Antelope Canyon. It is the most photographed slot canyon in world, and for good reason. You probably saw pictures of it before you even knew the name of the place, or where it was. Pictures of Antelope Canyon are pre-loaded screensavers on nearly every computer in the world, and photos are found everywhere on Instagram. It’s one of the most photogenic slot canyons, and it has two different sections, Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon. At a mere 7.5 miles apart, outdoor enthusiasts, photographers, and tourists can see both of these amazing canyons in the same day, without having to walk 7.5 mile distance between the two!
Antelope Canyon Hike Details
Upper Antelope Canyon
Distance – 0.3 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 1 hour for hiking tour, 2.5 hours for photo tour
Elevation at Trailhead – 4377 feet
Difficulty – Easy
Trail – Sand
Amount of water recommended – 2+ liters
Bathrooms – None
Season to hike – Year around
Prone to flash floods? – Yes, very prone to flash floods. Watch and respect the weather report.
Permits – Yes, entry into Upper Canyon requires purchasing and reserving a time with a tour company.
Lower Antelope Canyon
Distance – 0.5 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 1 hour
Elevation at Trailhead – 4085 feet
Difficulty – Easy. It does require ascending and descending short metal ladders to enter Lower Antelope Canyon
Trail – Sand
Amount of water recommended – 2+ liters
Bathrooms – None
Season to hike – Year around
Prone to flash floods? – Yes, very prone to flash floods. Watch and respect the weather report. Tour companies
Permits – Yes, entry into Lower Antelope Canyon requires purchasing and reserving a time with a tour company.
WOW!
While the curved, colorful sandstone walls of Antelope Canyon have remained relatively the same, the popularity of Antelope Canyon has skyrocketed in recent years due to social media post on sites like Instagram. Antelope Canyon is one of those places that you have to see to believe, and even then, it still may be hard to believe that it’s real.
There are actually two different sections of Antelope Canyon, Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon. They are separated by three miles, and while they are similar, they also have their differences, which will be discussed here, so you can decide whether to visit one or the other, or both!
Antelope Canyon should be on your Bucket List!
In recent years, Antelope Canyon has become very commercialized and crowded, so if you’re looking for solitude, you will not find it at Antelope Canyon. Since it is on Navajo land, reservations must be made beforehand, some times more than 6 months in advance, so plan your trip accordingly.
With that being said, I still recommend that you go to both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon at least once. If you detest crowds, going during the off-season will help reduce the crowds. Sometimes, visitors may have to wait in line to enter either section of Antelope Canyon during the summer around mid-day, (it’s busiest time) even with reservations.
How to get there:
From Glen Canyon Dam, head east and then south on US-89 toward Page, AZ for 2.7 miles. At the roundabout, continue straight on US-89, passing Walmart. Continue south on US-89 for 0.8 miles and then turn left onto AZ-98. Take AZ-98 east for 4.8 miles. Then turn left onto Indian Route 222. Follow it north for 0.5 miles, then turn left. This road will take you to the parking area for Lower Antelope Canyon. If you are heading to Upper Antelope Canyon, where you go will depend on what company you are doing the tour through as they have different staging locations.
Due to the popularity of Antelope Canyon and that it is on Navajo land, reservations must be made beforehand, some times more than 6 months in advance, so plan your trip accordingly.
Reservations are required and hikers cannot enter Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon without being accompanied by a Navajo guide. Due to the popularity of Antelope Canyon, tours start every 30 minutes from March 1st to November 1st, which is the busiest time of year. Below each section are websites where reservation may be made.
Which one should I go see?
Upper Antelope Canyon Hike Details (The one with the light beams)
Upper Antelope Canyon begins about 3 miles south of AZ-98. The area between the Upper and Lower Antelope sections is a wide, shallow wash that tour companies use to access the mouth of Upper Antelope Canyon from AZ-98.
The famous light beam in Upper Antelope Canyon
Upper Antelope Canyon is the section the has the famous ‘sun beams’ from April 1st to September 30th around mid-day. This section is deeper and gets darker than Lower Antelope Canyon, since the canyon walls are higher. It is only an 1/8th of mile long, but the experience and the photos is totally worth. Tours are around an hour long, and there are as many as 15 people in each group, so it may be a challenge to get pictures without other in them. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring a hat, or bandana to keep sand from your face and eyes if it’s windy. During this tour, backpacks, food, and tripods are prohibited. The guide will move you pretty quickly through the canyon. Many people compare the tours to feeling like you’re being herded like animals, so make sure that your camera is ready to take pictures.
Upper Antelope Canyon
If you’re looking for more time and less people in Upper Antelope Canyon, I recommend the 3 hour photography tour at 10:30am or another one again at 1:00pm. You’ll be so grateful that you did! You’ll want to go to the 10:30am tour to have a chance for the “sun beam” picture. The tour guide will point out where the great spot to take pictures are. He will also help with the “sun beam” pictures as well as “sand spilling off the rocks” pictures. The guides are very friendly and make each tour interesting. Pregnant women or infants are prohibited from going on the tour to Upper Antelope as the ride to the entrance can be rough and bumpy.
Here are the companies that offer Upper Antelope Canyon tours:
Antelope Slot Canyon Tours www.antelopeslotcanyon.com
Roger Ekis’ Antelope Canyon Tours www.antelopecanyon.com
Adventurous Antelope Canyon Photo Tour www.navajoantelopecanyon.com
Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours www.navajotours.com
Lower Antelope Canyon Hike Details
This section of Antelope Canyon starts just north of AZ-98, seven miles east of Page, AZ. As mentioned, reservations must be made beforehand. There are a couple of different companies that do tours of Lower Antelope Canyon. I recommend going online to make your reservation.
Colors in Lower Antelope Canyon
The price for the guided tour in Lower Antelope Canyon is cheaper than it is for Upper Antelope Canyon. Lower Antelope Canyon is a little more shallow, but it is much more narrow and tighter than Upper Antelope, which makes this one a little more fun. When taking pictures, be sure to look up and take pictures of the sculptured walls above you, and not just the colorful canyon walls at ground level.
Lower Antelope Canyon
Brilliant blue skies contrast so well with the orange canyon walls.
You’ll need to descend and ascend some metal stairs/ladders to get into and out of Lower Antelope Canyon. Young children, pregnant women, or people that may have problem going up and down stairs/ladders should not go on the tour.
1997 Flash Flood in Lower Antelope Canyon
On the afternoon of August 12th, 1997, a flash flood roared through Lower Antelope Canyon, killing 11 tourists. There was only one survivor, Pancho Quintana, a tour guide who had accompanied five of the tourists on the hike. Fifteen miles away from Lower Antelope Canyon, a thunderstorm dumped a large amount of rain which funneled down into Antelope Canyon. A wall of water over a dozen feet high swept away the 11 tourists. The lone survivor, Quintana, was able to wedge himself in a rock crack and escape the deadly waters. From that time forward, permanent metal ladders were installed and rope nets have been attached to the top of the canyon walls which are dropped into the canyon for people to climb out in case of another flash flood with people in the canyon. An emergency siren is also sounded in the case of flash flood at the canyon.
In 2013, a similar flash flood ripped through Lower Antelope Canyon, however, there were no fatalities this time. The canyon had been closed earlier in the day due to the threat of possible flash floods. Here is a video shot by David Rankin that shows the power of the 2013 flash flood at Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon Flash Flood 2013
Here are the companies that offer Lower Antelope Canyon tours:
Ken’s Tours www.lowerantelope.com
Dixie Ellis” Lower Antelope Canyon Tours www.antelopelowercanyon.com
Upper Antelope Canyon
Pros
- Deeper slot canyon
- Has the famous “sun beam”
- Easy to enter the canyon
- Canyon floor is wider than the top
- Less likely to bother claustrophobics
- A 3 hour photography tour is available
- Darker than Lower Antelope
Cons
- More expensive than Lower Antelope Canyon
- Shorter than Lower Antelope Canyon
- Very popular, lots of people all the time
Lower Antelope Canyon
Pros
- Cheaper than Upper Antelope Canyon
- More fun with tighter, twisting canyon walls
- Usually easier to make reservations than Upper Antelope
- Warmer colors, softer rock shapes in the canyon
Cons
- V shaped canyon, may be rough for claustrophobics, as canyon walls are narrow
- No extended photography tours
- Requires ascending and descending metal ladders
- Very popular, lots of people all the time
