Ever wondered what flash flood and rainwater could do to the earth? Ever wondered how the masterpieces of nature are created? “The place where water runs through rocks” is a slot canyon of such a miracle. People lovingly call it Antelope Canyon, which is also known by the Navajo people as “the place where water runs through rocks”.
Navajo, pronounced as navaho, are a tribe of Native Americans. They are also the second most populous of all Native Americans. As of early 21st century, the population of Navajos are around 300,000, mostly living in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
Even though it took millions of years to be formed as what it is today, Antelope Canyon was not discovered until the early 1900s. In 1931, a young Navajo girl, named Sue Tsosie discovered this formation of rocks while herding sheep. As there were a lot of pronghorn antelope herds roaming around there at that time, the locals named the canyon as Antelope Canyon.
Formed by the erosion of Navajo sandstone due to flash flood, Antelope Canyon is the most visited and popular slot canyon of Southwest America. The Canyon was naturally formed over hundreds of years. Rainwater runs through the basin above the slot canyon while picking up speed it rushes into the narrow passageways making beautiful formations on the sandstones.
Few years ago, some of my friends and I planned for a road trip to see the Antelope Canyon. It was a girls’ trip. We all met in Las Vegas, Nevada, rented a car from there and started our wonderful journey of a lifetime. It was only a 6-day-tour. But we covered a lot of things in these 6 days. Starting from Vegas to Page, Antelope Canyons, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend (where we witnessed the most magnificent sunset of our lives by chance), Bryce Canyon in Utah and Zion Canyon in Utah, It was quite a hectic tour. But trust me, it was worth it every second.
What to see there:
There are 2 parts of the Antelope canyon. Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon. They both need separate entry fees and the access to both the canyons are totally different. Fun fact, the Upper Antelope Canyon is called ‘The Crack’ and the Lower Antelope Canyon is called ‘The Corkscrew’. I have no idea where these names come from though.
Other than these two, there is also Lake Powell which is an artificial reservoir on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona. Speaking of the Colorado River, there is also Horseshoe Bend, which is an amazing bend of the Colorado river that looks like a horseshoe, for real.
This is what we did in Page, AZ.
After reaching Page in the evening (we started late from Vegas) we checked in at Clarion Inn Page, a decent 2-star hotel with some good reviews. Our dinner was at Big John’s Texas BBQ, sadly, which is temporarily closed now. The next morning we approached Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, where we pre-booked our Upper Canyon tour for an 8.30 AM slot. The tour agency is run by Navajo people and that’s the only agency who will take you to the canyon. After a 2 hours of tour, we headed to the Lower Antelope Canyon. It was around past noon before we finished exploring Lower Antelope and headed to Lake Powell. Nothing seems pretty when your stomach is empty. We had our brief (it was actually grand) lunch at Antelope Point Marina Restaurant, before taking the 3.30 PM slot boat ride at Antelope Point Marina. Our next destination was Horseshoe Bend. I will talk about this beauty in another post. But what I MUST say now is, we had the opportunity to see the most gorgeous sunset of our lives that day. It was spectacular.
So that was pretty much our 1st day of the 6-days-tour.
How to get there:
The closest city near Antelope Canyon is Page, Arizona. It is a small city in Arizona. Page has an airport that connects to many cities in the USA. But we loved flying to Vegas and taking the roadtrip to Page instead. It’s only a 4.5 hours drive. And the scenic beauty on the way is mindblowing.
How much to pay:
- For our motel in Page, we paid $212.56 for a 2 queen bed suite. It was a luxury for us. But We needed that good night’s sleep before a really long day.
- For Upper Antelope Canyon, our per head charge was $48. Keep it in mind, you will travel in an air-conditioned 4WD vehicle that is rugged, safe, and comfortable. There are no tours on Sundays. Even though there is no proper ramp for accessibility, a person in a wheelchair can still explore this place with a little help from others.
- For Lower Antelope Canyon, we paid $20 per person. In my humble opinion, the Lower Canyon is prettier than the Upper Canyon. Also, it requires a little hike with no ramp for accessibility. So it is not recommended for people on wheelchairs.
- The boat tour at Lake Powell was for $30 per person.
- They say, the best things in the world are not FREE. But Horseshoe bend was absolutely free. And we got to see the most spectacular sunset of our lives there.
When to visit:
It is said that the best time to visit Antelope Canyon is between May and September. That’s the time when the light beams through the canyon are so prominent. Also, the weather is bearable during that time too.
Keeping in mind:
- If you want to see the best view of the Upper Canyon, you should book your tour in the morning. We did ours at 8.30 AM. It allowed us to see the sun rays spill inside the canyon making a wonderful illusion of lights. You don’t want to miss that sight. Make sure you book way in advance as they get sold out very fast. ALSO, make sure to check with them once again on your tour date, sometimes due to flash flood or extreme heat they cancel the tour.
- The later slots are more expensive as those are known to be for the photographers. The price can go upto $100. The best time to do photography is between 11 AM and 1 PM.
- The tour lasts for 2 hours. So, after the Upper Canyon tour, you can book for the Lower Canyon and then explore other things too in the city.
- Make sure you wear comfortable clothes and footwear and carry water with you. The last thing you want to happen to you there is getting dehydrated.
- Lastly, don’t forget to tip your tour guide. They look forward to it.
After doing the Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, we headed to Bryce Canyon. And then we did Zion Canyon too, before we returned our car to Las Vegas and caught our flights back to our respective destinations. But let’s not talk about it today. Let’s save those stories for a different post.
The mysterious and magnificent Antelope Canyon is one of the most spectacular slot canyons in the world. If you get a chance to visit this beauty, please do not let it go. After all, you do not get to see rock formation caused by water running through it everyday.
Here is a short (not too short though) video of our trip in a nutshell, made by my friend. Hope you will like it.
This post is a part of the Gems Of the World - A Connect Travel Post Challenge initiated by @KashifMisidia
#Gemsoftheworld #ConnectTravelChallenge
. Thanks for sharing with us.
(When water is not running).
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