
One thing to know before you build a plan around it. The Lake Powell concessioner's scheduled Rainbow Bridge boat tour is currently suspended, and the operator states it is unavailable until further notice. No timetabled service is running at the moment, which leaves the monument within reach only of people who have a boat of their own and a settled weather window.
| Route | Distance | Time | What it needs |
|---|
| Boat from Wahweap, Antelope Point or Bullfrog | About 50 miles each way | Three to four hours each way in a standard speed boat | A boat, the turn into Forbidding Canyon at buoy 49, slow running past the wakeless buoys |
|---|
| Walk from the courtesy dock to the viewpoint | About 1 mile (1.6 km) one way | Short, but the length varies with lake level | At current levels, beaching the boat and crossing mud to reach the trail, at your own risk |
|---|
| Hike around Navajo Mountain | About 14 miles one way | A long backcountry trip on foot | A Navajo Nation permit, plus a backcountry permit from Navajo Tribal Parks beyond Echo Camp |
|---|
The lake half-day that actually runs
With the scheduled Rainbow Bridge boat tour unavailable, this 4-hour guided paddle and hike from Antelope Point is the Lake Powell day you can book now, from $119 and rated 4.8 ★ (193 reviews).
★ 4.8/5 · 193 reviews
How low water changes the trip
Check the lake elevation before you commit to the trip. On 13 October 2026 it read 3,519.10 feet, well under the 3,700 feet that counts as full pool. Six weeks earlier, at the end of August 2026, the Bureau of Reclamation logged 3,517.87 feet, with 5.14 million acre-feet in storage, 22 percent of live capacity. Readings like these drift from week to week, and at Rainbow Bridge a foot or two decides how far you walk from the boat dock to the trail, so pull the current reading a day or two before you set off.
The number that matters at the bridge is 3,548 feet. Below it, the Park Service notes that the docks become disconnected from land and are moved out to deeper water, although the boater restrooms stay open. Right now the dock does not reach land at all, so visitors beach their boat and walk through mud to pick up the trail, at their own risk. That mud landing is the main reason visitor numbers here have fallen.
Low water also reshapes where you can put a boat in. The Antelope Point public launch ramp is open for paddlecraft only, at the user's own risk, and Wahweap Main and Wahweap Stateline are likewise closed to motorised craft, which leaves Stateline Auxiliary as the main motorised launch at the south end. A Park Service release of 15 September 2026 states that the lake is still open for water-based recreation and that work to maintain access at Antelope Point Marina has been approved for completion in the coming months, which is the launch point most relevant if you are starting a long run from the Page side.
Give it a day of its own, or do the lake close to Page
Rainbow Bridge does not combine with a canyon tour on the same day. Six to eight hours of boat travel plus the walk leaves nothing for a slot canyon with fixed departure times, and canyon tours run on Arizona time, which does not shift for daylight saving. If the monument matters to you, block out a whole day for it and put the canyon on another.
With two days in Page the split is obvious: slot canyon on one day, water on the other. With a single day, skip the 50-mile run and take your lake time near town. Antelope Point, 9 road miles from Page at 537 Marina Parkway, is the access point the Park Service identifies for kayakers heading to Antelope Canyon, because Wahweap sits 7.3 river miles away and is too far to serve paddlers.
The water option on this site starts from exactly that ramp, which is what makes it the realistic substitute for the long haul up-lake. The Lake Powell Kayak and Water Antelope Canyon Hike Guided Tour takes 4 hours, costs from $119 and is rated 4.8 ★ (193 reviews), and the price covers a performance kayak, paddles, a life jacket, a safety lesson, bottled water and access to Water Antelope Canyon. The national park entry fee is not included and is waived if you hold a national park pass. Guides meet guests down by the water at Antelope Point, which you enter via Navajo Rte. 22B just before Marina Pkwy.
- Two days in Page: one guided canyon day, one lake day
- One day only: canyon in the morning, paddling at Antelope Point, and leave Rainbow Bridge for a trip where you have a boat
- No car in Page: the long day tour covers Lower Antelope and Horseshoe Bend with hotel pick-up
- No stairs or ladders in your plans: stay on the lake, because the canyon routes involve flights of stairs
Questions people ask
Can I reach Rainbow Bridge without a boat?
The only land route is a hike of about 14 miles one way around Navajo Mountain, which requires a Navajo Nation permit. Going beyond Echo Camp towards the bridge needs an advance backcountry permit from Navajo Tribal Parks. The North and South Trails from Navajo Mountain are unmaintained and marked only by cairns, so treat it as a serious backcountry route and plan it well ahead.
Do I need a park pass or an entry fee for the monument?
Reaching the monument means going into Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where entry is charged at $30 per private vehicle for seven days, or $15 per person arriving on foot or by bicycle. Non-motorised paddlecraft avoid the separate vessel fee, but the entrance fee still applies. Those passes stop at the Glen Canyon boundary: Antelope Canyon lies outside the recreation area, where neither America the Beautiful nor a Glen Canyon pass is accepted.
Are there toilets at Rainbow Bridge?
The Park Service states that the boater restrooms stay open even at the levels where the docks are disconnected from land and moved into deeper water. There is nothing else out there, so carry your own water and food, and plan on a full day away from any services once you leave the marina.
Can I bring my dog on the boat?
Pets have to remain aboard the vessel both at Rainbow Bridge and at the Lake Powell marinas, so a dog can travel with you but cannot walk the trail to the viewpoint. Dogs are also prohibited at every Navajo Tribal Park location, Antelope Canyon included, so plan your canyon day without them.
How big is the span compared with the trail to it?
The bridge is 275 feet (83.82 m) wide and 291 feet (89.63 m) tall, with the arch 33 feet (10.1 m) wide and 42 feet (12.8 m) thick at the top. The walk from the courtesy dock is roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) one way, and that distance varies with the lake level. The boat run is what eats the day, at three to four hours each way.
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