Guide to Kayaking From Lake Powell to Antelope Canyon with your dog
Are dogs allowed in Antelope Canyon? YES! But only if you paddle in through Lake Powell.
We’ve wanted to do this little adventure since our first visit to the Lake Powell area in 2015 but always felt like it required too much planning, we didn’t want to pay to rent a kayak (lol), and we had a dog. Turns out a quick Google search, our super easy-to-store and transport Kokopelli kayaks, and some life jackets were all we needed.
Here’s your guide for Kayaking to Antelope Canyon via Lake Powell - with your dog!
Answering where to park, what to expect, what to bring, and more helpful tips for humans and dogs.
QUICK ADVENTURE STATS
Overall Trip: See All Trails Map
Paddle Distance: 3.3 miles
Estimated Paddle Time: 1 hour
Hiking Distance: 4 miles
Best time to visit: Early mornings with low wind (below 10mph)
Parking: Antelope Point Launch Ramp - Inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (fee)
WHERE’S THE ANTELOPE CANYON BOAT LAUNCH?
Start your adventure by parking at the Antelope Point Launch Ramp on Lake Powell (not the Antelope Point Marina).
Note: This is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and requires a $30 entrance fee per vehicle. Your annual national park pass (America The Beautiful pass) works as well.
Drive to the end of the launch and unload everything you need here then return your vehicle to the parking lot.
As of April 2023, the lake’s water levels were extremely low so the original way of launching here was completely unusable. Since our visit, the water seems to be rising but still expect lower than normal levels. To access the water, you’ll need to use a steep sandy path on the left-hand side of the launch (when facing the water). If your boat is inflatable, we found it much easier to inflate/deflate right next to the water versus on the original boat launch area. While our kayaks are lightweight, I’m only 5’1’’ so carrying them fully inflated would have been a bigger struggle personally!
We took our Kokopelli Platte kayaks for this adventure. They’re super compact when deflated and paddle like a dream! Penelope (our dog) can stand on the very tip without the kayak ever feeling off balance and there’s so much room for packing in extra things like our packs and dry bags.
If you aren’t bringing your own kayak/paddleboard/packraft/floaty thing, try renting! There are several kayak rental outfitters and guides nearby like Antelope Point Marina or Kayak Lake Powell just to name a couple. The greatest perk with a rental is they will have the kayaks ready to go in the water so you won’t have to slug them up and down the steep sandy path.
PADDLING TO ANTELOPE CANYON
From the boat launch, begin paddling west for about 30 minutes, or 1.3 miles, until you reach the first canyon opening on your left. There will be a “no wake” sign.
Tip: Stay close to the left canyon wall to avoid passing boats. You can also use All Trails to help navigate - or when you feel like you’ve been paddling forever and need a little motivation to know you’re getting close.
Dog Tip: Besides one spot just after the boat launch, there are no places to stop for a potty break/leg stretch along your paddle journey until you reach the trailhead. The canyon walls are straight up the whole way.
Once you’ve reached the canyon opening/antelope creek entrance, you’ll continue to paddle for about another 30 minutes, or 2 miles, until you reach the Antelope Canyon trailhead. This section of water is calm, easy to paddle, and absolutely beautiful!
After reaching land (aka the trailhead), dock your boat completely out of the water and against the canyon walls to give others coming/going room to launch. We left everything here and only took our packs with water, snacks, and cameras.
HIKING TO ANTELOPE CANYON
When the water ends, the trail begins! Because water levels are so low, the trail starts about .5 miles back from where it used to be.
In total, the hiking portion is around 4 miles round trip.
We only went in about 1.2 miles before turning around only because we had more plans the rest of the day and didn’t want to get caught in the afternoon winds.
Dog Tip: There is a short ladder about .6 miles into the hike that a human will have to help with. The ladder is very lightweight/flimsy which made it feel sketchy with a 40lb wiggling dog under your arm. I (a human) held the ladder for extra support while Evan (another human) carried Penelope (the dog in question) up/down. Next time we’ll either bring her harness with a handle or use her life jacket that also has a handle.
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OTHER THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING ANTELOPE CANYON
Bring or rent life jackets! - Penelope (our dog) could outswim us any day but the waves on Lake Powell can get choppy and scooping her back in the kayak after an impromptu swim is much easier with her Ruffwear life jacket.
Hiking Shoes! - Wear sandals you can hike in or bring a change of shoes. We wore our Five Finger shoes and I loved how comfortable they were through the sandy and rocky sections.
Dry Bags! - The wind and boats can make the water very choppy in that first “open water” section. Dry bags are a must to keep your things dry. This was especially useful with Penelope on board!
Check the wind forecast and temperatures! - We went mid-April with winds between 5-10 mph and temps around 75 degrees. Higher winds would make the return paddle pretty miserable and temps higher than 85-ish would feel really hot in the sunny sections along the slot canyon hike. If going in the summer, go early or late while the slot canyon is shaded.
Treats! - Penelope thinks this is a crucial pro tip and should definitely be listed as number 1. Don’t forget human snacks too.
Lots of water! - I’m sure this is a no-brainer but there is absolutely no water once you get into the hiking portion of the trail. Carry a large batch of water in your kayak in this HydraPak water storage solution and fill your water bottle from there as needed.
Use code OUTOFTHISVAN10 for 10% off your purchase at HydraPak
Hiking pack! - Always a must-have on any outdoor adventure. Evan carried the Gregory Miko 15.
Use code OUTOFTHISVAN15 for 15% off your purchase at Gregory Packs
RECAP
Park and launch boats at Antelope Point Launch Ramp
Paddle west for about 30 minutes until you reach the Antelope Creek canyon opening
Paddle another 30 minutes through the narrow canyon until the water ends and the trail begins
The hiking portion is out and back - around 4 miles total. Turnaround whenever you want.
Save energy for the return paddle and the short but steep hike up from the sandy boat launch
Celebrate because that was such an awesome adventure!!
Leave a comment if you have any questions! We’d love to help make this the perfect adventure!
LET’S KEEP EXPLORING!
