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Page > Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is located near
Page on Navajo Nation land, just outside the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and close to AZ 98 a few
miles east of town (at milepost 299). Antelope Canyon is the most visited slot canyon in the Southwest, partly because it is easily accessible and by far the most publicised, and also since it is extremely beautiful, with just the right combination of depth, width, length, rock color and ambient light; many other slot canyons are deeper, narrower or longer, and some have rock that is even more colorful and sculptured, but here conditions are ideal.
Location: Antelope Creek is a seasonal stream that flows into Lake Powell 3 miles east of Page in far north Arizona. Most of the watercourse is wide and sandy, but there are two sections of slot canyon near the lake (Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons), separated by several miles of flat desert terrain. Both may be approached from AZ 98; the upper canyon (also known as Corkscrew Canyon) is reached at the end of a very sandy 2 mile 4WD track south of the road near milepost 299, and it is this part which is usually visited. Lower Antelope Canyon is between AZ 98 and the lake, and is reached by a short track northwards leading to a parking area from where the guided tours depart.
Permit: To visit either part of Antelope Canyon is
expensive. There is a fee of $6 for a standard permit required to enter Navajo territory, and an additional charge is due to the families who own the land around the canyons and organise the tours - this is currently (2005) $13 for the lower section and $15 for the more popular upper section. For the upper canyon this is paid to officials at the side of AZ 98 near the start of the track, and is now apparently only good for 60 minutes - longer visits cost an extra $5 per hour. The fee to tour the lower section is collected by the tour operators at the carpark near the canyon edge. These amounts will doubtless increase as the Navajo continue to exploit the popularity of the canyon.
Map: TopoZone topological map of Antelope Canyon.
Description:
Upper Antelope Canyon: Originally, private 4WD
vehicles were allowed to drive to the upper canyon, but now all visitors must arrive by escorted jeep transport. It is also no longer permitted to hike to the canyon, although for many people this may be a good thing - walking is very difficult, especially in the intense heat of summer, and the 2 miles through deep shifting sand took over an hour when I tried it.
When approaching upper Antelope Canyon, there is no obvious clue as to its location. The trail seems to end at the base of a red sandstone plateau about 20 meters high, but the sight of an Indian jewelry stall soon indicates its position - the entrance is a narrow curved slit in the cliffs only a few meters wide. Once inside, the temperature drops as much as 20 degrees as the visitor enters one of the most beautiful of all natural formations. The sunlight filtering down the curved sandstone walls makes magical, constantly changing patterns and shadows in many subtle shades of color. Some sections of the canyon are wide and bright, while others are narrower and more cave-like, with no light reaching the sandy floor. After only 150 meters or so, the canyon becomes suddenly much shallower near the top of the plateau. It may take only 3 or 4 minutes to walk through, but the canyon is well worth the arduous trek or expensive journey required to get there. Pictures taken here adorn camera shops and photographic manuals throughout the world, and usually there will be many people waiting with tripods and light meters trying to compose the perfect shot, and grumbling when other people walk in front of their two minute exposure.
Lower Antelope Canyon: The lower canyon is longer and deeper than the upper section, but also slightly more challenging, requiring climbing down ladders in some places to descend several sheer drops. It was here that 11 people were drowned in a flash flood in August 1997, when water 50 feet deep from a thunderstorm 5 miles away swept through the canyon, eventually deepening it by 4 feet. Lower Antelope Canyon was closed for 9 months before reopening with improved safety features, and now all visitors must now be accompanied by a guide. Both parts of the canyon are still beautiful, but any sense of adventure or tranquility is long since gone - best to try one of the hundreds of other Southwest slot canyons for these qualities.
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