Alstrom Point

It was a place I had heard about for a long time but had never visited. Our trip to Page Arizona was to feature Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons and trying to get to hike to "The Wave". Everything else was optional including Horseshoe bend and Alstrom Point. (We had as much luck with "The Wave" lottery as I do with PowerBall even the odds are much better, we lost.)

On Tuesday we spend 6 hours in the Antelope Canyons, 4 in Lower and 2 in Upper. It was a magical time. We got out of Upper around 5:00pm and since the sun set after 7:30 we decided to head over to Alstrom Point for sunset.

As we were driving out there, it's a long drive, I kept looking at the sun thinking we weren't going to make it but since I'd never been there I wasn't sure so we continued on. As we got closer it became obvious something was wrong.

Before getting to the Point the sun had already set but all was not lost. Before the actual end of the point there is an overlook were we decided to stop. That was a really good decision. The sandstone cliffs lite up with a warm glow that just captivated me. The water was a deep blue and the view before my eyes was just awesome. I told Travis we should return the next night.

Wednesday we decided to drive out Cottonwood Canyon Road for half a day then drive out to Alstrom Point the second half. The drive to Alstrom Point is quite interesting by itself. You feel like you're driving thru a moonscape and the boulders that strew the landscape having fallen from the adjacent buttes are just huge.

But today we got to Alstrom Point with plenty of time to spare. As expected the road to the end was very rough. I bought a new Subaru Forester just for this type of road and it served me well. You definitely need a high clearance all-wheel drive vehicle if you plan to go see this spectacular place.

We found the perfect location at the very end of the bluff. We were also lucky to have this whole place to ourselves where quietness ruled. While we go out to places like this to make images we don't loose sight of the beauty around us. When the shooting was done we just sat on the edge of the point and marveled at what was in from of us. There was no sign of man, well the lake is a sign of man, but no man-made structures that you so often see.

I will definitely return, maybe next December.

Roger
(-:)