A couple places you might think about for sunrise...
There are a number of locations with Hoodoos between Page and Kanab (US 89). The easist ones, somtimes called the Toadstool hoodoo (there are actually several at this site) is only a 3/4 mile hike from the road and is an easy predawn hike from US 89. I can't remember the mile marker closest to it but it is about 1.5 miles west of the Cottonwood Canyon Road or about 25 miles from the middle of the bridge over the Colorado in Page and is on the north side of the road. You should see a pull out type dirt parking area. I don't have the exact coordinate of the formation but it should be near: N37 degrees 6.5 minutes by W111 degrees 52.4 minutes. Just head NNE from the parking area then trend NW along the stream bed. You should see a trail of some kind and within 3/4 mile you should see the formation. This particular formation is also recommended for sunset shots.
A bit closer to Page but a much longer and harder hike is another series of Hoodoo formations along the west of the Wahweap Creek. I have the approximate lat/lon as: N37 degrees 9.6 minutes by W111 degrees 42.7 minutes. There are two ways to approach this formation with one way being a longer drive over rought dirt roads but a shorter hike and the other an easier drive but a longer hike. The closest point of access from Page would be to drive out as far as the first stream crossing along thr Fish Hatchery Road that's accessed from Ethan Allen Drive about 14.6 miles from the middle of the bridge over the Colorado at Page. The parking location is anywhere of the dirt road and near lat/lon: N37 6.4 by W111 41.1. From here the hike to the Wahweap Hoodoos is over 4 miles each way along the Wahweap Creek. This might be a problem if the creek is flowing quickly and if you want to be there before dawn the hike could be real tough in the dark. Figure near 1.5-2 hours each way and be carefull not to take the wrong creek bed as there is a confluence of three creeks/streams near here. If you have a GPS receiver set the destination coordinates and hike the creeks bed that follows that path the closest. This series of formations is best seen closer to the summer solstice as the lower angle of the sun at other times of the year make it harder for it to light up the formation for much of the day. Going this time of year isn't preferred for sun but going in the summer can be dangerous due to the heat.
If you drive a bit further you can save yourself about 2/3rds the hiking distance but you will need to drive about 20 miles further with much of it, about 11 miles, over dirt roads. From the middle of the bridge at Page brive about 25 miles and take Cottonwood Canyon Road. From there you take some dirt roads whoes name or number I don't know but if you set your GPS to this lat/lon (N37 10.4 by W111 43.1) you should be close to the Wahweap Creek and all you need to do from there is follow south towards the coordinates I gave you earlier.
Lastly, the Wahweap Hoodoo formations are amoung the most sensitive you will ever see so you must exercise great care to avoid doing any damage to them. Do not wander off the trails when you get there and as they say, leave it as you saw it!
The last near sunrise location I might recommend would be Rainbow Bridge near the base of Navajo Mountain. You can get there by taking the cruise boat from the Wahweap Marina but if you do you'll not get there until early/mid afternoon so if you want to get there at sunrise, and this location is best seen in the morning, then you'll need to find someone to take you there privately. The cruise ship is the easiest way but the sun will be more west and since you must view it from the east you will have the sun a bit too much in your face at the time the cruise will get you there. A private boat might get you there the day before and if you camp near the Rainbow (you can't camp at it) you could be there in the morning when the sun will be at your back fully lighting up the formation.
Brian
