Introduction:
What? :
Beehive Trail,
also called New Wave*, is about 2 miles easy loop trail that is located near
Page, Arizona.
The rock
formation in this relatively small area provide beautiful desert scenery with unique
eroded sandstone bumps resembles beehive shape and red/white “stripes” rock
formations.
Although not
flat (overall 200 ft of elevation gain) I considered this as relatively an easy
route that can fit families with kids.
It will take you
about one hour to complete.
*Some called
this New Wave hike, named after “The Wave”. Although I did not visit The Wave
this location, even though nice, it is not comparable and a lot less impressive.
Consider this more as marketing name than actual resemblance.
Where? :
Trailhead is
located just west of Page AZ on highway 89.
Drive 0.6 mile
on Hwy 89 north of Carl Hayden Visitor Center, turn left onto clear dirt road,
this will be 1/4 mile before the turnoff to Wahweap South Entrance.
Drive to the
Beehives campground to the designated parking area for Beehive area hikes, on
the left side of the road.
Google Map Link
When? :
The hike is
open year-round.
The best times
to visit this trail are spring and fall when it is not too hot.
Summer months are
hot with mostly clear sky, temperatures are 90-100 f at mid-day.
Late summer
months can bring monsoon storms during the afternoon. There is no problem to
travel here when it rains, this is not a slot canyon and the short gravel road that
led from the highway 89 to the parking lot is very good and not muddy
During winter
you will have cold temperatures (~50f mid-day) and maybe rainstorms, but you
can probably hike here without major issues.
Related Blog links:
Due note 1:
Although located
in Glen Canyon Recreation Area you do not need for any hiking permit or to pay
here for the hike.
Due note 2:
There isn’t any
shade on this trail so during summer months try to avoid the hottest times of
the day.
Due note 3:
There are only
six sites, and it is first-come-first-serve.
Due note 4:
Dog Friendly
Due note 5:
No need a
4-wheel drive or high-clearance vehicle to get to this trailhead
Due note 6:
Not sure how
popular this location is, when we visit here mid-day during weekend there were
only 4 other cars in the parking lot.
My thoughts:
I learned about
this trail long time ago and marked this location for future trips, I finally
manage to visit here, and I was not disappointed.
It is located
just off the main road and although not “famous” it is excellent place to come
and enjoy 1-2 hours of short hike, exploration and picture taking.
A lot of
interesting to explore rock formations and color patterns embedded in the
rocks.
We visit here mid-day, but I do recommend visiting here early morning or late
afternoon, less hot and the light will be better for picture taking.
The Hike:
From the small trailhead
parking lot near the campground the trail leads to the nearby hill.
Although going
over exposed slickrock most of the hike is well marked by rocks trails on both
sides.
After very
short walk up the hill you will come to a clear split in the trail, I walk to
the left, we will come back from our loop from the right trail.
After additional walk passing the hill, you will see a head of you the main Beehive rock section.
After crossing the flat section, you will reach another clear sign and trail fork.
I do recommend walking
to the left in the direction of another rock formation, this is a side trail,
and you will come back to this point after exploring the hill on the left.
This optional
detour to a viewpoint will adds about 1/2-mile round trip.
The trail cross
the sandy section and climb the rock formation.
I think that
this rock formation is even more impressive than the central section of the
Beehive and I highly recommend coming here.
Here there are
few impressive rocky red toadstools with interesting rock patterns.
From here you
also have a good view to all directions.
After exploring
this small section turn around and return down to the trail junction, there you
will turn left, back into the loop hike.
The path heads
along the lower left side of the main rock formation. You will be walking on
exposed slickrock, and you will have small stones marking the trail.
Continue hiking
all the way to the end and walk right around the end of the Beehive formation.
Here you can
try walking up the slick rock and you will see impressive round bowl hole in
the rock. There is another one to the right and to the left.
I saw similar
geological phenomena when hiking to the Vortex Trail near St. Gorge, Utah.
After exploring
the far end of the area, the trail leading around and in the overall direction
of the parking lot.
Here you will
look for the trail on this side of the rock formation and you will reach back
to the ridge above the parking lot. Torn right and go down, the trail will lead
you back to the first trail for, now we are coming back from the “right” side.
From here it is
only a very short walk down to the parking lot.
We really enjoy
exploring this area and discover the nice rock formation, fun stop on our
road-trip in Page, Arizona area.
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