May 10, 2016

Antelope Canyon is one of the major attractions in Page, Arizona. It is a slot canyon that has been featured in National Geographic, with narrow pathways and high walls located on the Navajo Reservation. There are two to choose from, the upper and lower.  Both are well known for having spectacular light coming in through the top of the canyon to highlight the color of the sandstone.  We decided to do lower Antelope Canyon since it was less expensive, and less populated. You are required to enter with a tour and there are two companies on site. You first have to pay $8/person cash  for the Navajo entrance fee with  discounts available if you are Navajo or under 12 years old. After paying the fee and entering the parking lot you can either go to the Antelope Tours or Ken’s Tours. We chose Ken’s tour after some friends booked through them. They allow walk ins, and since it wasn’t peak tourist season we got there at 9:45 and went in with the 10:00 a.m. tour. It’s $20/person. You can also sign up for the photography pass and you have about 2 hours instead of the 1:15. That pass is $46 and you are with a very small group and a guide.

This place is not handicap accessible and there are some very steep ladders and steps down and up since you have to go into the canyon.  Although we agreed that it is beautiful, it has become a major tourist zone.  Expect to walk the small canyon with hundreds of people, even though they stagger the tours.  Our hope was a peaceful walk to enjoy the natural beauty, and instead we felt herded through the hour tour. The guides have even been trained to show people what camera settings to use, and where to get the best picture. It all feels a bit staged. 30 minutes in, we felt we had seen it, and couldn’t wait to escape the hoards of people. Worth seeing, but the $56 price tag combined with massive amounts of people would deter us from going again.

The entrance to Ken’s Tours.  You can’t miss it!

It’s beautiful before you get down into the canyon!

Part of the stairway down.

This was our group.  Our guide let everyone know what settings their phones or cameras should be on to get the best pictures.  Notice how many people are in such a narrow space.  There was another group in front, and behind us.

Some of the path is pretty narrow!