Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon has been on my “must see” list for a very long time so you can imagine my excitement when I got there. I love how the lighting and shadows made the most interesting palette of colors hug the sexy curves of the canyon. The land belongs to the Navajo nation and they are the one hosting the tours. You show up at the booth, pay $40 plus a land fee of $6 and off you go. The tour is about an hour long not including the 10 minute drive to the canyon.

The tours are pretty crowded inside Antelope Canyon. They bring people in every hour so if you are looking to be alone with just your camera booking a photo tour is recommended. I did not do any research before so I did not know that it was possible to take photo tours. Not that there was time for that but it’s nice to know in advance what they offer. I was able to take this shot only because I got a bit in front of the tour guide and was fast enough to take it before the first tour came back.

Antelope Canyon, east of Page, is one of the “slot canyons” caused by erosion in Northern AZ and Southern Utah. Located on Navajo land, you must go with a registered guide. Speaking to the French and Italian tourists in our jeep-group, our guide asked “Who here can understand me?” Only my wife and I raised our hands. Who knew that slot canyons were so popular among Europeans and less so among local U.S. folks? But overhearing those tourists (I happen to understand those languages), the sense of place didn’t seem lost on them. There’s no language barrier when you’re inside a force of nature.

Standing in the middle of Antelope Canyon, lost in the wonder of erosion, the play of light and curve--you can begin to wonder which way is up and which way is down, the beguiling play of light all around... Visiting this slot canyon requires going with a Navajo guide; several tours are available from the nearby town of Page, just south of the Utah border in Northern Arizona.

A must-do site for any avid photographer, the golden hues and smooth rock formations are awe-inspiring. Conditions are low-light and dusty, so you need a single lens and a tripod and you will be able to capture pure magic.

From ground level, Lower Antelope Canyon looks like a simple crack in the parched earth that stretches East from Page, AZ. But as soon as you begin your descent into the canyon, you find yourself enveloped in glowing, red stone waves. Carved out by thousands of years of water and wind, this slot canyon zigzags for a quarter mile, revealing stunning rock formations at every turn. When the sun is just right, shafts of light pierce the canyon walls. Lower Antelope Canyon as well as nearby Upper Antelope can only be visited with a Navajo guide. Tours can be arranged at the canyon entrances. As we neared the end of our tour, our guide pulled out a traditional Navajo flute. Everything was still and silent as his hauntingly beautiful notes echoed along the flowing walls.

Antelope Canyon is one of the most photographed places in the United States. In our opinion, it is a must see attraction. The slot canyon is near Page, Arizona and sits on Navajo land. Over several thousands of years, water and wind carved and sculpted the sandstone into the unique formations viewable today, experts say. Antelope Canyon is part of the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park. There are two canyons, the upper and the lower. The Navajo name for the lower canyon is Hasdeztwazi, which means spiral rock arches, experts say. Pronghorn Antelope roamed the area in the past, which is how the English name was chosen.