Upper Antelope Canyon is mystical, colorful and beautiful. It sits on Navajo Nation Tribal reservation land near Page, Arizona, close to the Utah border. The only way to tour it is on a Navajo-guided tour. There are multiple gorgeous camera angles for fantastic pictures, especially with your guide’s directions. We went on the Antelope Slot Canyon Tours by Chief Tsosie, primarily because it was the only tour company with a spot open 2 months ahead at the time we wanted to go! We were driving from the Grand Canyon which is 2 hours away from Page and we wanted to go early so that we would have time to kayak after the tour.
So another early day! Up-and-at-em at 6:30 am! We arrived in Page a little after 10 even after sneaking in a brief Grand Canyon photo stop- who can resist? We checked in for our tour and were given a slip of paper with a van number on it. After hanging in the parking lot/gas station, we boarded our van with an absolutely fantastic Navajo tour guide, Irwin. He gave us some brief instructions, but when Irwin asked if anyone had parked in the restricted area, an Asian woman said “yes”. It took another 5 minutes of back and forth “yes, I mean no” to clear up that she had misunderstood what he was asking. Our van proceeded on a brief 10 minute ride, with the last couple minutes seemingly off-roading (complete with tires nearly spinning out) through the sand to the canyon that suddenly appears out of nowhere.
A slot canyon is a narrow, tortuous canyon formed from flash floods cutting through the sandstone and limestone. The Upper Antelope Canyon is known by the Navajo as “The place where water runs through rocks.” The floor is sand and the height can rise and fall due to the rains washing sand in or out. The Canyon is superbly photogenic and our guide, Irwin, patiently showed us how and where to take some of the more famous pictures.
Since the Canyon is so beautiful, there are many famous shots that have even sold for multiple millions of dollars. The most expensive supposedly sold for 6.5 million dollars and was called the “Phantom”.
The Navajo have made the tours into a thriving business. The tours are well orchestrated; about every 10 minutes a group goes in and walks to the right during which they can stop and have time to take pictures in each chamber. When we got to the end of the canyon, Irwin broke out his Navajo flute and played a plaintive song men would play to beguile their women.
Coming back through the canyon to exit, no pictures are allowed and exiting people walk on the opposite side of the people entering. The time in the canyon is about 30-40 minutes; a half hour in and 10 minutes to walk back out. Mostly the system works well, although there are a few squeezy bits.
The best time of the year is to come May-September in order for the angle of the sun to project a sunbeam into the canyon. The sunbeams are fleeting- they only lasted for 5 minutes at a time in September. We were able to catch one precious beam.
For more monetary outlay, photography tours are available that last longer and allow you to bring in a tripod, but we were happy with the tour we went on. There aren’t a lot of lodging (or decent restaurant choices) in Page, but we stayed at Doc’s Place on Airbnb and were satisfied with its comfort and cleanliness, plus rare flexibility for cancellation/changes. It was perfect for 2-3 couples for a night or two.
To know before you go:
- May-September gives you the best chance to catch a sunbeam, especially mid-day.
- You can only visit if you are on a Native-guided tour. It probably doesn’t matter so much which one you take as your experience is more determined by your guide. The tours fill up, so book at least a few months in advance.
- Be aware that there are areas you will drive through with no cell service whatsoever. Also Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year and does not do daylight savings, while the Indian reservations you drive through do participate in daylight savings time. So your phone may “jump” times when you get cell service temporarily which is confusing when trying to make it to a tour on time. Go into your phone settings and keep your phone on Phoenix time and you should be fine.
- Upper Antelope Canyon is located near Page, Arizona. Page is full of mediocre food joints and touristy tchotchke shops, but it also has Horseshoe Canyon as well as Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam.
- It’s possible that if there’s rain the tour could be cancelled for a flash flood warning.
- Initially it was quite dusty when walking in and Irwin pulled a handkerchief up over his mouth as we entered the canyon.
- It’s slightly cooler in the canyon, but not by a lot. September brings average temperatures of 62-86. The ground is all sand which does work its way into sandals.
- It’s totally worth it!
Cara Unravels Travel 