Alstrom Point: How to Drive There Yourself
Alstrom Point in Utah is a lesser-known, and sparsely visited overlook, which is well worth the hassle to get there.
The main viewpoint at Alstrom Point looks south from Utah into Arizona, over Lake Powell.
While you can almost see Page, Arizona, from Alstrom, it’s about a 90 minute drive from the town to the overlook, above Lake Powell.
From Page, you’ll drive 17 miles northwest on Highway 89. Take a right onto North Ethan Allen Road, and another right onto Smokey Mountain Road.
From there, it’s a windy, bumpy road to National Park Road 230, also known as Sit Down Bench. Hang a right there, and another right onto the Alstrom Point Access Road.
The signage isn’t great, so make sure to plug “Alstrom Point Utah” into Google Maps before you go so you can follow the blue GPS dot, even when you lose cell reception.
When we rented the SUV, the company told us “not to take it off-roading.” We pushed it as far as we felt comfortable on the long, bumpy road toward Alstrom, but parked it and walked the final two miles in.
We stayed at the viewpoint until dark, which made the two mile walk back difficult and confusing.
Learn from our mistakes and make sure you put a pinpoint dot on your map to help find your parking spot!
We nicknamed this “Pride Rock,” because it reminded us of “The Lion King.” (Either that, or a chicken head)
There are no clear markings from where we parked to the actual main viewpoint, so we just wandered toward the cliff, and walked along it until we got to the beautifully famous spot.
The moonlit walk back in the dark was a bit concerning, just because we had no idea where the trail was, or where our SUV was. In retrospect, I should’ve dropped a pin on the map on my phone!
One of the best parts of this spot is the lack of crowds. It takes effort to get to Alstrom, and the drive isn’t comfortable. We saw just a handful of people on a pleasantly warm May evening. Only another couple was at the main overlook taking photos.
There are a number of guided tours, which would be the easiest way to experience Alstrom. They’re around 5 hours long, and usually get you there for sunset.
If you’re going on your own, give yourself three or four hours before sunset to make the journey and find the right spot.
Photographer Matt Ehnes, documenting what he assumed would be my fall from grace down below.
Two families in tougher SUVs were camping along the cliffs. We envied the fact that they’d be there to stargaze and catch the sunrise over the lake. It’s in the backs of our minds for a future trip!
At this point, the sun was setting, and I had no idea how were were going to find the SUV. Pure luck!
The water in Lake Powell dropped to at an all-time low in the summer of 2022, so you’ll see fewer houseboats below. Still, the marinas are trying to keep their business afloat by rebuilding the boat launches and making do with the diminishing water supply.